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Christ's College, Cambridge

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Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.[6] The college includes the Master, the Fellows of the College, and about 450 undergraduate and 250 graduate students.[7] The college was founded by William Byngham in 1437 as God's House. In 1505, the college was granted a new royal charter, was given a substantial endowment by Lady Margaret Beaufort, and changed its name to Christ's College, becoming the twelfth of the Cambridge colleges to be founded in its current form. Alumni of the college include some of Cambridge University's most famous members, including Charles Darwin and John Milton.

Christ's College
University of Cambridge
First Court, Christ's College
Arms of Christ's College, being the arms of the founder Lady Margaret Beaufort
Arms: Royal arms of England a bordure componée azure and argent
Scarf colours: brown, with two equally-spaced narrow white stripes
LocationSt Andrew's Street (map)
Coordinates52°12′23″N 0°07′21″E / 52.2063°N 0.1224°E / 52.2063; 0.1224
AbbreviationCHR[1]
MottoSouvent me Souvient (Old French)
Motto in EnglishI often remember / Remember me often[2]
Founders
Established1437; 587 years ago (1437)
(refounded 1505)
Named afterJesus Christ
Previous namesGod's House (1437–1505)
Sister colleges
MasterSimon McDonald
Undergraduates459 (2022-23)
Postgraduates265 (2022-23)
Endowment£122m (2022)[4]
VisitorChancellors of the University ex officio[5]
Websitechrists.cam.ac.uk
JCRthejcr.co.uk
MCRchristsmcr.co.uk
Boat clubchristsbc.soc.srcf.net
Map
Christ's College, Cambridge is located in Central Cambridge
Christ's College, Cambridge
Location in Central Cambridge
Christ's College, Cambridge is located in Cambridge
Christ's College, Cambridge
Location in Cambridge

The current Master is Lord McDonald of Salford.[8]

History

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Lady Margaret Beaufort, Christ's College Library

Christ's College was founded by William Byngham in 1437 as God's House,[9] on land which was soon after sold to enable the enlargement of King's College.[10] Byngham obtained the first royal licence for God's House in July 1439.[11] The college was founded to provide for the lack of grammar-school masters in England at the time,[12] and the college has been described as "the first secondary-school training college on record".[13] The original site of Godshouse was surrendered in 1443 to King's College, and currently about three-quarters of King's College Chapel stands on the original site of God's House.[14]

After the original royal licence of 1439, three more licences, two in 1442 and one in 1446, were granted before in 1448 God's House received the charter upon which the college was in fact founded.[15] In this charter, King Henry VI was named as the founder, and in the same year the college moved to its current site.[16]

In 1505, the college was endowed by Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of King Henry VII, and was given the name Christ's College, perhaps at the suggestion of her confessor, the Bishop John Fisher.[17] The expansion in the population of the college in the seventeenth century led to the building, in the 1640s, of the Fellows' Building in what is now Second Court.[17]

Buildings

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The chapel, with a viewing window from the Master's Lodge
 
The Great Gate of Christ's College

The original 15th/16th century college buildings now form part of First Court, including the chapel, Master's Lodge and Great Gate tower. The gate itself is disproportionate: the bottom has been cut off to accommodate a rise in street level, which can be seen in the steps leading down to the foot of L staircase in the gate tower. The college hall, originally built at the very start of the 16th century, was restored in 1875–1879 by George Gilbert Scott the younger. The lawn of First Court is famously round, and a wisteria sprawls up the front of the Master's lodge.

Second Court is fully built up on only three sides, one of which is formed by the 1640s Fellows' Building. The fourth side backs onto the Master's garden.

The Stevenson Building in Third Court was designed by J. J. Stevenson in the 1880s and was extended in 1905 as part of the College's Quadcentenary. In 1947 Professor Albert Richardson designed a new cupola for the Stevenson building, and a second building, the neo-Georgian Chancellor's Building (W staircase, now known as The Blyth Building), completed in 1950. Third Court's Memorial Building (Y staircase), a twin of the Chancellor's building, also by Richardson, was completed in 1953 at a cost of £80,000.[18] Third Court is also noted for its display of irises in May and June, a gift to the college in 1946.[19]

The controversial tiered concrete New Court (often dubbed "the Typewriter") was designed in the Modernist style by Sir Denys Lasdun in 1966–70, and was described as "superb" in Lasdun's obituary in the Guardian.[20] Design critic Hugh Pearman comments "Lasdun had big trouble relating to the street at the overhanging rear".[21] It appears very distinctively in aerial photographs, forming part of the northern boundary of the college.

