CHAMBERS'S INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE. 



of the university may be said to begin early in 

 the 1 2th century about which time it began to 

 be the resort of students, who attended lectures 

 -delivered by learned monks. When Alfred of 

 Beverleywas a student there namely, 1129 A.D. 

 there were no public halls or hostels, but each one 

 lived in his own hired lodgings. The first regular 

 society of students was that of Peterhouse, founded 

 jn 1257. These societies gradually increased ; 

 the hostels in which the students lived together, 

 under a principal, being generally named after 

 some saint or adjoining church. It was between 

 the latter part of the I3th and the close of the 

 1 6th century, that these foundations, which now 

 -constitute the university, were endowed. Hugh 

 -de Balsham has the honour of being the first 

 benefactor in this way. Michael House was 

 founded by Hervey de Stanton, in 1324 ; and 

 King's Hall, by Edward III. in 1332. These 

 were both merged into Trinity College under 

 Henry VIII. in 1546. Clare Hall, as it used to 

 be called, one of the earliest colleges in Cam- 

 -bridge, was founded by the Countess of Clare in 

 1326. King's College was founded by Henry VI. ; 

 and his queen, Margaret, began the foundation 

 -of Queen's College, which was added to by Eliza- 

 -beth Woodville, queen of Edward IV. Lady 

 Margaret, Countess of Richmond and Derby, 

 .mother of Henry VII. founded Christ College, 

 -and St John's, in the beginning of the i6th 

 century, and also the Divinity professorship 

 named after her. Henry VIII. appropriated part 

 of the spoils of the monasteries to the foundation 

 of Trinity College ; and Queen Mary augmented 

 the endowment. The five Regius professorships 

 were endowed by Henry VIII. 



In 1643, Cromwell took possession of the town, 

 .and the most eminent royalists were expelled from 

 *he university. From that time no new college 

 was added, until the founding of Downing College 

 in 1800. The present university statutes were 

 confirmed by Queen Victoria, by Order in Council 

 of 3 ist July 1858. The governing body is the 

 Senate, and the building where they meet is 

 called the Senate House. All university laws are 

 approved by an elected body called the Council, 

 before they are submitted to the Senate. The 

 executive powers are intrusted to a Chancellor, 

 High Steward, Vice-chancellor, and Assessor. 

 There are four classes of students Fellow-com- 

 moners and Noblemen, Pensioners, Sizars, and 

 the more distinguished students, who are elected 

 Scholars on the foundation of their college. The 

 first class are so called from their dining at the 

 Fellows' table. They wear silk or embroidered 

 gowns, and pay heavier fees. The Pensioners are the 

 great body of students who are not on the founda- 

 tion, and who pay for their own commons namely, 

 dinners in hall, &c. and for their chambers. The 

 Sizars are the poorer students, who are admitted 

 .at lower charges than the Pensioners, but wear 

 the same dress, and are no longer subject to the 

 performance of menial offices, as they once were. 

 The Scholars are elected by examination from the 

 Pensioners and Sizars ; they are on the founda- 

 tion of the college, have rooms and commons 

 free, and other emoluments. The Fellows are 

 subsequently elected from the Scholars and the 

 students who . have distinguished themselves in 

 the Tripos examinations. Vacancies are, as a 

 rule, filled up from members of the college, but 



238 



many fellowships are open to the competition of 

 the whole university. The usual age of admission 

 is from 17 to 20. The great prizes of the university 

 are the Fellowships, of which there are about 360 

 open to all candidates, without restriction ; but 

 conditions of tenure as to marriage and holy 

 orders vary at different colleges. Their value 

 varies from ^100 to 300 per annum, and many 

 of the Senior Fellowships are over 500 a year. 

 The office of Tutor is one of great honour and 

 emolument The Chancellor gives annually two 

 gold medals to the two commencing bachelors, 

 who, having taken a senior optitne's degree in 

 mathematics, shew themselves the greatest pro- 

 ficients in classical learning. The members of 

 parliament for the university give annually four 

 prizes for the best dissertations in Latin prose. 

 There are numerous other university distinctions, 

 for an accurate account of which the Cambridge 

 Calendar should be consulted. 



Winchester, a famous historical city, the chief 

 town of Hampshire, is situated in the middle of 

 the county, on the right bank of the Itchin, 67 

 miles south-west of London by railway. Popu- 

 lation in 1 88 1, 17,780. The Castle Hill is the 

 site of the old castle built in the I3th century 

 by Henry III. and of a magnificent hall, of 

 which the only remaining portion is used as 

 the county court. About a mile from the town 

 is the famous hospital of St Cross, founded in 

 1136 by Henry de Blois, bishop of Winchester, 

 for thirteen poor men ' decayed and past their 

 strength.' It was at one time munificently en- 

 dowed, but its sources of income have, in course 

 of time, been narrowed. Its ancient charters and 

 grants were destroyed in the I3th century. The 

 city cross in the High Street, dating from the 

 1 5th century, is very beautiful in design. The 

 college of Winchester, called originally ' Seinte 

 Marie College of Wynchestre,' now St Mary's or 

 Winchester College, was founded by William of 

 Wykeham, bishop of Winchester, in 1387, and 

 the buildings were finished in 1393. The charter 

 of the school, which is in existence, was granted 

 by Richard II. in 1396, and confirmed by all the 

 subsequent sovereigns, Mary excepted, down to 

 Charles 1 1. The endowment at present amounts 

 to about .15,500 a year. The pupils of the school 

 are of two classes, foundation scholars and com- 

 moners. The scholars are elected between 12 and 

 15 years of age by competitive examination; the 

 average annual number of vacancies being 12, and 

 the number of candidates 100. The scholars are 

 well boarded, lodged, and educated at the expense 

 of the foundation ; having to pay for incidental 

 charges only 21 a year. Many of the quaint old 

 customs of the school are still retained. The 

 average number of commoners has of late been 

 about 300. They generally enter between 1 2 and 1 5 

 years of age, and stay 3 or 4 years. Those who 

 are not on the foundation are boarded in the houses 

 of the masters, at a total cost of about .112, includ- 

 ing expense of tuition, pocket-money, and cost of 

 travelling. Winchester possesses 70 scholarships 

 tenable at school for foundationers, and 8 exhi- 

 bitions for commoners ; also 4 exhibitions yearly 

 of 50 for 4 years, tenable after leaving, and 6 

 scholarships annually at New College, Oxford. 

 Fagging is permitted to the 18 chief boys, who 

 are called ' Prefects.' The monitorial system was 

 first established in this college. The cathedral is 



