the Charters and Liberties of the University of Cambridge, and the Colleges and Halls therein; wherein there is a certain Clause inserted, whereby .... (inter alia) That the Rectory of Somersham, with Colne and Pidley, should stand appropriated to the Chancellor, Masters, and Scholars of the said University, and their Successors for ever, in Trust, for the better Support of the Regius Professor of Divinity in the same University; and that the respective Professors for the Time being, and their Executors and Administrators, should be thereby impowered, in the Name of the said Chancellor, Masters, and Scholars, to sue for and Recover all Tythes, and other Profits, arising by the said Rectory: And whereas Dr. Beamont, the present Regius Professor of Divinity, having, for several Years, pretended to hold and injoy the said Rectory, without Institution and Induction therein, or taking the Oaths for the same, as by Law required, he having already as many Benefices, as he is by Law qualified to hold; which hath occasioned divers Suits and Controversies between him and the Petitioner, who hath a considerable Estate within the said Parish, and several other of the Parishioners thereof; and in which Suit the Petitioner hath obtained Sentence against him the said Dr. Beamont, in the Court of Delegates, by reason of his not being instituted and inducted, and otherwise qualified, as aforesaid; therefore, forasmuch as the above-recited Clause does alter the Nature of the said Rectory, and creates a Title thereto without Institution and Induction, contrary to the true Intent of the said Bill; and will be prejudicial to the Revenue of the Crown, by taking away the Payment of the Tenths and First-fruits: and is an Encouragement to Pluralities, and purely designed for the Service of the said Dr. Beamont, to the great Prejudice of the Petitioner, and other the Inhabitants of the said Parish; therefore praying, That, before the said Bill be passed, the Petitioner may be heard at the Bar of this House, by her Counsel.

ORDERED, That the Petitioner be heard, by her Counsel, at the Bar of this House, upon Monday Morning next, against the Bill, intituled, An Act for confirming the Charters and Liberties of the University of Cambridge, and the Colleges and Halls therein.

ORDERED, That the King's Counsel be heard also, upon Monday Morning next, against the said Bill; And that, afterwards, the said Bill be read a Third time.

ORDERED, That the several Charters recited in the said Bill be produced to this House upon Monday Morning next.(1)

LUNE, 22 DIE FEBRUARII;

4o. GULIELMI ET MARIÆ.

(According to the Order of the Day) the Counsel for Mrs. Amy Hamond, and also for the University of Cambridge, were called in; and heard against, and for, the Bill, intituled, An Act for confirming the Charters of the University of Cambridge, and the Colleges and Halls therein.

And being withdrawn;

The Bill was read the Third time.

An ingrossed Clause was offered, as a Rider to the Bill, That it shall and may be lawful to and for the Masters, Provosts, and such Fellows, who by the Statutes and Usage of the respective Colleges and Halls, are Governors thereof, to allow, by Warrants, under their hands and Seals, any Number of Fellows, not exceeding one third of the whole number of Fellows at a time, to profess Law or Physick; any Statutes, Ordinances, or Usages of the said

University, Colleges, or Halls, to the contrary notwithstanding: And all Statutes and Ordinances of the said University, Colleges, and Halls, as to such Clause or Clauses in them, which oblige the Masters, Provosts, or Fellows, to the contrary; and all Oaths, or Part of any Oath, appointed to be taken by them, relating thereunto: are hereby abrogated, and made void. Provided nevertheless, That when, and as often as, any Fellow of any College or Hall in the said University, allowed to profess Law or Physick, by virtue of this Act, is in actual Possession of any Civil Office or Employment, of the yearly value of Sixty Pounds per Annum, that then his fellowship shall be made void, in like Way and Manner, as it might have been, if the said Fellow were inducted into an Ecclesiastical Benefice of the like Value, by the Statutes and Ordinances of the respective Colleges or Halls, before the making of this present Act.

And the same was twice read.

And the Question being put, That the Clause be read the Third time;
It passed in the Negative.