An assortment of neighbouring buildings have been absorbed into the college, of which the most notable is the Todd Building, previously Cambridge's County Hall.[22]

Through an arch in the Fellows' Building is the Fellows' Garden. It includes two mulberry trees, of which the older was planted in 1608, the same year as Milton's birth. Both trees have toppled sideways, the younger tree in the Great Storm of 1987, and are now earthed up round the trunks, but continue to fruit every year.[23]

Swimming pool

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Christ's College is one of only 5 colleges in Oxford or Cambridge to have its own swimming pool. It is fed by water from Hobson's Conduit. Recently refurbished, it is now known as the 'Malcolm Bowie Bathing Pool', and is thought to be the oldest outdoor swimming pool in the UK, dating from the mid 17th century.[24] The other four swimming pools within colleges belong to Girton College (indoor pool), Corpus Christi College (outdoor pool), Emmanuel College (outdoor pool) and Clare Hall (indoor pool).

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    Master's Lodge, First Court
  •  
    Charles Darwin's Rooms, First Court
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    Christ's College Cambridge, Dining Hall, Back
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    Fellows' Garden, showing rear of Fellows' Building
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    Third Court: Memorial and Stevenson Buildings
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    New Court: Lasdun Building, known as "The Typewriter"
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    Darwin Garden, New Court, w. Darwin statue by Anthony Smith

Plan of College

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1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Christ's College, Cambridge, from above in 2009
1
Great Gate
2
First Court
3
Chapel
4
Master's Lodge
5
Hall
6
Library
7
Second Court
8
Fellows' Building
9
Third Court
10
Memorial Building
11
Stevenson Building
12
Blyth Building
13
Todd Building
14
Four Staircase
15
New Court (Yusuf Hamied Centre)
16
Fellows' Garden

Academic profile

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With a deserved reputation even within Cambridge for the highest academic standards, Christ's came first in the Tompkins Table's twentieth anniversary aggregate table,[25] and between 2001 and 2007, it had a mean position of third.[26] Academic excellence continues at Christ's, with 91% of students in 2013 gaining a first class degree or an upper second (II.i). This is significantly higher than the University average of 70%.[27][28]

Christ's is noted for educating two of Cambridge's most famous alumni, the poet John Milton and the naturalist Charles Darwin, who, during the celebrations for the 800th anniversary of the University, were both placed at the foreground as two of the four most iconic individuals in the University's history.[29][30][31] The college has also educated Nobel Laureates including Martin Evans, James Meade, Alexander Todd and Duncan Haldane.[32][33] It is the University's 6th largest producer of Nobel Prize winners.[citation needed]

Some of the college's other famous alumni include former archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, theologian William Paley, historian Simon Schama, South African Prime Minister Jan Smuts, Lord Louis Mountbatten of Burma, medical doctor, scientist, and diplomat Davidson Nicol, and comedians John Oliver, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Andy Parsons.

Student life

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Christ's College Boat Club's boathouse on the River Cam

The Junior Combination Room (JCR), represents the undergraduate students. It organises social and welfare events, and negotiates on the students' behalf on important issues. The JCR has a standing committee and a common room for all the students. The JCR's counterpart, the Middle Combination Room (MCR) represents the graduate students of the College, and has its own bar. The MCR organises regular Graduate Halls. A Garden Party is held by both the JCR and the MCR every June in the Fellows' Garden. The Senior Combination Room (SCR) is composed solely of fellows of the College and holds two feasts each year.

The Acting Chaplain of the college is Michael Dormandy.

Other societies in Christ's include:

  • The Marguerites Club, one of the oldest surviving College societies, reformed in 1899 by Gilbert Jessop the then captain of CUCC. It is believed to have originally formed some ten years earlier, but was soon disbanded. Originally the society was confined to captains and secretaries or those with colours in three sports. The club continues to exist to recognise sporting excellence within the college. The name originated from the club's original blazer, which was navy blue in colour with the Foundress's 'rebus' or badge, signifying her name, embroidered on the pocket.
  • Christ's College Boat Club, the oldest college sports club still active, having been founded in 1830. Like many other Cambridge Colleges, Christ's has its own boathouse on the banks of the Cam.
  • Christ's College Rugby Football Club, founded in 1875 by Alfred Cort Haddon,[34] who is considered the father of modern anthropology. In the 1960 Varsity Match, eight of the starting Cambridge team were students at Christ's and all of the side's points were scored by Christ's players.[35] The CCRFC is nicknamed "The Brown Rings" after the brown and white hoops featured on the match kit.
  • Christ's College Association Football Club, which prides itself on having won the inter-collegiate Cuppers competition more times than any other.
  • Christ's Films, which uses the theatre to screen new films weekly
  • Christ's Amateur Dramatic Society
  • Christ's College Medical Society
  • Christ's Politics Society
  • Christ's College Music Society, founded 1710.
  • Christ's College Chapel Choir

