3 - Medieval Cambridge

Summary

Trading in goods such as wheat, flour, salt, fish, eels and sedge, Cambridge was a vibrant market town and river port, receiving its royal charter from King John in 1201. As scholars arrived in 1209, fleeing a major dispute in Oxford, it changed the town for ever: Cambridge was to become a leading university town in medieval Europe. Stephanie Boyd looks at the role of the Church and religious guilds in the town, and the impact of the University as it grew in wealth and autonomy, leading to tensions between Town and Gown. The author explains how and why Cambridge colleges such as Queens were founded, and why they were designed with cloistered courts and imposing gatehouses. She also discusses how colleges were paid for, the importance of chantry prayers, the impact of the Black Death and the fear of heresy, which all contributed to enthusiastic college-building, including the founding of a royal college at King’s.