A HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE 



had come to an end through lack of real kinship, by dissipation through 

 so many generations. 



The admission of John Bolney in 1 548 as founder's kin does not 

 appear to have produced a new crop of claimants. But that of Richard 

 Fiennes in 1569, being perhaps more widely known through his noble 

 birth and prospects, and perhaps regarded as something of a scandal, 

 produced further claimants. 



The question became a burning one when, in 1572, the Wykehams 

 of Swalcliffe near Broughton, but no relation to the founder, put in their 

 claims as founder's kin, a claim resisted by the Fiennes, as it confused 

 their pedigree, while its admission would have let in new hosts on the 

 college. The case was taken to Chancery, and Lord Keeper Bromley 

 decided against the claim and made the claimant renounce it, but, by a 

 curious sort of compromise, directed that the claimant's son and four 

 degrees of descendants might be admitted as kin. Afterwards the 

 college turned restive against the Fiennes and Bolneys, and Chancery 

 proceedings were taken. The matter was referred to the Bishop of 

 Winchester, Thomas Cooper, by Christopher Hatton, Lord Chancellor, 

 with an expression of opinion by the Court that 



The public benefits of the realm for the education of children in learning, chiefly 

 intended by the founder, would be greatly hindered if any of the children of the said 

 complainants should be admitted into the said colleges, being at this instant a great 

 many in number, and in a short time likely to spread and increase and grow into more 

 generations sufficient of themselves to fill the number of both the colleges. 



The bishop in his award 1 in 1589 repeated this reasoning in other 

 words, and also added a very interesting reason of his own, viz. that the 

 revenues of the college had been 



greatly augmented and enlarged with many grants, privileges, lands, and possessions 

 by the free gift of the Queen's most excellent Majesty and others, Her Highness's 

 most noble progenitors, and of divers other well-disposed persons, . . . without which 

 augmentation . . . the ancient possessions given by the said founder were nothing 

 like sufficient to answer the ordinary and necessary charges yearly to be spent and 

 employed about the education and maintenance of half the number by the Founder 

 appointed to be brought up and maintained. 



He also said that it appeared that the founder only allotted 20 

 among all the founder's kin in either college, ' at the rate of 4 marks a 

 kinsman,' which would allow only seven in all. He proceeds 



It is evident by the records of both Colleges that there hath not been allowed or 

 admitted as kinsmen to the said Founder above the number of eighteen persons of all 

 descents whatsoever, and at all times since the first foundation of the said Colleges, till 

 some of these persons now complaining were admitted. 



The exact date to which the number of eighteen is to be reckoned 

 is by no means clear, and would appear to be about half the correct 

 number if it refers to the whole number of founder's kin admitted up to 

 1548. It gave the bishop, however, ground for the somewhat illogical 

 decree that there should not be above the number of eighteen founder's 



1 Annah, p. 526, 

 318 



