Alumni Cantabrigienses
Encyclopedia
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 Cambridge University which was edited by John Venn
and his son John Archibald Venn (1883-1958) and published by Cambridge University Press
in ten volumes between 1922 and 1953. Over 130,000 individuals are covered, with more extended biographical detail provided for post-1751 matriculants.
, 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
: 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, 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 Cambridge University, 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 For pre-1500 matriculations, their work has been superseded by that of A. B. Emden, but "the bulk of the work [...] has not been paralleled, let alone surpassed", and Alumni Cantabrigienses has twice been reprinted in fascimile. An ongoing project at Cambridge University 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 – to be published online as a searchable database.
Part II. 1752-1900.
John Venn
Donald A. Venn FRS , was a British logician and philosopher. He is famous for introducing the Venn diagram, which is used in many fields, including set theory, probability, logic, statistics, and computer science....
and his son John Archibald Venn (1883-1958) and published by Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
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, 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 IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, 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, Cambridge
Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou , and refounded in 1465 by Elizabeth Woodville...
: 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, 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 Cambridge University, 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, but "the bulk of the work [...] has not been paralleled, let alone surpassed", and Alumni Cantabrigienses has twice been reprinted in fascimile. An ongoing project at Cambridge University is integrating Alumni Cantabrigienses with Emden's material, registers of women's colleges (members of Girton
Girton College, Cambridge
Girton College is one of the 31 constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge. It was England's first residential women's college, established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon. The full college status was only received in 1948 and marked the official admittance of women to the...
and Newnham
Newnham College, Cambridge
Newnham College is a women-only constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1871 by Henry Sidgwick, and was the second Cambridge college to admit women after Girton College...
colleges were not given full university membership until 1947) and other sources – amounting to over 20,000 cards of addenda and corrigenda – to be published online as a searchable database.
Volumes
Part I. From the earliest times to 1751.- Vol. i. Abbas – Cutts, 1922. .
- Vol. ii. Dabbs – Juxton, 1922. . And another and another
- Vol. iii. Kaile – Ryves, 1924.
- Vol. iv. Saal – Zuinglius, 1927.
Part II. 1752-1900.
- Vol. i. Abbey – Challis, 1940.
- Vol. ii. Chalmers – Fytche, 1944.
- Vol. iii. Gabb – Justamond, 1947.
- Vol. iv. Kahlenberg – Oyler, 1947.
- Vol. v. Pace – Sypers, 1953.
- Vol. vi. Square – Zupitza, 1954.
External links
- Searchable version at Ancestry.com
- ACAD - A Cambridge Alumni Database