The School's origins date to 1606 when John Addey (1550–1606), Master shipwright at Deptford Dockyard, having made his fortune in shipbuilding, left £150 to help the poor of Deptford; this money was then invested in land and the rent from that land was to be given away as charity. This amounted to 40 shillings each, per annum given to 100 parishioners of Deptford. However, in 1820 the trustees felt that this type of poor relief encouraged fecklessness and instead decided to found the Addey School in 1821 on Church Street, Deptford.