''Alumni Cantabrigienses: A Biographical List of All Known Students, Graduates and Holders of Office at the University of Cambridge, from the Earliest Times to 1900'' is a biographical register of former members of the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

which was edited by the mathematician

John Venn John Venn, Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS, Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, FSA (4 August 1834 – 4 April 1923) was an English mathematician, logician and philosopher noted for introducing Venn diagrams, which are used in l ...

(1834–1923) and his son

John Archibald Venn John Archibald Venn (10 November 1883 – 15 March 1958) was a British economist. He was President of Queens' College, Cambridge, from 1932 until his death, Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University 1941–1943, university archivist, and a ...

(1883–1958) and published by

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press A university press is an academic publishing hou ...

in ten volumes between 1922 and 1953. Over 130,000 individuals are covered, with more extended biographical detail provided for post-1751 matriculants.

Publication history

John Venn, a fellow and later president of

Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, often referred to simply as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and one of th ...

, began this huge project after completing a biographical register of members of his own college. Part I of ''Alumni Cantabrigienses'', in four volumes, covered those who matriculated at Cambridge up to 1751. Although publication was delayed by

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Venn lived to see the first two volumes of Part I published before his death in 1923. They were a collaboration between Venn and his son, J. A. Venn, fellow and (from 1932) president of

Queens' College, Cambridge Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the oldest colleges of the university, founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. The college spans the River Cam, colloquially referred to as the "light s ...

: ''Alumni Cantabrigienses'' was continued by J. A. Venn as "the work which occupied him for most of his life". With support from the syndics of Cambridge University Press, the younger Venn saw the two remaining volumes of Part I through the press, and (from 1940 to 1954) six volumes comprising Part II, covering 1752–1900 matriculations. Beyond details of an individual's progression at the University of Cambridge, the information provided in ''Alumni Cantabrigienses'' may include: dates and place of birth and death; the names of parents, siblings and spouses; schooling, occupation, and notable accomplishments; and references to sources cited. The Venns compiled ''Alumni Cantabrigienses'' from university records (matriculation registers and degree lists), written sources, and archives which included college admission registers, episcopal registers, college accounts, genealogical collections and documents in public record offices. For pre-1500 matriculations, their work has been superseded by that of

A. B. Emden Alfred Brotherston Emden (1888–1979) was an Oxford University historian and Principal of St Edmund Hall from 1929 to 1951. He published widely on matters concerning St Edmund Hall and the medieval church. His generous gifts, and lifelong asso ...

, but "the bulk of the work ..has not been paralleled, let alone surpassed", and ''Alumni Cantabrigienses'' has twice been reprinted in facsimile.

Derived works

An ongoing project at the University of Cambridge is integrating ''Alumni Cantabrigienses'' with Emden's material, registers of women's colleges (members of Girton and Newnham colleges were not given full university membership until 1947) and other sources, amounting to over 20,000 cards of addenda and corrigenda. The results are available online as a searchable database.Search ACAD data
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Volumes

Part I. From the earliest times to 1751

Part II. 1752–1900

References

{{reflist

External links

Searchable version
at

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ACAD – A Cambridge Alumni Database
1922 non-fiction books 1924 non-fiction books 1927 non-fiction books 1940 non-fiction books 1944 non-fiction books 1947 non-fiction books 1953 non-fiction books 1954 non-fiction books British biographical dictionaries Cambridge University Press books University of Cambridge Terminology of the University of Cambridge