[The College walks were not laid out till 1691, when we find "The Account of money expended in building ye northside wall of ye walke beyond ye Bridge, and for freestone copeings at the gate into ye Close and turne Pike, digging and carryage of Earth and Gravell to raise ye walke, and for planting trees'." These gates, of wood, are shewn in Loggan's view a little to the west. of the Bridge. His plan shews also the bowling-green, occupying the southern half of the ground between the College and the river (fig. 1). The present iron gates were put up in 1714, as is shewn by the following College Order, dated July 20, 1714: "That a convenient iron-palisade and gates for the gardens, gates for the bridge-foot and entrance into the College, (such as shall be approved by the Master and as many of the fellows of the old-foundation as shall be resident in College) shall be set up."] The south range had also been in building since the summer of 1640, when stone for the plinth was bought: and the first payment to John Westley the builder was £20 on July 4. It took rather more than two years to build, as the following extracts shew. By the spring of 1641 it was ready for the woodwork, but it was not glazed until August 1642, and the plumbers' work was certainly not finished before Christmas. "To Frisby July 17 1640. uppon accounts for plinth & pd Gilby for Fitting ye Battlements & For stone 4 29. Apr. 1641. To Fra: Wright upon a Bargayne of 75li for Dec. 2. 1642. To Dauid Blisse for paynteing y chamber [Accounts, p. 164. On this was expended £138. 01. 07.1 2 Ibid. p. 75. Ibid. p. 64. 4 Ibid. p. 25. O 96 22 05 00 00 I O O 25 0 0 00 15 00 500 5 [Ibid. p. 84. From a list of "Ingresses received" we learn that Mr Watts occupied "the corner chamber next King's College Chapel."] VOL. I. 7 Nov. 12. 1642. payd him in full discharge of all the worke Fig. 6. Staircase in the centre of the South Range. In the middle of the south range is an excellent and unique specimen of a staircase (A, fig. 1, fig. 6), probably part of Wright's work in 1641. [In this part of the College temporary accom 1 Accounts, p. 86. 2 [It has been engraved in Studies from Old English Mansions, by C. J. Richardson, folio, London, 1842. Ser. 2, Page 8.] modation was provided for the Master, before the Lodge was built, as is shewn by Loggan, who designates it “Magistri hospitium" and this staircase may have been designed to give the Master a more dignified access to his apartment.] The foundation of the west range was also begun at the same time as that of the south range, for on Jan. 30, 1640, we find the heading "West Range" for the first time in the accounts, and small payments amounting in all to £2. 7s. are made to Westley and others "for Rammeing the Foundations'." No farther progress however at that part is recorded at that time. Nothing occurs to shew who made the design for the building. John Westley was the builder: Francis Wright the carpenter; and Thomas Grombald and his son, William Grombald and his son, George Tonson, Aristotle Drew, and others, appear as working masons, receiving daily wages. The work was carried on either by that system, or by small bargains for particular jobs, as will be seen by some of the extracts from the accounts already quoted. The sums thus agreed upon were usually paid by instalments, and the workman either signed his name or made his mark under the entry of the payment in the accounts. John Westley died in 1656, and it then became necessary to have a settlement with his widow. From this, which was drawn up by Barnabas Oley, and is dated 14 August, 1656, we learn that "He (John Westley) was to sett the Battlements, and to plaster all the needfull work in all ye Roomes, yt is all, that were not to be wanscoted. By all the needfull work (in the lynes above) I understand, yt John Westley was to plaster all the upper and all the under Roomes and all the two middle Ranges of Chambers that were not covered wth wainscot." [Signed] Barnabas Oley. 1 Accounts, p. 55. 2 To these the following may be added. Ibid. p. 60. 'November the 28 1641. To Aristotle Drue & Rob' Heath uppon a Bargayne of Eighteene pounds for paueing the 00. 