I.—KING JAMES'S THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE
The Royal Hospital, Chelsea, stands upon the site of an earlier building which was pulled down when the hospital was built. This was the ill–fated Theological College, founded by James I, the memory of which has
not entirely departed from Chelsea, where the present hospital is still called
familiarly "the College." The prime mover in the institution of a College
for the express purpose of training the clergy to engage effectively in the
sharp controversies of the time, was Matthew Sutcliffe, Dean of Exeter,
and he seems to have provided the chief part of the funds for its first establishment. The King regarded the project with so much favour that he
identified his own name with the College, and gave by letters patent the
reversion of land in Chelsea of which a lease was held by Margaret Countess
of Nottingham for her lifetime and 40 years thereafter. (fn. 1) This land was
part of Thames Shot, a portion of the Manor of Chelsea which had come to
the Crown from the Abbey of Westminster at the Dissolution of the Monasteries, and had remained in the King's hands when the rest of the property
was sold. The remainder of the lease was assigned to Sutcliffe by the Earl
of Nottingham at a yearly rent of £7 10s., and preparations for building
were immediately made. The King laid the foundation-stone on May 8th,
1609, and the Charter of Incorporation is dated exactly twelve months later.
The structure, for which the King gave the timber from Windsor
Forest, was designed as a large double quadrangle, of which, however,
only one side of (presumably) the southern court was ever completed. The
views of the projected College, as shown in Dr. Darley's Glory of Chelsey
College now Revived (1662) and in Grose's Military Antiquities, indicate a
curious arrangement. The south court is formed of three ranges of building, four storeys high, with massive square angle towers at the extremity
of each range, a gatehouse in the centre of the south range towards the
river, and on the inner side of the east and west ranges a central porch
carried up as a square tower, and two intermediate circular towers. Into
this south court the northern quadrangle projects for half its area. The
latter is composed of four ranges of building two storeys only in height,
the east and western sides of which have a central tower corresponding to
a small tower attached to each of the northern blocks at the extremities of
the larger court, which is apparently entered here by gates. The south
block has a cloister walk on the ground floor and twin towers in the centre;
the north block is also furnished with twin towers, and circular turrets at
the external angles. There are some low buildings shown to the east, and
what appears to be a chapel is seen projecting from the western side of
the southern quadrangle. The part of the College which was actually built
is described in the Parliamentary Survey (fn. 2) as follows: "All that capitall
messuage called the Colledge of king James in Chelsey neere London of
the foundacon of the said king James of England scituate and being on a
parcell of land called Theamshott in a Comon feild called Eastfeild in Chelsey
aforesaid built of bricke and couered with tyle haueing large gutters of lead
with spouts for the passage of the water Consisting of an Entry, A Kitchin,
Two Buttrys, Two larders, A hall and two large Parlours wainscotted with
a Clossett in each of the said Parlours below staires. In the second story
ffoure faire Chambers wainscotted, Two Withdrawing roomes and foure
Clossetts. In the third story foure large Chambers wainscotted, Two withdrawing roomes and foure Clossetts. And over them all being a foureth
story of a very large gallery haueing at each end a little roome with Turretts
over them covered with slatt which said house conteines in length from
East to West one hundred and thirty foote of assize or thereabouts And in
breadth from North to South thirty-three foote of assize or thereabouts
Together with a yard encompassed with a bricke wall lyeing on the East
end and parte of the South side of the said messuage wherein stands a
Kitchin and Stable with lofts over them built of bricke and couered with
tyle, One gardine encompassed with a bricke wall lyeing on the other parte
of the South side of the said messuage and on the west end thereof with a
row of Elmes before the South side of the said messuage And alsoe one yard
on the North side of the said house walled at both ends and fenced with
sawne pales on the North side All which Conteines by estimacon one acre
worth by the yeare thirty pounds. xxx li."
The failure to complete the buildings was due entirely to the lack of
public support, in spite of urgent appeals by the Archbishop of Canterbury
to the bishops and clergy, sent at the instance of the King himself. The
re-imposition of a poll-tax to be paid on taking the oath of allegiance and
supremacy to aid the funds apparently proved abortive, and an Act of
Parliament empowering the College to supply the city of London with
water from Hackney Marsh failed to bring aid, since the scheme could not
compete with Sir Hugh Myddleton's supply from the New River. The
short history of the College is a record of a hopeless struggle with inadequate
resources rendered more difficult by frequent litigation.
