Official Archive of the Master and Fellows of Gonville and Caius College in the University of Cambridge

Since the foundation of Gonville Hall, it has always been the responsibility of the bursar to keep accounts and manage the College estates (and latterly, investments). It was to the bursar that the Steward, Registrary and Tutors accounted for the money that passed through their hands.

Under the statutes of Gonville and of Bateman, the Master was the sole Bursar; while under the statutes of Dr Caius, he was meant to act together with another Fellow. The office rotated among the fellows, until the mid-nineteenth century when reform of College accounting, and the growing complexity of the College’s financial and business interests led to the post being filled by someone with specialist knowledge, who could devote the majority of their time to the task. An increasing number of support staff were also required to deal with the day-to-day work of accounting, and dealing with the bills, stipends and salaries of Fellows, students and staff.

(A list of the holders of the office of Bursar was compiled by Catherine Hall, and published in The Caian, 1990. Additional information on individual estate histories was compiled by E. Gross in the ‘Estates Chronicle’ published as part of Biographical History, Volumes IV (Cambridge, 1912)

The records consist of:

- statutes and deeds of foundation

- the Registrum Magnum, the list of all important documents and deeds

- administrative records relating to the management of the College endowment

- corporate and personal accounts

- correspondence files and letter books of the Bursar

- maps and plans of estates

- deeds to College properties, trusts and advowsons. These include deeds relating to estates in the following locations,

Acle, Norfolk

Aldreth, Cambs.

Arlesford, Essex

Ashdon and Little Walden, Essex

Ashwell, Herts.

Atherington, Devon

Barnby, Suffolk

Barnwell, Cambridge

Barningham, Suffolk

Barrington, Cambridge

Barton, Cambs.

Bassingbourn, Cambs.

Bincombe, Dorset

Blackburn, Lancs.

Boston, Lincs.

Bournemouth, Hants.

Bratton, Devon

Bray, Devon

Bristol

Burnham, Norfolk

Cambridge

Cawston, Norfolk

Caxton, Cambs.

Chesterton, Cambs.

Chilton, Durham

Cowling, Suffolk

Croxley, Herts

Denver, Norfolk

Dereham (East & West), Norfolk

Dilham and Honing, Norfolk

Duxford, Cambs.

Fakenham, Norfolk

Fen Ditton, Cambs.

Foulden, Norfolk

Frating, Essex

Fullaford and Kippescombe, Devon

Great Bentley, Essex

Guilden Morden, Cambs.

Haddenham, Cambs.

Haglo and Pulton, Cambs.

Heacham, Norfolk

Henley-in-Arden, Warks.

Hinton, Cambs.

Horningsea, Cambs.

Kettlestone, Norfolk

Keysho, Beds.

Kirtling, Suffolk

London, city of

London, Hackney

London, Putney

Lydiard Millicent, Wilts.

Lydiard Tegoze, Wilts.

Marshwood, Dorset

Mattishall, Norfolk

Melton, Norfolk

Mepal, Cambs.,

Milton, Cambs.

Mutford, Suffolk

Newnham, Cambridge

Norwich

Oborne, Dorset

Oxburgh, Norfolk

Over, Cambs.

Pattesley, Norfolk

Peterborough, Cambs.

Poyntington, Dorset

Rickmansworth, Herts.

Runcton, Dorset

St. Osyth, Essex

Shalford, Essex

Shelford, Cambs.

Stapleford, Cambs.

Steeple, Essex

Steeple Morden, Cambs.

Stevenage, Herts.

Stockport, Cheshire

Stow-cum-Quy, Cambs.

Stratton St. Mary, Suffolk

Sudbury, Middx.

Sutton Benger, Wilts.

Swanton Morley, Norfolk

Swindon, Wilts.

Teversham, Cambs.

Tilbury, Essex

Titchwell & Thornham, Norfolk

Tuttington, Norfolk

Wantage, Berks.

Weeting, Norfolk

Wentworth, Cambs.

Westoning, Beds.

Wheatacre, Suffolk

Whitstable, Kent

Wiggenhall, Norfolk

Wilton, Norfolk

Worlingham, Suffolk

and advowsons in the following locations,

Aldeby, Norfolk

Ashdon, Essex

Barnby, Suffolk

Beachampton, Bucks

Bincombe, Dorset

Blofield, Norfolk

Bratton Fleming, Devon

Broadway, Dorset

Capel, Suffolk

Chatteris, Cambs.

Denver, Norfolk

Foulden, Norfolk

Hethersett, Norfolk

Kirstead, Norfolk

Kittesford, Somerset

Lavenham, Suffolk

Mattishall, Norfolk

Melton, Norfolk

Mutford, Suffolk

Norwich (St. Michael’s Coslany)

Norwich (St Clement on the Bridge)

Oxborough, Norfolk

Pattesley, Norfolk

Stockport, Cheshire

Stratton St. Mary, Suffolk

Swanton Morley, Norfolk

Weeting, Norfolk

Wheatacre, Suffolk

Wilton, Norfolk

- manorial records, including court rolls and books, surveys, terriers, rentals, surrenders, fines and enfranchisements, inquisitions and notebooks for the following manors:

Bincombe, Dorset

Buristead, Great Shelford, Cambs.

Burnham Thorpe/Wyndhams, Burnham

Carles, Wilton, Norfolk

Croxley, Rickmansworth, Herts

Dabernoons, Duxford, Cambs

Dengains, Teversham, Cambs

Oborne, Dorset

Runcton, Norfolk.

Most administrative files relating to College business are closed for thirty years from the last date on the file, except for those containing business or personal information, which are closed for ninety-nine.

- Selected foundation deeds were transcribed and published in J. Venn, Biographical History, Volume III (Cambridge, 1901)

- Selected trust deeds have been published in Gonville and Caius College Trust Deeds (published post 1918).

- See Magisterial records for additional information about Heacham (MAS)

- See Records of Domestic Administration (DOM) for the records of the Domestic and Junior Bursars.

- For lower level accounts see tutors’ (TUT:F) and stewards’ (DOM:S) records

- See records of governance (GOV) for applications of the College seal on investments, conveyances and leases.

- Deeds of foundation, title and trust are listed in the Registrum Magnum, of which modern copies and microfilms are also available.

- Detailed descriptive information about selected estate maps is available in a list compiled by Sarah Bendall. This list was compiled as part of Sarah Bendall's research for S. Bendall, Maps, Land and Society; a history (Cambridge, 1992) dealing with Cambridgeshire estate maps.