Gloucester College, Oxford, was a
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
institution of the
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
in
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, from the late 13th century until the
Dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century. It was never a typical college of the University, in that there was an internal division in the college, by staircase units, into parts where the monasteries sending monks had effective authority. The overall head was a
Prior
Prior (or prioress) is an ecclesiastical title for a superior in some religious orders. The word is derived from the Latin for "earlier" or "first". Its earlier generic usage referred to any monastic superior. In abbeys, a prior would be l ...
.
It later became Gloucester Hall, an
academic hall
Academic Hall was the original main building of the University of Missouri. It was dedicated in 1843 and destroyed by fire in 1892. Academic Hall's six Ionic columns, today known as The Columns, stand on Francis Quadrangle as the most recogniz ...
and annexe of
St John's College and was again refounded in 1714 as
Worcester College
Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in 1714 by the benefaction of Sir Thomas Cookes, 2nd Baronet (1648–1701) of Norgrove, Worcestershire, whose coat of arms w ...
by Sir
Thomas Cookes
Sir Thomas Cookes, 2nd Baronet (bap. 1648 – 8 June 1701) was an English philanthropist who was the benefactor of Worcester College, Oxford and Bromsgrove School.
Biography
He was the eldest son of Sir William Cookes, 1st Baronet, of Norgr ...
.
History
The initial foundation was from 1283.
John Giffard gave a house, in Stockwell Street, Oxford. There was early friction with the local
Carmelites
, image =
, caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites
, abbreviation = OCarm
, formation = Late 12th century
, founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel
, founding_location = Mount Car ...
. This was a donation to the Benedictines of the
province of Canterbury
The Province of Canterbury, or less formally the Southern Province, is one of two ecclesiastical provinces which constitute the Church of England. The other is the Province of York (which consists of 12 dioceses).
Overview
The Province consist ...
. Control of the 13 places for monks fell to the abbey of
St. Peter, Gloucester. The first prior was Henry de Heliun.
Pope Benedict XII
Pope Benedict XII ( la, Benedictus XII, french: Benoît XII; 1285 – 25 April 1342), born Jacques Fournier, was head of the Catholic Church from 30 December 1334 to his death in April 1342. He was the third Avignon pope. Benedict was a careful p ...
in 1337 laid down, in the
bull
A bull is an intact (i.e., not castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e., cows), bulls have long been an important symbol in many religions,
includin ...
''Pastor bonus'', that 5% of Benedictine monks should be university students. But from the middle of the fourteenth century onwards there was an alternative, at 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 ...
. There were also the Benedictine
Durham College, Oxford
Durham College was a college of the University of Oxford, founded by the monks of Durham Priory in the late 13th century. It was closed at the dissolution of the monasteries in the mid 16th century, and its buildings were subsequently used to fo ...
, and
Canterbury College, Oxford
Canterbury College, Oxford (1311–1540), was a University of Oxford college, owned and run by Christ Church Priory, Canterbury. Shortly after the dissolution of the monasteries, the college's hall, chapel and other buildings were surrendered ...
. Even though the catchment area after 1337 included the
Province of York
The Province of York, or less formally the Northern Province, is one of two ecclesiastical provinces making up the Church of England and consists of 12 dioceses which cover the northern third of England and the Isle of Man. York was elevated to ...
, numbers of students were never high, one reason being the cost of living in Oxford (which the home monastery had to meet). After the
Black Death
The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causi ...
, Gloucester College was closed for a time. In 1537 it was found to have 32 students.
At the Dissolution the property passed to the English Crown, then to the
Bishop of Oxford
The Bishop of Oxford is the diocesan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford in the Province of Canterbury; his seat is at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. The current bishop is Steven Croft, following the confirmation of his elect ...
in 1542, who sold it to
Sir Thomas White. White was the founder of
St John's College, Oxford
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded as a men's college in 1555, it has been coeducational since 1979.Communication from Michael Riordan, college archivist Its founder, Sir Thomas White, intended to pro ...
, and Gloucester Hall, as it then became, was treated as an Annexe to St John's College.
The penultimate
Principal of Gloucester Hall,
Benjamin Woodroffe
Benjamin Woodroffe (1638–1711) was an English cleric and college head.
Life
The son of the Rev. Timothy Woodroffe, he was born in Canditch Street, St. Mary Magdalen parish, Oxford, in April 1638. He was educated at Westminster School, and was ...
, established a '
Greek College' for
Greek Orthodox
The term Greek Orthodox Church (Greek language, Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the Eastern Orthodox Church, entire body of Orthodox (Chalced ...
students to come to Oxford, part of a scheme to make ecumenical links with the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
. This was active from 1699 to 1705, although only 15 Greeks are recorded as members.