The establishment of the College consisted of a Provost, 17 Fellows and
two Historians. The first names, selected by King James, were as follows:—
Provost: Matthew Sutcliffe, Dean of Exeter.
Fellows: John Overall, Dean of St. Paul's; Thomas Morton, Dean of
Winchester; Richard Field, Dean of Gloucester; Robert Abbot,
Chaplain to the King and afterwards Bishop of Salisbury; John
Spencer, President of Corpus Christi, Oxford; Miles Smith, one of
the translators of the Bible and afterwards Bishop of Gloucester;
William Covitt (fn. 3) ; John Howson, who later held the Sees of Oxford
and Durham; John Layfield, Rector of St. Clement Danes and one of
the translators of the Bible; Benjamin Charrier; Martin Fotherby,
afterwards Bishop of Salisbury; John Boys, one of the translators of
the Bible; Richard Brett, another translator of the Bible and Rector
of Quainton, Bucks.; Peter Lilly, afterwards a brother of Savoy
Hospital, Prebend of St. Paul's and Archdeacon of Taunton; Francis
Burley; John White; William Hellier (treasurer of the College),
Archdeacon of Barnstaple.
Historians: William Camden, Clarencieux, author of Britannia; and Sir
John Hayward, Kt., author of a number of royal biographies and
other historical works.
The list is perhaps most interesting in its inclusion of the last two
names, especially that of Camden: it shows the importance the King
attached to the work which he proposed for the College. Thomas Faulkner
gives a later list (fn. 4) and also particulars of persons admitted to fellowship,
including the notorious Marcus Antonio de Dominis, Archbishop of
Spalato. There were provosts of the College as follows:—
1610–1629. Matthew Sutcliffe, Dean of Exeter.
1629–1645. Daniel Featley.
1645–. William Slater.
Samuel Wilkinson, Rector of Chelsea.
Dean Sutcliffe left considerable property to the College which he had
served so well, but his will was disputed and the College did not benefit.
During Dr. Featley's term of office the College seems to have continued its
existence in a very feeble state. In resisting an application by Sir Francis
Kyneston to the King for permission to move an educational establishment
called the Museum Minervæ to the College, during a visitation of the plague
in 1636, Dr. Featley could give the names of only two fellows in residence,
namely, Dr. William Slater and Mr. John Burley. A significant sentence
occurs in a letter written by George Collington to Archbishop Laud, (fn. 5)
suggesting that the College endowments "might be established upon the
reparation of St. Paul's, and there to continue, until altercation and controversy in religion be necessary in a Christian Commonwealth or until
Oxford and Cambridge (the two prime seminaries of learning in Christendom)
shall grow barren of able divines!" The back of this paper is appropriately endorsed "Controversy College."
In the will of Dr. Godfrey Goodman (dated 17th January, 1655) the
College is mentioned as "dissolved" (vide Faulkner).
After being used as a prison during the Commonwealth, it appears
to have continued in use after the Restoration for various public services.
From 1664–66 it housed the prisoners of war taken in the sea-fights with
the Dutch, and John Evelyn has many references to it, when he was entrusted
with the care of these seamen. (fn. 6) In 1667 there are records of French prisoners
here also. (fn. 7) At this time the owner of the unexpired term of the original
lease to the Countess of Nottingham was a certain Andrew Cole, and in
February, 1667–68, he was induced to assign it to the newly formed Royal
Society. This was confirmed by Charles II, (fn. 8) who set aside a petition from
John Sutcliffe, nephew of the first provost, who had applied for the property
on the ground that his uncle had provided most of the money for erecting
the building.
The Royal Society did not hold the college for long. They found it
unsuitable for their purpose, and its condition no doubt was such as to
promise them endless trouble and expense. They were relieved in a timely
manner of this incubus by the proposal to use the site for the new Royal
Hospital, and on 11th January, 1681–82, they sold the College and lands
to the Crown for the sum of £1300.
Plan and sections showing the remains of the foundations of King James's College