| Gloucester College | |
|---|---|
| University of Oxford | |
 Gloucester Hall in 1675 | |
| Location | Present dayWorcester Street |
| Coordinates | 51°45′18″N1°15′49″W / 51.75497°N 1.26370°W /51.75497; -1.26370 |
| Established | 1283; 742 years ago (1283) |
| Closed | 1542; 483 years ago (1542) (annexed to St John's) 1714; 311 years ago (1714) (refounded as Worcester College) |
| Named for | St. Peter Abbey, Gloucester |
| Previous names | Gloucester College (1283-1542) Gloucester Hall (1542-1714) |
| Map | |
  Location in Oxford city centre | |
Gloucester College, Oxford, was aBenedictine institution of theUniversity of Oxford inOxford,England, from the late 13th century until thedissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century. It was never a typical college of the University; in that there was an internal division in the college, by staircase units, into parts where the monasteries sending monks had effective authority.[1] The overall head was aPrior, later changed to a Prior Studentium, and finally a Principal.[2]
It later becameGloucester Hall, anacademic hall and annexe ofSt John's College and was again refounded in 1714 asWorcester College by SirThomas Cookes.
The initial foundation was from 1283.John Giffard gave a house, in Stockwell Street, Oxford.[3] There was early friction with the localCarmelites.[4] This was a donation to the Benedictines of theprovince of Canterbury. Control of the 13 places for monks fell to the abbey ofSt. Peter, Gloucester.[5] The first prior was Henry de Heliun.
Pope Benedict XII in 1337 laid down, in thebullPastor bonus, that 5% of Benedictine monks should be university students.[6] The bull also led to the title of Prior being changed to Prior Studentium, elected by the students themselves. But from the middle of the fourteenth century onwards there was an alternative, at theUniversity of Cambridge.[7] There were also the BenedictineDurham College, Oxford, andCanterbury College, Oxford. Even though the catchment area after 1337 included theProvince of York, numbers of students were never high, one reason being the cost of living in Oxford (which the home monastery had to meet). After theBlack Death, Gloucester College was closed for a time. In 1537 it was found to have 32 students.[8]
At the Dissolution the property passed to the English Crown, then to theBishop of Oxford in 1542,[9] who sold it toSir Thomas White. White was the founder ofSt John's College, Oxford, and Gloucester Hall, as it then became, was treated as an Annexe to St John's College.
The penultimatePrincipal of Gloucester Hall,Benjamin Woodroffe, established a "Greek College" forGreek Orthodox students to come to Oxford, part of a scheme to make ecumenical links with theChurch of England.[10] This was active from 1699 to 1705, although only 15 Greeks are recorded as members.
The status of Gloucester Hall changed in the 18th century, when it was refounded in 1714 bySir Thomas Cookes asWorcester College, Oxford. Oxford'sGloucester Green, which was opposite the old College, and the Gloucester House building within the current college preserve the name.
Prior
Prior Studentium
Principal
Those who studied at the college and hall include:
