St Mary's College was a former college in

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.R. W. Jeffrey,
A Forgotten College of Oxford
'. It is not to be confused with the two other colleges also named "St. Mary's", more commonly known as

Oriel College Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College, ...

and New College. In the 15th century, the canons of Oseney Abbey attended lectures at

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

. Sometimes other Augustinian canons were allowed to stay at Oseney for the same purpose. However, this was by favour rather than by right. Therefore, in 1421, at a meeting of the Augustinian order in

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

, a petition was sent to

King Henry V Henry V (16 September 1386 – 31 August 1422), also called Henry of Monmouth, was King of England from 1413 until his death in 1422. Despite his relatively short reign, Henry's outstanding military successes in the Hundred Years' War against ...

to found a college for the order in

. A site was found at the eastern end of what is now the modern frontage of

Balliol College Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and ar ...

. However, this scheme was abandoned because the King died in 1422. Later, in 1435, Thomas Holden and his wife Elizabeth founded St Mary's College, donating land in the parishes of St Michael's North, and St Peter le Bailey, and also building a chapel. Rules were created by the

Abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...

of Oseney in 1448. Secular clerks could also be admitted, but had to pay for their accommodation. The college was headed by the ''prior studentium''. The construction of the college was slow and

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attempted to accelerate construction. Following the dissolution of the monasteries, the college fell into disrepair. The college was located on the east side of New Inn Hall Street and a gateway still remains. The rebuilt buildings are known as Frewin Hall, named after Richard Frewin (or Frewen), a scholar at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

( matriculated in 1698) and later

Camden Professor of Ancient History The Camden Professorship of Ancient History at the University of Oxford was established in 1622 by English antiquary and historian William Camden, Clarenceux King of Arms, and endowed with the income of the manor of Bexley, becoming the first and ...

. On 2 June 1582,

Brasenose College Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the m ...

leased the house to Griffith Lloyd. For many years the house was the official residence of the Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford University. In 1860, Edward, Prince of Wales, later

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...

, was briefly in residence at Frewin Hall with his tutors. The surviving buildings of the medieval college and the Norman town house that preceded it have been studied by Professor John Blair, who has reconstructed the plan of the site. The Tudor hammer-beam roof of the lost chapel was re-used in the 17th-century chapel of Brasenose College, where it now remains above a plaster ceiling.RCHM Inventory of Oxford (1939) Ruins of the college were uncovered during excavations on the site in 2022.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mary's College, Oxford Former colleges and halls of the University of Oxford Former buildings and structures in Oxford Brasenose College, Oxford Augustinian monasteries in England 1435 establishments in England Educational institutions established in the 15th century Buildings and structures of the University of Oxford

See also

References