Students, staff, and Fellows are invited to drop-in and view the special exhibition from the Archive “The Priviledge of Presenting Fitt Men to the Churches” on Wednesday 4 March between 11 am and 4 pm in the Multi-Purpose Room (New Library).
In 1626, at the instigation of the new Provost Christopher Potter, the College successfully petitioned Charles I and his wife Henrietta Maria for the gift of six advowsons in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. An advowson is the right to appoint a vicar or rector, and Potter hoped that the benefaction would give the Fellows an incentive to leave Oxford and minister to the people – though it didn’t quite turn out as he envisaged! This exhibition examines both the benefaction itself and the context in which it was made: a mixture of College politics, religious anxieties, and desire for royal favour. It will also be a great opportunity to see the Letters Patent of Charles I, which is one of the finest documents in the Archive.
The exhibition marks 400 years since the benefaction of Charles I.