May Ball

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Christ's, like most other Cambridge Colleges, also hosts a biennial May Ball in the time after undergraduate examinations which is by students commonly known as May Week. A separate society called "Christ's College May Ball Committee" is set up every two years to organise and direct this event. The 2010 May Ball, named "L'Esprit Nouveau", was held on 15 June 2010 and featured a 1920s Parisian theme, Two Door Cinema Club headlined the entertainment. The May Ball in June 2012 featured a Rio de Janeiro carnival theme. Other previous themes include Le Reve in 2002, Silhouette in 2004, Elysium in 2006 and 'The Jasmine Ball' in 2008.

The May Ball on Tuesday 17 June 2014 was hailed as one of the best May Balls of the year, coming close to perfection.[36] It was themed "The Emerald City".

The May Ball on Tuesday 14 June 2016 was themed as Biophilia.[37] In 2018 the theme was A Night's Tale.[38] While the 2020 Ball was cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the May Ball returned in 2022, themed as Mythos.

The 2024 May Ball will be held on 18 June 2024, themed after the William Shakespeare play, A Midsummer Night's Dream. [39]

Grace

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The College Grace is normally said before any dinner held in the Formal Hall of the College. Though the student body rises for the recitation of the Grace, Christ's is one of the only Colleges in Cambridge where the students do not rise when the Fellows enter and leave the Dining Hall. This is said to be the result of a historical conflict between the Students and Fellows at Christ's, who were on opposite sides during the English Civil War. The words of the Grace are as follows:

Latin English
Exhilarator omnium Christe

Sine quo nihil suave, nihil jucundum est:
Benedic, quaesumus,
cibo et potui servorum tuorum,
Quae jam ad alimoniam corporis apparavisti;
et concede ut istis muneribus tuis ad laudem tuam utamur
gratisque animis fruamur;
utque quemadmodum corpus nostrum
cibis corporalibus fovetur,
ita mens nostra spirituali verbi tui
nutrimento pascatur

Per te Dominum nostrum,

Amen.

 Christ, the gladdener of all,

Without whom nothing is sweet, nothing pleasant:
Bless, we beseech you,
the food and drink of your servants,
Which you have now provided for the nourishment of the body;
And grant that we may use these gifts of yours for your praise,
And enjoy them with grateful minds;
And that, just as our body
is nourished by bodily foods,
So our mind may feed
on the spiritual nourishment of your Word.

Through you, our Lord,

Amen.

Notable people

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Further information: List of honorary fellows of Christ's College, Cambridge

Proctors of God's House

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Masters of Christ's

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Main article: List of Masters of Christ's College, Cambridge

