Corpus Christi College, Cambridge

Corpus Christi College (full name: The College of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary) is a College of the University of Cambridge. It is notable for being the only college to have been founded by Cambridge townspeople, having been founded in 1352 by the Guilds of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is the second-smallest college (after Peterhouse).

History

The licence to build an eighth college in the University of Cambridge was granted by Edward III in 1352 to the newly merged guilds of Corpus Christi and St Mary in the parish of St Bene't's. They immediately began the construction of a single modest court near the parish church and in 1356 it was ready to house a Master and two fellows, who drew up the college's statutes. Continuing their studies in theology and canon law, they served as chaplains to the guild.

Related Topics:
Edward III - 1356 - Theology - Canon law

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The college's first couple of centuries saw its wealth increase, which was put on display as part of the Corpus Christi guild's annual procession. This involved parading through the streets to Magdalene bridge, before returning for an extravagant dinner. The parade continued until Henry VIII put a stop to it in 1535.

Related Topics:
Henry VIII - 1535

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Corpus is exceptionally rich in silver, but its greatest treasure is the Parker Library, one of the finest and most important collections of medieval manuscripts in the world. It houses the Canterbury Gospels, probably brought to England in 598 AD by St. Augustine, when he was sent by Pope Gregory I to convert the people of Britain.

Related Topics:
Parker Library - Canterbury Gospels - 598 - St. Augustine - Pope Gregory I

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Christopher Marlowe was perhaps the college's most-celebrated son, having matriculated to Corpus in 1580. Although little is known about his time there, it is often believed that it was during his study for his MA that he began his work as a spy, a claim based on only a single cryptic statement by the Privy Council. In 1953 during renovation of the Master's Lodge a portrait of a man "in the 21st year of his age" was discovered. As the painting is dated 1585, the year Marlowe was 21, it is inevitable that it has been claimed as a portrait of the playwright himself.

Related Topics:
Christopher Marlowe - 1580 - Spy - Privy Council - 1953 - 1585

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In recent years, the College has spearheaded the Northern Ireland Initiative which was set up to encourage students from Northern Ireland to apply to Oxbridge, but particularly Cambridge. They hold "Cambridge Taster Days" across the province and Dr. Melanie Taylor spends much of her year travelling around Northern Ireland talking to prospective students and allaying their fears over the interviews and other myths that have appeared over the years.

Related Topics:
Northern Ireland - Dr. Melanie Taylor

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