Alice Tooley (née Purpet, ?1480-1556), was a business woman who, after the death of her husband, became a freewoman of Ipswich. Henry Tooley was one of the town's richest merchants. They traded mainly in cloth from their property on St Mary's Quay. None of their three children survived adolescence. When Henry was away, Alice supervised shipments, collected debts, made payments and kept everything running. Henry died in 1551, and left most of his money to the townspeople of Ipswich, including the Foundation for the almshouses. Alice saw these become a reality before her death in 1556. Alice and Henry's tomb is at St Mary at the Quay church. Following a major regeneration project the church has recently opened as a Heritage and Well-being venue, run by Suffolk Mind, called Quay Place. The brass is now on display.
The almshouses, named Tooley's Court were rebuilt on the same site in the 19th century.