2 INTRODUCTION 



the University, determined to begin and finish a place whereby 

 learning, especially the faculty of medicine, might be improved," 

 bought out Humphrey Ellis, the tenant of 5 acres of meadow, 

 for ^250, and arranged that the University should lease the 

 ground from Magdalen College for 40^. per annum. 



"The opening ceremony took place at 2 p.m. on the 

 25th of July, St. James's Day, in the year of our Lord, 

 1621, when the Vice-Chancellor and other dignitaries of the 

 University went solemnly from St. Mary's Church to the 

 Garden, where, being settled, Mr. Edward Dawson, a Physician 

 of Broadgates Hall, and Dr. Clayton, the Regius Professor of 

 Medicine, each spoke an oration. Afterward the V.C. laid 

 the first stone, with the offering of money thereon, according 

 to the ancient custom ; then several Doctors, and both the 

 Proctors ; which being done, the Vice-Chancellor concluded 

 with a brief Oration." 



The direct lease of the ground from Magdalen College was 

 dated July 28, and by November 6, 1621, articles between 

 Lord Danby as " founder of the publick Garden " and others 

 had been drawn up and signed, and obligations had been laid 

 upon the masons, to set up and make the Garden wall " well 

 fair and sufficient as well as Al soules Colledge walls, Mag- 

 delen Colledge Tower, or any the fairest buildings of that kind 

 in Oxford both for truth and beauty." * 



Meanwhile the land was raised considerably to prevent the 

 overflowing of the water, and " 4000 load of mucke & dunge 

 Jaide by H. Windiat ye Universitie scavenger" (1621-6). 



Gateway and wall were not finished until 1632 and 1633 

 respectively : the gateway was built by Neklaus Stone from a 

 design by Inigo Jones. The two figures of Kings Charles I. 

 and II., which stand in niches on the right and left of the 

 archway, were put up at a later period : it is said with the fine 

 imposed upon Antony a Wood for a libel on the Earl of 



* The document is in the custody of the Keeper of the University 

 Archives, to whose courtesy I am indebted for inspecting it. 