Notable alumni

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Main article: List of alumni of Christ's College, Cambridge
See also: Category:Alumni of Christ's College, Cambridge
Name Birth Death Career
Prince Ra'ad bin Zeid Al-Hussein 1936 Jordanian Prince
Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zeid Al-Hussein 1964 UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
William Ames 1576 1633 Reformed Theologian
Thomas Baines 1622 1680 Physician, original Fellow of Royal Society
Richard Bancroft 1544 1610 Archbishop of Canterbury, Organiser of James I Bible
Sacha Baron Cohen 1971 Comedian
Jasmine Birtles 1962 British financial and business commentator, television presenter, author and journalist
Jagdish Chandra Bose 1858 1937 Indian physicist
C. Delisle Burns 1879 1942 Atheist and secularist writer and lecturer
Brian Cantor 1948 Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bradford and previously of the University of York
Sir Anthony Caro 1924 2013 Sculptor
Randolph Carter 1874 1932 Explorer
John Cook 1918 1984 Prolific Anglo-American composer and organist
Miles Corbet 1594/5 1662 Regicide
Frederick Cornwallis 1713 1783 Archbishop of Canterbury
John Cornwell 1940 British author and journalist
John James Cowperthwaite 1916 2006 Credited with policies allowing Hong Kong's economic boom in the 1960s
John Cridland 1961 Director-General of the Confederation of British Industry
Charles Darwin 1809 1882 British naturalist
Patrick Arthur Devlin, Baron Devlin 1905 1992 Jurist, Lord of Appeal in Ordinary
Colin Dexter 1930 2017 Novelist
Jill Duff 1972 Bishop of Lancaster
George Dwyer 1908 1987 Archbishop of Birmingham; Council Father of the Second Vatican Council
James Chuter Ede 1882 1965 Home Secretary and Leader of the House of Commons
Sir Martin Evans 1941 Biochemist, Nobel laureate in medicine
Dee Ferris 1973 British Painter
John Finch 1626 1682 Ambassador, original Fellow of Royal Society
Noel Gay 1898 1954 Composer
Nina Gold 1964 BAFTA-winning casting director
Edmund Grindal 1519 1583 Archbishop of Canterbury
Alfred Cort Haddon 1855 1940 Father of modern anthropology
Duncan Haldane 1951 Physicist, Nobel laureate in physics
Yusuf Hamied 1936 Chemist and industrialist
Natalie Haynes 1974 Writer and broadcaster and a former comedian.
John Healey 1960 British politician
Derry Irvine, Baron Irvine of Lairg 1940 Lord Chancellor
Phillip King 1934 2021 Sculptor
David Knowles 1896 1974 Historian
David Konstant 1930 Roman Catholic Bishop of Leeds
John Kotelawala 1897 1980 Prime Minister of Ceylon (Sri Lanka)
John Leland c 1506 1552 Father of English history
Tony Lewis 1938 England and Glamorgan cricket captain; writer and broadcaster
Michael Liebreich 1963 Clean energy expert, founder of Bloomberg New Energy Finance
Richard Luce 1936 Lord Chamberlain
Michael Lynch 1965 Founder of Autonomy Systems
Edward Petronell Manby 1864 1929 Medical Officer to the Ministry of Health
Allama Mashriqi 1883 1963 Founder of the Khaksar Tehreek
Sir Peter Mathieson 1959 Vice-Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh
David Mellor 1949 British politician
Sir Walter Mildmay 1589 Founder of Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Miles Millar c 1967 Hollywood screenwriter and producer
John Milton 1608 1674 English poet
Helen Mort 1985 Poet
Louis, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma 1900 1979 Admiral (RN) and statesman
Thomas Nelson, Jr. 1738 1789 Governor of Virginia; signer of the American Declaration of Independence
Davidson Nicol 1924 1994 Sierra Leonean academic, diplomat, physician, and writer
John Oliver 1977 British political comedian
J. Robert Oppenheimer 1904 1967 American theoretical physicist and 'father of the atomic bomb'
Andy Parsons 1967 English comedian and writer
William Paley 1743 1805 English theologian and philosopher
Steve Palmer 1968 Professional football player
John Peile 1838 1910 Philologist
William Perkins 1558 1602 Leading Puritan Theologian of the Elizabethan Era
Sir John Plumb 1911 2001 British historian
Thomas Plume 1630 1704 English cleric, founder of the University's Plumian Chair of Astronomy and Experimental Philosophy
Roy Porter 1946 2002 British historian
Beilby Porteus 1731 1809 Bishop of Chester and Bishop of London, leading reformer and abolitionist
Maheshi Ramasamy Physician and lecturer
Peter Rawlinson 1919 2006 Attorney General for England and Wales
Forrest Reid 1875 1948 Cambridge apostle, novelist, literary critic
Austin Robinson 1897 1993 British Economist and economic historian
Thomas Robinson, 2nd Baron Grantham 1738 1786 British Foreign Secretary
David Say 1939 2006 Bishop of Rochester
Sir Simon Schama 1945 British historian, author, and television presenter
Sir Nicholas Serota 1946 Director of the Tate Gallery
Walter William Skeat 1835 1912 Philologist
Jan Smuts 1870 1950 Prime Minister of South Africa, Field Marshal, and Commonwealth statesman
Charles Snow, Baron Snow 1905 1980 British novelist and philosopher
John Soothill 1925 2004 Paediatric immunologist
F. Gordon A. Stone 1925 2011 British chemist
Szeming Sze 1908 1998 Chinese Diplomat, WHO co-founder
Nicholas Tarling 1931 2017 Historian
Sir Jeffrey Tate 1943 2017 Conductor
John Tayloe III 1770 1828 Plantation owner, horse breeder and American politician. Imported Diomed to the United States
Henry Teonge 1620 1690 Naval chaplain and diarist
Andrew Turnbull, Baron Turnbull 1945 Cabinet Secretary and head of the Civil Service
Edward Whitehead Reid 1883 1930 Aviator
Richard Whiteley 1943 2005 British television presenter
Rowan Williams 1950 British theologian, Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge
Sir Christopher Zeeman 1925 2016 British mathematician