Another ingrossed Clause was offered, as a Rider to the Bill, That this Bill shall not prejudice their Majesties, or their First-fruits and Tenths, but that the said several Professors of Divinity, upon their Admittance into the said Places, and during their Continuance therein, shall pay to their Majesties the First-fruits and Tenths, due for the said Rectories, in such manner, as if they had been instituted into the said Rectories; any thing in this Bill to the contrary notwithstanding.

And the same was thrice read; and, with some Amendments made, the same was, upon the Question put thereupon, agreed upon to be made Part of the Bill.

Another Proviso was offered, as a Rider to the Bill, That this Act, nor any thing therein, shall prejudice or preclude Sir John Bolles of Scampton in the County of Lincolne, Baronet, his Heirs, &c. of or from any Right, Title, Claim, or Demand, either in Law or Equity, that he or they now have, or at any time hereafter may have, against the Masters, Fellows, and Scholars of Sidney Sussex College in the University of Cambridge, or their Successors; any thing in this Act contained to the contrary in any wise notwithstanding.

And the same was thrice read; and upon the Question put thereupon, was agreed upon to be made Part of the Bill.

Then an Amendment was proposed to be made to the Bill.

Pr. last, L. after * "Cambridge," to insert "or to the President and College of the Physicians, London."

And the same was, upon the Question put thereupon, agreed unto by the House.

Then the Question being put that the Bill do pass;

On the 25th of January, died in the 91st year of his age, George Foxcroft Esq. sometime Governor of Fort Saint George in the East

(1) Commons' Journals, x. 683.

Indies. He was born at Cambridge, on the 24th of May, 1601, being fifth son of Richard Foxcroft of Cambridge, by Alice his wife, daughter of Hodson. His funeral sermon was preached by Mr. Price at Saint Mary le Bow in London, February the 4th, 1691-2.(1)

On the 17th of March, the Corporation appointed a committee to treat with the gentlemen of the county who wished to erect a house for holding the assizes near the Guildhall.(2)

1692.

On Hock Tuesday, the 10th of April, the Corporation made an order(3) that if any one who then was or thereafter should be a Common Councilman should leave the Town, and not return to dwell with his family in the Town within one year, the Common Council or the major part of them should choose another Common Councilman in his room, unless upon good cause shewn he should be dispensed withal.(2)

On the 25th of June, a commission for repair of the Great Bridge was directed to William Earl of Bedford, Sir Thomas Chicheley Knt., Sir Christopher Hatton, Sir John Cotton, Sir Levinus Bennett Baronets, Sir Robert Cotton Knt., Henry Pike gent. Mayor, John Montague D.D., John Colville D.D., William Cooke LL.D., Samuel Newton, Thomas Fox, Thomas Ewin, Nicholas Eagle, Thomas Fowle, Isaac Watlington, John Fage, John Pepys, and Charles Chambers Aldermen. On the 3rd of December, a return of the lands liable to contribute to the repair of the bridge was made by a jury, and on the 13th of December, the Commissioners made an assessment on these lands at the rate of £1. 10s. per hide.(4)

On the 8th of September, between 2 and 3 in the afternoon, there was a slight earthquake felt at this place for a minute or two.(5)

On the 26th of September, the Corporation made an order that there should not be more than eight attornies admitted or sworn to practice in the Town Court at one time; but this order was repealed on the 13th of October.(2)

On the 21st of November, there was a contested election of a Burgess in Parliament for the University in the room of Sir Robert Sawyer deceased;(6) the candidates were the Honourable Henry

(1) MS. Baker, xxxiv. 356.

(2) Corporation Common Day Book.

(3) A similar order respecting the Aldermen is contained in the code of Bye Laws made 1686.

(4) Pontage Book, 81-84, 96.

(5) Ald. Newton's Diary. See Burnet, Hist. of his own Time, ed. 1838, p. 583. (6) New Writ ordered 4th of November, 1692.-Commons' Journals, x. 696.

