A Note on the Foundation of Northill College in 1406

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Some of the surviving records of the secular college of Northill have been printed and there are some accounts of the main facts of its history. Only the statutes of the college would furnish details of the religious obligations of the Master and Fellows, but no trace has been found of their survival, though reference is made to them in the Chantry Certificate under the Act of I Edward VI:

“The said Colege is bound be the statutes of there house to fynd ij quyristers which have of the house meate, drinke, clothes and lernyng and the maister hath meate and drinke for hymselfe and one servaunt and fynding for ij horses by the Statutes aforsayd. Also the sayd colledge was founded by Sir John Traylley, Knight, and Reynold his son to the intent that there shold be one master, iiij felowes and ij quyristers, to which shold be found as is above, and the master to have for his wages vij¹ xj⁸ viij^d by the yere, and every felowe iij¹ vj⁸ viij^d….”

Nevertheless, the text of the foundation grant which was included in the Harvey MSS. deposited by Lt. Col. J. L. Harvey, M.B.E., in the County Record Office in 1947 has several points of interest. So far all that has been known of the foundation of Northill College is contained in the Letters Patent for alienation of the advowson of Northill Church of 8 December 1404 prior to the foundation two years later. Most of this royal licence is recited in the foundation deed, but from the latter more can be gleaned about what has been described as the long and expensive process of founding a college. At first sight the authenticity of the document is not beyond question in its present state. The parchment measures 53.8 x 32 cm. but it has been cut down from a larger size and the seals and tags removed and an attempt has been made to erase the word papa throughout.