References

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  1. ^ "Notice by the Editor". Cambridge University Reporter. 149 (Special No 5). University of Cambridge: 1. 6 March 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Introducing 'Souvient' – a new Cambridge podcast series inspired by Lady Margaret Beaufort". St John's College, Cambridge.
  3. ^ "Fellows' Guide to Christ's College". Christ's College. Retrieved 8 October 2015.[permanent dead link‍]
  4. ^ Christ's College Annual Report & Accounts 2022–23 Archived 19 August 2024 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Christ's College, Cambridge (June 2022). "Statutes and Ordinances" (PDF). christs.cam.ac.uk. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 October 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  6. ^ "Homepage | Christs College Cambridge". www.christs.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  7. ^ "Undergraduate Admissions: Christ's College". University of Cambridge website. Retrieved 2 August 2009.
  8. ^ "Christ's College Welcomes New Master | Christs College Cambridge". www.christs.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  9. ^ "History | Christs College Cambridge". www.christs.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  10. ^ Lloyd, A.H. The Early History of Christ's College. p. 13.
  11. ^ Lloyd, A.H. The Early History of Christ's College. p. 24.
  12. ^ Lloyd, A.H. The Early History of Christ's College. p. 37.
  13. ^ Leach. The Schools of Medieval England. p. 257.
  14. ^ Lloyd, A.H. The Early History of Christ's College. pp. 44–45.
  15. ^ Lloyd, A.H. The Early History of Christ's College. p. 86.
  16. ^ Lloyd, A.H. The Early History of Christ's College. p. 73.
  17. ^ a b "College History". Christ's College, Cambridge. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  18. ^ Christ's College Magazine, Michaelmas 1953
  19. ^ Christ's College Magazine no. 228, p 53, 2003
  20. ^ "Architects pay tribute to Denys Lasdun". The Guardian. 12 January 2001. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  21. ^ "The Legacy of Lasdun". Archived from the original on 5 March 2012.
  22. ^ Pevsner, Nikolaus (1970). The Buildings of England: Cambridgeshire. London: Penguin. p. 232. ISBN 978-0300205961.
  23. ^ Christ's College Magazine no. 228, p 56, 2003
  24. ^ "Malcolm Bowie Bathing Pool Official Opening". Christ's College, Cambridge. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  25. ^ Judd, Judith (24 July 2000). "Christ's top of 20-year table of Cambridge colleges". The Independent. Archived from the original on 22 January 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  26. ^ "Tompkins Table 2000-2007". Matt Mayer. Archived from the original on 1 August 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  27. ^ Partington, Richard (2011). "Identifying and supporting Cambridge applicants" (PDF). University of Cambridge. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 May 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  28. ^ "Christ's College Annual Magazine 2013". Christ's College, Cambridge Alumni. Archived from the original on 22 May 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  29. ^ "Quentin Blake unveils Cambridge 800 panorama". University of Cambridge. 28 September 2009. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  30. ^ University education (18 January 2009). "Cambridge University's 800th birthday celebrated with spectacular light show". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  31. ^ "University's history writ large on screen | Cambridge City News, Cambridge Local News Stories & Latest Headlines". Cambridge News. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  32. ^ "University of Cambridge Nobel Laureates". Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  33. ^ "Christ's College Distinguished Members". Christ's College. Archived from the original on 23 October 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  34. ^ "Official Christ's College Website; Distinguished Alumni". Christ's College, Cambridge. Archived from the original on 18 January 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  35. ^ "Rugby Varsity Match 1960: First Half Highlights". Archived from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2014 – via YouTube.
  36. ^ "Christ's May Ball 2014: Close to Perfection". Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  37. ^ "May Ball Review: Christ's".
  38. ^ "Review: Christ's May Ball". 21 June 2018.
  39. ^ "Review: Christ's May Ball". 25 February 2024.

Bibliography

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  • Lloyd, A. H. (2010), The Early History of Christ's College, Cambridge: Derived from Contemporary Documents, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-1108008976 (account of the history of God's House, originally published in 1934)
  • Peile, John (2014), Biographical Register of Christ's College, 1505-1905: And of the Earlier Foundation, God's House, 1448-1505 (reprint ed.), Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-1107426047
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