Cambridge History The Foundation of Cambridge University

Incident at Oxford

Legend states that Oxford University began as early as 872. In this year Alfred the Great happened to meet some monks there and have a scholarly debate lasting several days. But in reality the university really began in the twelfth century when teachers began to lecture and students began to live in the city.

Disaster struck the still fledgling Oxford University in 1209. The exact events remain unknown. But the most detailed account was written in the 1220s by chronicler and monk of St Albans, Roger Wendover. He states:

“a certain clerk engaged in the liberal arts at Oxford killed a certain woman by accident and when he found that she was dead he decided to flee. But when the mayor of the city and many others who had gathered found the dead woman they began to search for the killer in his house which he had rented together with three of his fellow clerks. Not finding the man accused of the deed they seized his three fellow clerks who said they were wholly ignorant of the murder and threw them into prison; then a few days later they were, by order of the King of the English [King John], in contempt of the rights of the church, taken outside the city and hanged.”

Following this incident all members of the University in the city fled. Some fled to existing university towns on the continent. But a small group came to Cambridge where they established what has since become Oxford’s great rival: Cambridge University. It is unknown exactly why they chose Cambridge. Some tried Northampton and Stamford first and it may have been as simple as the fact that there were not many towns that had what Cambridge offered. A moderately-sized town, with cheap lodging, excellent trading links, and where there was no central authority to move them on.

Following this incident all members of the University in the city fled. Some fled to existing university towns on the continent. But a small group came to Cambridge where they established what has since become Oxford’s great rival: Cambridge University. It is unknown exactly why they chose Cambridge. Some tried Northampton and Stamford first and it may have been as simple as the fact that there were not many towns that had what Cambridge offered. A moderately-sized town, with cheap lodging, excellent trading links, and where there was no central authority to move them on.

The Emergence of Cambridge University

Ironically, the men of Oxford fled to Cambridge due to quarrels with the townspeople but found quarrels with Cambridge’s townspeople to be equally bad, if not worse. As a result, many of them returned to Oxford.

The early days of the University are nothing like the huge institution that lives today. There were no colleges and barely any organisation at all. Students had to fend for themselves and find lodgings in the town. They would be taught by any master who could raise enough students willing to attend their lessons. The masters would teach from inside their own private lodgings – the equivalent of classes of students being taught in their teachers’ living rooms today. Pretty much everyone was very young compared to universities today. Today most students are aged 18-21. Back then, the students would be 14 or 15 and the masters themselves were often only 21. But as student numbers began to grow, it became necessary to set up some hostels – lodging houses where students lived under the care of their masters. These were the precursors to later colleges.

The word university actually comes from a translation of the latin word universitas which has a simple meaning: the totality of those licensed to teach – i.e. a collection of teachers. A degree back in the 13th century was nothing more than a license to teach granted once a person was sufficiently expert in their learning.

The early university was a religious body – the chancellor (leader of the university) was confirmed by the bishop of Ely and had ecclesiastical powers. This meant he had jurisdiction over all members of the university and anyone in dispute with them – he was their judge rather than the courts. The earliest members of the university would probably have been religious. The idea of the university was to supply a continuous stream of educated parish priests and monks who could preach and solve intellectual disputes. It is important to note that study of religious texts was an important part of medieval monastic life and so monks needed to be educated and especially taught to read latin.

As a result prayers and religious services were an important part of life at the university. The lives of scholars also had much in common with those of monks, though this was by coincidence not an ideal. Students were forced to live in poverty as many came from families of middling wealth who had to support them through their studies for seven years. And as they lived a communal life made up mainly of men, the monastic ideal of chastity, was also inevitably achieved. The monastic origins of the university also explains the layout of many older colleges where the rooms are arranged around a cloister. As well as the tradition maintained today of collegiate life: eating and drinking as a community with a high table reserved for the most important figures. However, over time, Cambridge colleges moved away from the traditional bare monastic halls once they had the wealth for opulent decorations!

Some students would also go on to serve as civil servants working in the royal household. Consequently, from its early days the university attracted the support of the Crown and royal government. It was important for a monarch to have a supply of well-educated men for his household and so kings knew they needed to support it, even if they did not care for learning. Plus, it was helpful for Cambridge, that if a king forgot to bestow wealth and power on the university, then most of his advisors were alumni who could helpfully remind him…

So overall, the university was made up of small groups of boys in their early teenage years who would attach themselves to a teacher. This group would rent rooms, or perhaps even an entire hostel where they could all live together. This was important as many needed the financial support of being able to share books and resources. Plus, it was also important emotionally. These young boys would be at university for seven years to achieve a first degree and then another decade if they wanted to become a Master in law or theology. Creating something resembling a home-life where they could feel safe and secure was essential!

It is therefore unsurprising that Cambridge University went through the next stage of its evolution less than 100 years after it was established. In 1284, just 75 years after the university began, the first college, Peterhouse was established…

Read more of our history series to hear more about the foundation of Cambridge colleges and what happened to the town and its people after the university moved in