Physwick or FishwickChristopher Nugent Lawrence Brooke
History of Gonville and Caius College
pp. 24 Hostel is a former constituent of the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

located on the south side of the present

Trinity Great Court Great Court is the main court of Trinity College, Cambridge, and reputed to be the largest enclosed courtyard in Europe. The court was completed by Thomas Nevile, master of the college, in the early years of the 17th century, when he rearranged ...

, between the Queen’s Gate and Trinity Street.The Project Gutenberg eBook of Cambridge
/ref> It was founded in 1393 when William Fiswick (also known as Fishwick or Physwick), the first esquire or armiger

bedel The bedel (from medieval Latin ''pedellus'' or ''bidellus'', occasionally ''bidellus generalis'', from Old High German ''bital'', ''pital'', "the one who invites, calls"; cognate with beadle) was, and is to some extent still, an administrative ...

of the university, bequeathed his Trinity Lane hall to

Gonville Hall 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 ...

(later

Gonville and Caius College 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 ...

). Chambers and lodgings were added by William Revell,

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of Titchwell, in his own benefice. Members of the hostel and main hall were able to use these for pleasure or in sickness during recurrences of the Black Death plague.Fuller, T., 2009
The history of the University of Cambridge from the conquest to the year 1634
''Cambridge University Press'', pages 110-112british borough charters
page 203 Physwick was far more populous than the main college Caius, usually between thirty and forty in number, but at one point over 80 commoner members at once, although it did not breed distinguished theologians, bishops and dignitaries.COLLEGE RECORDS
NOTES ON SOURCES. http://www.rayment.info

Walter Hart Walter Hart (or Walter Lyhert; died 24 May 1472) was a medieval Bishop of Norwich. He was Provost of Oriel College, Oxford Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the ...

Bishop of Norwich The Bishop of Norwich is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Norwich in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers most of the county of Norfolk and part of Suffolk. The bishop of Norwich is Graham Usher. The see is in t ...

(1446–1472), maintained 12 students at Physwick. It did however maintain a reputation for many years, educating many eminent and learned men, some of whom were summoned to fill honorable positions in the parent college, others to hold offices of state.Clark, J.W., 1890
Cambridge; brief historical and descriptive notes
/ref> Physwick hostel features in several of Susanna Gregory's Matthew Bartholomew series books. In 1467 Gonville Hall also acquired St Margaret's Hostel and then in 1481 rebuilt the two as a single, substantial complex with hall and

gate tower A gate tower (german: Torturm) is a tower built over or next to a major gateway. Usually it is part of a medieval fortification. This may be a town or city wall, fortress, castle or castle chapel. The gate tower may be built as a twin tower on ...

. In 1546 Physwick and St Margaret's were merged into the new

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

by Henry VIII along with Michaelhouse College, King’s Hall and five other hostels: Gregory’s, Ovyng’s, Catherine’s, Garratt, and Tyler’s.

Principals of Physwick Hostel

It was administered by two Principals, one exterior, the other interior, who managed the finances, and directed the studies. The former was appointed by the Master of Caius College, the latter elected by the students themselves. That the selection of one of the Principals should be made by those whom he was to instruct is quite without parallel in early university institutions.

References

{{Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Organisations of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Trinity College, Cambridge