924 



CAMBRIDGE. 



east and north-east by Suffolk and Norfolk. It form- 

 ed a part of the country of the Iceni, on the invasion 

 of the Romans ; ami was included in tin- Roman pro- 

 vince of Flavia Ciesariensis. Under- the Saxons, it 

 received the name of Grantabrygseyr, and formed the 

 kingdom of the East Angles of tin- Heptarchy. The 

 limits on the north of tin- county art- chit-fly formed by 

 rivers and their communicating branches, but on the 

 south they are much indented and altogether artificial. 

 The soil is exceedingly diversified ; the rich marshes 

 in the vicinity of Wisbeach consist of sand and clay or 

 silt ; that of the fens is a strong black earth on a gra- 

 velly bottom. The uplands consist of chalk, gravel, 

 loam, and clay. Its principal rivers are the Cam or 

 Granta, and the Ouse. The Cam has three branches, 

 the chief of which rises near Ashwell, in Hertfordshire, 

 enters this county from Essex, and, gliding through 

 the walks of the principal colleges at Cambridge, 

 falls into the Ouse. The Ouse enters the county be- 

 tween Fenny Drayton, and traverses the country in a 

 north-westerly direction into Norfolk. North of the 

 Ouse is the isle of Ely, and the most fenny part of the 

 county, in which a few elevated spots occasionally ap- 

 pear, on one of which is seated the city of Ely. By 

 the formation of the Bedford Level and great subse- 

 quent exertion by cutting drains and raising banks, 

 many of these low lands have been converted into 

 good arable, especially for the growth of oats ; and 

 into excellent pastures. The fen land extends to the 

 south of the Ouse, and almost to the neighbourhood 

 of Cambridge. The air and water of this part of the 

 shire are bad ; and the farmer is often exposed to 

 great damage by heavy rains, and consequent inun- 

 dation. The south-east of the county is the most 

 pleasant, especially the portions watered by the Cam, 

 which abound in dairy farms, celebrated for the pro- 

 duction of excellent butter and cheese. Jn this part 

 of the county, many calves are reared for the London 

 market. The south-east of the county, extending 

 from Gogmagog hills to Newmarket, being bare and 

 heathy, is chiefly appropriated to sheep walks, and a 

 few of the better portions to the culture of barley. 

 On the south, the ground becomes elevated, and pro- 

 duces fine wheat, barley, and oats ; and in the parishes 

 bordering on Essex, considerable attention is paid to 

 the growth of saffron. The rivers abound in fish and 

 the fens with wild fowl, which are caught in decoys, 

 that annually supply the metropolis with many thou- 

 sands. This county is no way distinguished for ma- 

 nufactures, the principal being that of coarse pottery. 

 Population of the county in 1831, 143,955. 



CAMBRIDGE; a town of England, situated on the 

 river Cam, 60 miles north of London. It is an an- 

 cient place, and was a Roman station (Granta). In 

 the year 1010, it was plundered by the Danes ; and 

 at the time of the Norman survey it contained 373 

 houses, some of which were pulled down by the 

 Conqueror, to make room for a castle. It received 

 some valuable privileges from Henry I., and was 

 plundered by outlaws from the Isle of Ely, during 

 the barons' wars, until protected by a moat formed 

 under Henry III. In the reign of Richard II., who 

 held a parliament here, great disputes took place 

 between the authorities of the town and university, 

 which ended in the former losing many of their privi- 

 leges, and the corporation was not fully restored 

 until the reign of Henry VIII. In 1630, the plague 

 raged here with great violence, so that the students 

 were driven from the university. Cambridge occu- 

 pies a perfect level, encompassed by the colleges, and 

 their beautiful plantations and gardens on both sides 

 of the Cam. Several of the streets are narrow and 

 winding, but three of them are spacious and airy, 

 and much improvement has taken place of late years, 

 under the provisions of an act of parliament, granted 



for that purpose, and for paving, lighting, and clenns- 

 ing the town. The market-place, which consists of 

 two oblong squares, is spacious and centrieally situ- 

 ated. At the upper end stands the shire hall, wheru 

 the county assizes are held, at the back of which is 

 the town hall. Population of the town in 1831, 

 20,917. 



This town is celebrated for its university, which, 

 according to some writers, was founded as early as 

 630; but the earliest authentic document relative in 

 it bears date 1SJSJ9. The university consists of sevi-n 

 teen colleges, four of which are called hulls, the 

 schools, the public library, and the senate-house. 

 The following list contains the name of each of thesu 

 institutions, and the time when it was founded. 



1. Peter bouse 

 2. Clare hall . 



3. Pembroke ball 



4. Gonville and Caius college 



5. Corpus Christ! 

 <i. Trinity ball 



7. Kiug's college . 



8. Queen's college 



9. Catharine hall 



10. Jesus college 



11. Christ college 



12. St John's college . 



13. Magdalen college 



14. Trinity college 

 13. Emanuel college 



16. Sidney Sussex college 



17. Downing college 



1343 



I. 'MS 

 I ill 

 1350 

 1111 



i us 

 mr, 



1400 



IMP.'. 



l.'i-l 

 1800 



See Colleges. 



Previous to the erection of colleges, the students 

 resided in hostels or inns, which were provided by 

 the townsmen for their reception, of which there were 

 thirty-four. The charges of education and mainten- 

 ance were paid by the students themselves. The 

 university is composed of a chancellor, vice-chancellor, 

 the masters or heads, fellows of colleges, and students, 

 amounting in all (in 1823) to 4,277 members, and is 

 incorporated as a society for the study of all the. 

 liberal arts and sciences. Although each college or 

 hall is a body of itself, and bound by its own statutes, 

 it is controlled by the paramount law of the university 

 (chiefly contained in the statutes given by Elizabeth), 

 each furnishing members for the government of the 

 whole. The government is administered by a chan- 

 cellor, who is a nobleman, a high steward, chosen by 

 the senate, a vice-chancellor, who is usually the head 

 of some college or hall, two proctors, who attend to 

 the discipline of the under-masters of arts, read the 

 graces, &c.; taxors, moderators, scrutators, a com- 

 missary, a public orator ; the caput, consisting of the 

 vice-chancellor and several doctors, which determine? 

 what graces shall be brought before the university. 

 There are also twenty-three professors in the various 

 departments of literature and science. The senate is 

 composed of all the doctors and masters, and is di- 

 vided into two houses, the regent-house and the 

 senate-house. The two members of parliament, re- 

 turned by the university, are chosen by the whole 

 body collectively. The election of officers, the ad- 

 mission to degrees, &c., take place in the senate 

 house. The fellows, scholars, and certain inferior 

 officers, are maintained on the foundation. Besides 

 which there are other orders of students : the greater 

 pensioners are the young nobility and gentlemen of 

 fortune, who dine with the fellows, and are therefore 

 called fellow commoners ; the less pensioners dine 

 with the scholars ; the sizars are scholars who receive 

 benefactions, called exhibitions. Three years' study 

 at the university is necessary for taking the degree 

 of bachelor of arts, and four years more for that of 

 master. In divinity, a student may commence bache- 

 lor seven years after receiving the degree of bachelor 

 of arts ; in law, six years after ; and, in physic, five 

 years after. The time for conferring these degrees 



