Gloucester College, Oxford
Encyclopedia
Gloucester College, Oxford was a Benedictine
institution of the University of Oxford
, from the late thirteenth 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
.
The initial foundation was from 1283. John Giffard
gave a house, in Stockwell Street, Oxford. There was early friction with the local Carmelites
. This was a donation to the Benedictines of the province of Canterbury
. 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
in 1337 laid down, in the bull
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
. There were also the Benedictine Durham College, Oxford, and Canterbury College, Oxford
. Even though the catchment area after 1337 included the Province of York
, 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
, 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
in 1542 http://pstalker.com/echo/sk_worcester.html, who sold it to Sir Thomas Whyte. Whyte was the founder of St. John's College, Oxford, and Gloucester Hall, as it then became, was treated as an Annexe to St. John’s. The position changed only in the 18th century, when the college was refounded in 1714 by Sir Thomas Cookes
as Worcester College, Oxford
. Oxford's Gloucester Green
, which was opposite the old College, preserves the name.
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
institution of the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, from the late thirteenth century until the Dissolution of the monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
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
Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St...
.
The initial foundation was from 1283. John Giffard
John Giffard
John Giffard , baron Giffard of Brimsfield, was an English nobleman prominent in the Second Barons' War and in Wales. His initial gift of land in Oxford led to the foundation of Gloucester College, Oxford.-Involvement in military actions:...
gave a house, in Stockwell Street, Oxford. There was early friction with the local Carmelites
Carmelites
The Order of the Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel or Carmelites is a Catholic religious order perhaps founded in the 12th century on Mount Carmel, hence its name. However, historical records about its origin remain uncertain...
. This was a donation to the Benedictines of the province of Canterbury
Province of Canterbury
The Province of Canterbury, also called the Southern Province, is one of two ecclesiastical provinces making up the Church of England...
. 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
Pope Benedict XII , born Jacques Fournier, the third of the Avignon Popes, was Pope from 1334 to 1342.-Early life:...
in 1337 laid down, in the bull
Papal bull
A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a Pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end in order to authenticate it....
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
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. There were also the Benedictine Durham College, Oxford, and Canterbury College, Oxford
Canterbury College, Oxford
Canterbury College, Oxford was a University of Oxford college owned and run by Christ Church Priory, Canterbury. The Priory first sent 4 monks to study in Oxford in 1311, in a hall it had bought there near the church of St. Peter-in-the-East, but the actual college was founded in 1362 by Simon...
. Even though the catchment area after 1337 included the Province of York
Province of York
The Province of York is one of two ecclesiastical provinces making up the Church of England, and consists of 14 dioceses which cover the northern third of England and the Isle of Man. York was elevated to an Archbishopric in 735 AD: Ecgbert of York was the first archbishop...
, 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
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
, 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
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...
in 1542 http://pstalker.com/echo/sk_worcester.html, who sold it to Sir Thomas Whyte. Whyte was the founder of St. John's College, Oxford, and Gloucester Hall, as it then became, was treated as an Annexe to St. John’s. The position changed only in the 18th century, when the college was refounded in 1714 by Sir Thomas Cookes
Thomas Cookes
Sir Thomas Cookes, 2nd Baronet , benefactor of Worcester College, Oxford, was the eldest son of Sir William Cookes, 1st Baronet, of Norgrove Court, Worcestershire, and his second wife, Mercy, née Dinely....
as Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in the eighteenth century, but its predecessor on the same site had been an institution of learning since the late thirteenth century...
. Oxford's Gloucester Green
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, preserves the name.
Alumni
Those who studied at the College include:- Henry BradshawHenry Bradshaw (poet)Henry Bradshaw was an English poet born in Chester. In his boyhood he was received into the Benedictine monastery of Saint Werburgh, and after studying with other novices of his order at Gloucester College, Oxford, he returned to his monastery at Chester.He wrote a Latin treatise De antiquitate et...
http://www.bwpics.co.uk/quotes/ - Adam EastonAdam EastonAdam Easton 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 his generation, being especially proficient in Hebrew...
- John FeckenhamJohn FeckenhamJohn Feckenham , 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:...
- John LydgateJohn LydgateJohn Lydgate of Bury was a monk and poet, born in Lidgate, Suffolk, England.Lydgate is at once a greater and a lesser poet than John Gower. He is a greater poet because of his greater range and force; he has a much more powerful machine at his command. The sheer bulk of Lydgate's poetic output is...
(supposed)