XVI.— JESUS COLLEGE.
ENRY VIII. has long been reputed to be the Founder of Christ Church.
Of late some doubt has seemed to be thrown on the fact by the marked
manner in which the King's name has been left out of the Bidding Prayer
by Christ Church preachers before the University. But in the same measure
as Elizabeth founded Jesus College, Henry founded Christ Church. Hugo
Price was her Wolsey. Activity in founding Colleges seems to have
culminated in the effort of the great Cardinal. During the reign of Mary
a revival of energy was shown in the rising of Trinity and St. John's, but
the tale of Colleges was. nearly complete, and only one new foundation has
arisen since the close of the sixteenth century. But just before its close
the glorious reign of Elizabeth was signalized by the founding of many
educational institutions throughout the country, and in Oxford by the
appearance of Jesus College. The Tudors were proud of their Welsh
• origin, and Welshmen were not slow to appeal to their pride for tangible
benefits to the Principality. It was, doubtless, with a wish to establish a
home for his countrymen in Oxford that Hugo Price or Ap Rice, Doctor
of Laws, Treasurer of St David's, and Fellow of All Souls' petitioned
Queen Elizabeth to grant the site of White Hall for the building of a new College. This Hall was situated on
the north side of Cheyney Lane (now called Market Street), a short distance from the corner where it enters
the Turk It had absorbed into itself several smaller Halls which stood around it. Whether it was reserved
entirely for Welsh students is a point which cannot be decided, but there is reason to think that it was much
frequented by them. There is, however, no doubt that the new College which superseded it was intended
almost entirely for the benefit of Wales. The first Letters Patent were granted on the 27th of June, 1571.
They provide for the Constitution of a College to consist of a Principal, eight Fellows and eight Scholars.
The Principal nominated in the Letters Patent was David Lewes, Doctor of Laws ; among the Scholars may be noticed Lancelot Andrews, Bishop successively of Chichester, Ely, and Winchester. The Founder died about three years after these Letters were issued, and was buried in the Priory Church at Brecon. It is therefore very doubtful whether he saw any of the new buildings of the infant College. It was, probably, the policy of the builders to make use of the existing buildings of White Hall, which stood on the southern side of what is now the outer quadrangle. The next portion added was part of the east front ; until 1618 there was probably no addition made to the fabric of the College. Second Letters Patent were issued by Queen Elizabeth on the 7th day of July, 1589, but there is no great growth to be reported until the reign of King James I., who in the fiftieth year of the College issued the third Letters Patent dated June 1st, 1621. In these the King confirms the estab- lishment of the College and doubles the number of Fellows and Scholars. It is remarkable that in none of these documents is there any mention of Wales, or of advantages to be derived from parentage or place of birth. Among the original foundationers, and for some years after the foundation, names occur among Fellows and Scholars of persons who manifestly were not Welshmen. But every Principal, even in the time of the Commonwealth, was of Welsh birth. The Principal was in those despotic days the source of all patronage, and after the lapse of a few years from the foundation we can see from the lists of names on the College books how exclusively he exercised his privilege. In the days of Sir Leoline Jenkins, Fellowships and Scholarships were assigned to natives of special parts of Wales, but the College maintained its Welsh connection for about a century without any such restrictions. Dr. Francis Mansell, who was principal at the time, resigned in favour of Sir Eubule Thelwall, who is mentioned in the charter. The latter was a man of ample means and greatly increased the buildings of the College, com- pleting the kitchen, buttery and hall begun by Griffith Powell one of his predecessors, and adding a house for the Principal and the Chapel, thus finishing the outer quadrangle. On his death Dr. Francis Mansell was again elected, and was rapidly adding to the buildings of the College, by constructing an inner quadrangle, when a stop was put to all extension by the troubles of the Civil War. He was obliged to relinquish his post and retired for safety into Wales.
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