The status of Gloucester Hall changed in the 18th century, when it was refounded in 1714 by
Sir Thomas Cookes as
Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in 1714 by the benefaction of Sir Thomas Cookes, 2nd Baronet (1648–1701) of Norgrove, Worcestershire, whose coat of arms w ...
. Oxford's
Gloucester Green
Gloucester Green is a square in central Oxford, England, and the site of the city's bus station. It lies between George Street to the south and Beaumont Street to the north. To the west is Worcester Street and to the east is Gloucester Street ...
, which was opposite the old College, and the Gloucester House building within the current college preserve the name.
Principals of Gloucester Hall
*1560–1561
William Stocke
*1561–1563 Richard Eden
*1563–1564 Thomas Palmer
*1564–1576 William Stocke
*1576–1580 Henry Russell
*1580–1581
Christopher Bagshawe
*1581–1593 John Delabere
*1593–1626 John Hawley
*1626–1647
Degory Wheare
Degory Wheare, also spelt Digory Whear (the first name can be Latinized as Degoreus or Digoreus) (1573 – 1 August 1647) was an historian, the first Camden Professor of Ancient History in the University of Oxford.
Life
He was born in Jacob ...
*1647–1647
John Maplett
*1647–1660 Tobias Garbrand
*1660–1662 John Maplett
*1662–1692
Byrom Eaton
Byrom Eaton Doctor of Divinity, D.D. (1613–1703) was an English priest.
Eaton was born in Grappenhall and educated at Brasenose College, Oxford. He was Principal (academia), Principal of Gloucester Hall from 1662 and 1692; and Rector (ecclesias ...
*1692–1711
Benjamin Woodroffe
Benjamin Woodroffe (1638–1711) was an English cleric and college head.
Life
The son of the Rev. Timothy Woodroffe, he was born in Canditch Street, St. Mary Magdalen parish, Oxford, in April 1638. He was educated at Westminster School, and was ...
*1712–1714 Richard Blechynden.
['Gloucester Hall and Worcester College', ''A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 3: The University of Oxford'' (1954), pp. 298-309. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=63890 Date accessed: 17 April 2012.]
Alumni
Those who studied at the college and hall include:
Gloucester College (1283–1542)
*
Henry Bradshaw
*
Adam Easton
Adam Easton ( – 15 September 1397) was an English cardinal, born at Easton in Norfolk.
He joined the Benedictines at Norwich moving on to the Benedictine Gloucester College, Oxford where he became one of the most outstanding students of h ...
*
John Feckenham
John Feckenham (c. 1515 – October 1584), also known as John Howman of Feckingham and later John de Feckenham or John Fecknam, was an English churchman, the last abbot of Westminster.
Under Henry VIII and Edward VI
Feckenham was born at Feckenh ...
*
John Lydgate
John Lydgate of Bury (c. 1370 – c. 1451) was an English monk and poet, born in Lidgate, near Haverhill, Suffolk, England.
Lydgate's poetic output is prodigious, amounting, at a conservative count, to about 145,000 lines. He explored and est ...
(supposed)
* Richard of Wallingford
Gloucester Hall (1542–1714)
*
Robert Catesby
Robert Catesby (c. 1572 – 8 November 1605) was the leader of a group of English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
Born in Warwickshire, Catesby was educated in Oxford. His family were prominent recusant Catholics, and ...
*
Kenelm Digby
Sir Kenelm Digby (11 July 1603 – 11 June 1665) was an English courtier and diplomat. He was also a highly reputed natural philosopher, astrologer and known as a leading Roman Catholic intellectual and Blackloist. For his versatility, he is d ...
*
Richard Lovelace
*
Thomas Coryate
Thomas Coryat (also Coryate) (c. 15771617) was an English traveller and writer of the late Elizabethan and early Jacobean age. He is principally remembered for two volumes of writings he left regarding his travels, often on foot, through ...
*
Edward Kelley
Sir Edward Kelley or Kelly, also known as Edward Talbot (; 1 August 1555 – 1597/8), was an English people, English Renaissance magic, Renaissance occultist and scryer. He is best known for working with John Dee (mathematician), John Dee in hi ...
Notes and references
{{University of Oxford
1283 establishments in England
Educational institutions established in the 13th century
1714 disestablishments in England
Former colleges and halls of the University of Oxford
Benedictine colleges and universities
St John's College, Oxford
Worcester College, Oxford
Christianity in Oxford