Matthias Alleyn
Encyclopedia
Matthias Alleyn was a 17th century London gentleman and the second Master of the College of God's Gift in Dulwich (then colloquially called Dulwich College
, the name it took officially in 1882).
in London
. His first wife, Elizabeth, died in 1627. With his second wife he had two daughters. His son, John Alleyn would later become Warden and then Master of the same College, and was also the last member of Edward Alleyn's family to hold such posts within the Foundation.
laid out the Deed of Foundation of the College of God's Gift in Dulwich, which was soon colloquially referred to as Dulwich College
, he stipulated that the Master and Warden should always be unmarried and of Alleyn's blood, and surname, and if the former was impossible then at least of Alleyn’s surname.
Both he and his cousin Thomas, who became the first Master, met the criteria of being of Edward Alleyn's blood and surname, although he was married. Edward Alleyn named him in the Deed of Foundation as Warden, thus he was appointed on 13 September 1619. However, such was Edward Alleyn's continued involvement in his charitable concern that neither he nor Thomas assumed office until Edward Alleyn's death in 1626. He was a trustee for Edward Alleyn's widow and the executor of his will.
He became Master on 27 March 1631 after the death of Thomas Alleyn. It has been noted that in the period between the Founder's death and when the College was reconstituted in 1857, the chief object of the Master, Warden and Fellows had been to lead the pleasantest life possible with little regard to furthering Alleyn's directions to provide every poor scholar with adequate preparation for the world. The fact that the Founder had been so narrow in his definition of who could become Master or Warden also meant that this narrowed the field of applicants such that the quality of candidate was not always of the highest calibre. This led to a "sad procession of non-entities" in the words of one commentator, with few exceptions. Matthias, was not named as an exception.
He died on 9 April 1642 and was succeeded in the post by another cousin of the founder, a second Thomas Alleyn
who had served as Warden in the period that Matthias had been Master. Matthias gave a silver bowl to the College, which is still held by the College.
Dulwich College
Dulwich College is an independent school for boys in Dulwich, southeast London, England. The college was founded in 1619 by Edward Alleyn, a successful Elizabethan actor, with the original purpose of educating 12 poor scholars as the foundation of "God's Gift". It currently has about 1,600 boys,...
, the name it took officially in 1882).
Early life
He was born the cousin of Edward AlleynEdward Alleyn
Edward Alleyn was an English actor who was a major figure of the Elizabethan theatre and founder of Dulwich College and Alleyn's School.-Early life:...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. His first wife, Elizabeth, died in 1627. With his second wife he had two daughters. His son, John Alleyn would later become Warden and then Master of the same College, and was also the last member of Edward Alleyn's family to hold such posts within the Foundation.
Career
When Edward AlleynEdward Alleyn
Edward Alleyn was an English actor who was a major figure of the Elizabethan theatre and founder of Dulwich College and Alleyn's School.-Early life:...
laid out the Deed of Foundation of the College of God's Gift in Dulwich, which was soon colloquially referred to as Dulwich College
Dulwich College
Dulwich College is an independent school for boys in Dulwich, southeast London, England. The college was founded in 1619 by Edward Alleyn, a successful Elizabethan actor, with the original purpose of educating 12 poor scholars as the foundation of "God's Gift". It currently has about 1,600 boys,...
, he stipulated that the Master and Warden should always be unmarried and of Alleyn's blood, and surname, and if the former was impossible then at least of Alleyn’s surname.
Both he and his cousin Thomas, who became the first Master, met the criteria of being of Edward Alleyn's blood and surname, although he was married. Edward Alleyn named him in the Deed of Foundation as Warden, thus he was appointed on 13 September 1619. However, such was Edward Alleyn's continued involvement in his charitable concern that neither he nor Thomas assumed office until Edward Alleyn's death in 1626. He was a trustee for Edward Alleyn's widow and the executor of his will.
He became Master on 27 March 1631 after the death of Thomas Alleyn. It has been noted that in the period between the Founder's death and when the College was reconstituted in 1857, the chief object of the Master, Warden and Fellows had been to lead the pleasantest life possible with little regard to furthering Alleyn's directions to provide every poor scholar with adequate preparation for the world. The fact that the Founder had been so narrow in his definition of who could become Master or Warden also meant that this narrowed the field of applicants such that the quality of candidate was not always of the highest calibre. This led to a "sad procession of non-entities" in the words of one commentator, with few exceptions. Matthias, was not named as an exception.
He died on 9 April 1642 and was succeeded in the post by another cousin of the founder, a second Thomas Alleyn
Thomas Alleyn (3rd Master of Dulwich College)
Thomas Alleyn was the third Master of the College of God's Gift in Dulwich .-Early life:...
who had served as Warden in the period that Matthias had been Master. Matthias gave a silver bowl to the College, which is still held by the College.