10.00" 3 [Ibid. p. 91. Dr Oley left by will £10 "to the children or grandchildren of John Westley that good workman that built the Colledge ... not as restitution for any fraud done to him, but for my fear that my omission to state his accounts exactly before the Colledge (I mean the Fellows) before I was forced away by the warrs, was Moreover, an agreement had been made with him as follows': "There was Due (by agreement) to John Westley for the) South Range, and a Brick wall in King's Colledge Close 600 oo oo from Bridge to Bridge There was due to him in equitie as I Conceive (though not agreed on) for his care, work, and setting the Bridge 50 00 00" These sums he seems to have received by small instalments beginning with £20 on July 4, 1640, as stated above. [The building was interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War, and the materials got ready were seized by the Parliament Party, to strengthen the fortifications of Cambridge Castle'. The authority of Cromwell having been established, the College petitioned him to indemnify them, and assessed their loss at £503. 6s. 6d., being £275. 1s. 6d. for the value of the timber taken away, and £228. 5s. for damage sustained from March 31, 1642 -March 31, 1654. He referred their petition to Lazarus Seamon, Vice-Chancellor, and two others. who certified to the fairness of the demand3. During the negotiations, which seem to have been protracted, they intimated their willingness to take £350, having ascertained that that sum was in the hands of the Treasurer for Hertfordshire. What they finally obtained cannot now be known, but that some restitution was made is certain from the following account of an interview between Mr Tillotson and Cromwell. Tillotson, who was then Fellow of the prejudiciall to him. I left the accounts in the Colledge of all my Receipts and Layings out to be examined and considered, but I fear some were not so carefull as they should have been to have weighed things as they might have done, and therefore I did something out of my own purse to his wife and children. And I wish I was able to do more." MSS. Baker, xvi. 191.] 1 Accounts, p. 90, headed “The accounts betwixt Clarehall and the widdow Westley stated by mee. B. Oley." * [Querela Cantabrigiensis, 1685, p. 193. Fuller, p. 325. Cooper's Annals, Tillotson's friend and former pupil, iii. 340. Birch's Life of Tillotson, 1752, p. 402. who writes this part of his life, says that "he obtained a thousand pounds to be paid out of the Exchequer to the college for wood and stone prepared for carrying on its building, but seized by the parliament-party towards fortifying the Castle at Cambridge in the time of the war." When Evelyn visited Cambridge in Sept. 1654 he remarks of this College "Clare-Hall is of a new and noble designe, but not finish'd." "Diary," ed. Bray, 8°. 1827, ii. 95.] 3 [Appendix, No. 2.] 4 [Draft petition, preserved in the College Library. Lazarus Seamon, Master of Peterhouse, was Vice-Chancellor, 1653-4.] College, held the office of Tutor in the family of Prideaux, Cromwell's Attorney General: and had probably been instructed to lose no opportunity of pleading the cause of his House. He wrote as follows to Dr Dillingham, Master, on Dec. 22, 1656,] "Honored Sir, I was seuerall times since I came to London at White Hall but could not speake wth his Highnes hee being then in a course of Physick. On Fryday last Mr Attorney Gen. was pleased to carry mee thither & bring mee to him. I deliu'd ye Letter, wch hee read carefully once and againe, & recited to Mr Attorney yt clause Nulli tamen libentius agnoscunt quam gens togata p'sertim Academica & sayd to him Mr Att upon ye words gens togata you ye Lawyers might haue come in for ye most thankefull people if p'sertim Academica had not hindered yo". When hee had made an end of reading lookeing very pleaseingly hee came to mee, and walked downe towards ye lower end of ye roome & sayd SI take this acknowledgemt from ye Colledge very kindly, & am glad I had an opportunity to do yo' Colledge yt favor; I pray p'nt my service to yo Master and Fellowes, & tell them I giue them thankes for their thanks & tell ym they shall find mee ready to embrace all opportunityes of showing favor to ye Uniursityes and in particular to yor Colledge and Society & I pray let ym know thus mush frō mee'..." In 1656 a general sum of the building Accounts from the beginning was drawn up with the following conclusion": "Rd from Benefactors, Materials, Ingresses &c. Layings out So the expenses exceed the Receipts.. 3650. 10. II 5300 . 12 08 1650-01-09" which difference was principally taken out of the College stock. After the Restoration the accounts become more intelligible: headings to the pages inform us of the nature of the work, and memoranda are added in explanation. In 1662, under the mastership of Dr Dillingham, the wall from the bridge to the field was built and part of the inside next the Court of the west building. About £400 was spent, and apparently the work was then suspended for the time. Amongst other entries the following payments occur: "To Aristot. Drew freemason for working ye Pedestalls & capitalls on each side ye gateway, and 112 foot and half of watertable 007. 17. 04 |