1692

93

Boyle(1) M.A. of Trinity College, and John Brookbank(2) LL.D. fellow of Trinity Hall; of whom the former was successful. The Duke of Somerset, Chancellor, was present and took the votes in the Regent House, Dr. Oxenden the Vicechancellor elect being detained in London by illness, and not having been admitted.(3)

The royal assent was on the 20th of January given to an act granting an aid of 4s. in the pound. The Commissioners for the Town and University were the Vicechancellor and Mayor for the time being, Hon. John Mountagu D.D., Sir Thomas Chicheley Knt., Sir John Cotton Bart., Hon. Edward Finch, Hon. Henry Boyle, Granado Pigott, Esq., Joseph Beaumont, Humphrey Gower, Thomas Smolt, John Balderston, John Covill, Thomas Bainbridge, Doctors of Divinity; Charles Roderick, George Oxenden, William Cooke, Doctors of Civil Law; Tanfield Leman, Esq., Samuel Newton, Thomas Story, Thomas Ewen, Isaac Watlington, John Pepys, Thomas Fowles, Thomas Fox, John Fage, Aldermen; James Johnson, Isaac Newton, Samuel Perne, Esquires; Dr. Greene and Francis Todd gent. The sites of the Colleges and Halls and the stipends of the Masters fellows and scholars and of the readers officers and ministers of the Universities were exempted from charge.(4) The sums raised in the Town and University under the foregoing act (5) were as follow:

(1) He was brother of Charles Boyle second Earl of Burlington, and was appointed a Lord of the Treasury in 1699, and Chancellor of the Exchequer 27th May, 1701. He was Secretary of State from 1704 to 1710. On the 20th of October, 1714, he was created Baron Carleton of Carleton in the county of York, and in 1721, was constituted Lord President of the Council. He died without issue in 1725.

(2) "Although unsuccessful, he had a respectable poll, in which there appear many of the "first names in the University; and, above all, he was honoured by the vote of Sir Isaac "Newton."-Monk's Life of Bentley, i. 187.

(3) Ald. Newton's Diary.

(4) Stat. 4 Gul. & Mar. c. 1.

(5) The assessments under this act are made the basis of the assessments to the land tax, by the Stat. 38 Geo. III. c. 5, s. 7.

On the 5th of February, was buried at Great Saint Mary's, Captain Edward Story.(2) By his will (3) he gave and bequeathed his real and personal estate, after payment of his debts, unto his son Edward Story,(4) and the heirs of his body, with remainder, if he should happen to die without issue of his body, to James Holman, of Gonville and Caius College, William Barron and Robert Drake, of Cambridge, upon trust, that they should, out of the rents and profits, within some convenient time, purchase a piece of ground in some clean and convenient place, as to them should seem meet for that purpose, within the bounds of the town of Cambridge, and thereupon build ten almshouses of brick, with tile coverings, every one of them containing one low room, with a chimney and buttery, and one upper room with a chimney therein, for a lodging room; the same to be, from time to time, disposed of by his trustees for the time being, or the major part of them, in manner following; viz. to four widows of ministers of the Church of England, two widows and one maiden in the parish of Saint Giles, and three maidens in the parish of the Holy Trinity, in the town

(1) Duplicate in the Exchequer.

(2) Mr. Story writes himself Gentleman in his will. In 1668 he is called bookseller (Corporation Common Day Book, 12 Jan. 1668-9). James the Second nominated him an Alderman and Justice of the Peace, which offices he gave up just before the Revolution. (Vide Vol. iii. p. 637.) Near the west end of Great St. Mary's Church is a mural tablet with these arins-Or, on a saltire sable, five cinquefoils of the field; impaling Argent, a raven proper: and the subjoined inscription: "Near this Place lyeth the Body of Elizabeth Story, Who de*parted this Life ye 18th of Janry. 1727. Here also was interrd Her Husband Edward Story "Gent. late of this Town, And their Son Edward Story M.B, and Fellow of Magdalen "Colledge."

(3) Dated 29th of January, 1692-3, and proved in the Archdeaconry Court of Ely.

(4) He graduated as M.B. 1709, and was fellow of Magdalene College; he died, without issue, about 1710.