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Corpus Christi College (full name: The College of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary, often shortened to simply "Corpus") is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It is notable for being the only college to have been founded by Cambridge townspeople, having been established in 1352 by the Guilds of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is the second-smallest of the traditional colleges of the university (after Peterhouse), and the smallest in terms of its intake of undergraduate students.
[edit] HistoryThe licence to build an eighth college in the University of Cambridge was granted by Edward III in 1352 to the newly merged guilds of Corpus Christi and St Mary in the parish of St Bene't's. They immediately began the construction of a single modest court near the parish church and in 1356 it was ready to house a Master and two fellows, who drew up the college's statutes. Continuing their studies in theology and Canon law, they served as chaplains to the guild. The college's first couple of centuries saw its wealth increase, which was put on display as part of the Corpus Christi guild's annual procession. This involved parading through the streets to Magdalene Bridge, before returning for an extravagant dinner. The parade continued until Henry VIII put a stop to it in 1535. Corpus was the only college not to sell its silverware in support of either side during the Civil War. That - and its unrivalled collection of manuscripts and massive collection of rare wines and ports - fuels rumours that it is Cambridge's richest college per student. This is a moot point, since these assets cannot be sold and most cannot be valued.[1] Despite being exceptionally rich in silver, the college's greatest treasure is the Parker Library, one of the finest and most important collections of medieval manuscripts in the world. Its most famous possession is the Canterbury Gospels, probably brought to England in 597 AD by St Augustine, when he was sent by Pope Gregory I to convert the people of Britain. However, it also contains the principal manuscript of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, works by Matthew Paris and Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde, to name only a few. Christopher Marlowe is perhaps the college's most-celebrated son, having matriculated to Corpus in 1580. Although little is known about his time there, it is often believed that it was during his study for his MA that he began his work as a spy, a claim based on only a single cryptic statement by the Privy Council. In 1953 during renovation of the Master's Lodge a portrait of a man "in the 21st year of his age" was discovered. As the painting is dated 1585, the year Marlowe was 21, it is inevitable that it has been claimed as a portrait of the playwright himself. In recent years, the College has spearheaded the Northern Ireland Initiative [1] and been the venue of the weekly Intelligence History Seminar, presided over by the College's current President, Prof. Christopher Andrew. In July 2009, Corpus was 10th in the Tompkins Table with a score of 64.88% (22.00% firsts). [2] The college visitor is the Chancellor of the University of Cambridge [3], HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.[4] Professor Oliver Rackham FBA was elected Master on 15 October 2007, indicating that he would serve until the end of September 2008. On 2 June 2008 it was announced that Stuart Laing, the British Ambassador to Kuwait, would take over as Master from October 2008. Corpus owns The Eagle Pub (it is managed by Greene King). Watson and Crick are said to have refreshed themselves in this pub while deliberating over the structure of DNA. The College is said to be haunted by a number of ghosts. Most famous, and feared, is the terrifying apparition of Henry Butts, hero of the plague of 1630, who hanged himself with his garters in the then Master's Lodge on Easter Sunday, 1632[1]. Butts' ghost was subject to an attempted (and purportedly unsuccessful) exorcism by three students in 1904.[2] Another is that of Elisabeth Spencer, daughter of the master, and her young lover (both dead in 1667). Their ghosts are said to walk on Christmas Eve.[1] [edit] BuildingsOld Court, built in the 1350s, is one of Cambridge's oldest buildings and retains many of its original features, including sills and jambs to hold oil-soaked linen in the days prior to the arrival of glass. The court was possibly built from the core of an even older building and is the oldest courtyard in Oxford or Cambridge (a claim disputed by Merton College, Oxford who say the same of their Mob Quad) as well as, some say, the oldest continually inhabited courtyard in the country. St Bene't's Church next door served as the college chapel until 1579 when one was built and the college remains the patron.[3] The college chapel was demolished in 1823, but its pulpit and pews can still be seen at St Andrew's Church, Thurning, Norfolk.[4] New Court (completed 1827) was designed by William Wilkins, who is buried in the college chapel. New Court is also the site of the Parker Library, which was begun in 1376 and much improved by a bequest from Matthew Parker, the college's Master between 1544 and 1553, who as Archbishop of Canterbury formed a fine collection of manuscripts from the libraries of dissolved monasteries. This court also houses Butler Library, which was the college's main student library. The library has since been relocated to Library Court and is called the Taylor Library. Library Court (completed 2008) houses the college's student centre which include the college bar, JCR and the Taylor Library along with new college offices. The Taylor Library was named after Dr John Taylor,[5] a former graduate of the college and former Chairman of Strix Ltd, an electric kettle thermostat manufacturer. He is reputed within the college to have invented the self switching off kettle.[6][7] There are also several outlying college properties. These include Bene't Street Hostel and Botolph Court, the former being located just above The Eagle, and Newnham House, which is located near to Newnham College. The Robert Beldam Building, adjacent to Bene't Street Hostel, is a modern accommodation block. There are also two houses (Nos 6 & 8) in Trumpington Street which are almost directly opposite the University Engineering Department. There is also a graduate campus at Leckhampton, which is situated about a mile west of the main college site, just outside the city centre. Here there are playing fields, 9½ acres (38,000 m²) of gardens and an open air swimming pool.  Part of one of the college's buildings, Botolph Court, which houses some 30 students, is said to be built on top of a 17th century plague pit and slowly sinking into it. This rumour is supported by the old basement under the building, sloping walls and floors and that the building lies just outside the old city wall. The other part is medieval.[1]. The nickname 'Old House' has historically been used to refer to the whole college, but most usually (if, nowadays, at all) to designate the main college buildings, as opposed to outlying places like Leckhampton (e.g. "After my morning swim at Leckers, I'm going to eat lunch at Old House"). It is no longer in common usage among undergraduates (save for in the Latin form, Floreat antiqua domus (i.e. "May the old house flourish"), in the college toast), but it is occasionally used by fellows, postgraduates and college staff.[8] On 19 September 2008, physicist Stephen Hawking unveiled an new clock called the Chronophage which means "Time Eater". The clock is unusual not only because of its design but also because of the fact that it is only accurate once every 5 minutes[5]. The clock was conceived, designed and paid for by Dr John Taylor and donated to his alma mater. It is known among the students of the college as the "time lord". The clock is neon lit at night. [edit] Famous alumni
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