The Sir John Cass Foundation School was founded by John Cass (1661–1718), an English merchant, politician, and philanthropist. In 1709, Cass founded a school in buildings in the churchyard of St. Botolph’s Aldgate. After his death in 1718, the school was managed by appointed trustees. The Sir John Cass’s Foundation was established in 1748 and allowed for the continuation of the school and the establishment of the Sir John Cass Technical Institute in 1902, which eventually joined with other institutions to become the London Metropolitan University in 2002. Today, several schools in London are still supported by the Foundation, including the Sir John Cass’s Foundation Primary School near the original site at St Botolph’s.