Master's lodge in Great Court , Trinity College
Trinity College , a constituent college of the University of Cambridge , is headed by a master who oversees the general operation of the college. The role is officially appointed by the monarch at the recommendation of the college, and involves presiding over meetings of the college council and its governing body, although the executive powers of the master are limited.[ 1] In addition, the master supports relations with students and alumni of the college, and serves as an ambassador for its global development activities.[ 2]
In 1546, Trinity College was founded by Henry VIII , merging the colleges of Michaelhouse and King's Hall .[ 3] John Redman , then Warden of King's Hall, was thus appointed first Master of Trinity College. There have been 40 appointments to the position; William Bill was appointed master twice, in 1551 and 1558.[ 4] The longest serving master was Richard Bentley , from 1700 until his death in 1741. He held the post despite widespread unpopularity amongst the fellows, a feud which lasted for about 30 years. During this, Bentley survived numerous criminal charges, and had his university degree rescinded between 1718 and 1724.[ 5] The current master, Dame Sally Davies , was appointed on 8 February 2019. She assumed the role during a ceremony on 8 October of that year, becoming the 39th Master of Trinity College, and the first woman to hold the position.[ 6] [ 7]
For much of the past, the master was required to hold a degree from the University of Cambridge, and was usually a member of Trinity College. Historical statutes also stated that the office of the master could only be held up to the age of 70 or 75, at the decision of the fellows .[ 1] Currently, the master holds office for a fixed term of up to eight years. There is no longer a requirement to have studied at Trinity College, or the University of Cambridge, but recent masters have usually been distinguished academics. The incumbent is always referred to as the master, regardless of gender, for historical reasons.[ 2]
The Master of Trinity College resides in the Master's Lodge, located in Great Court . It was originally built in 1554, and is a Grade I listed building. The entrance hall has 16th-century panelling, and the drawing room has a late 15th-century plaster ceiling. The façade of the building towards Great Court was renovated between 1841 and 1843 by Anthony Salvin . In 1892, the architect Arthur Blomfield constructed the west wing of the lodge with additional rooms for private accommodation of the master, which freed some of the historic rooms for public use.[ 8] The Master's Lodge is customarily the royal residence when visiting the university.[ 9] It includes a state bedroom that was refurbished for the 1843 visit of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert .[ 10]
Several masters of the college contributed to the development of its buildings throughout history. Thomas Nevile , master of the college from 1593, remodelled the majority of the college buildings. He demolished several buildings to clear space for the Great Court, which is now reputedly the largest enclosed courtyard in Europe .[ 11] Upon his death, he bequeathed a sum of money that entirely paid for the construction of Nevile's Court .[ 12] In the late 17th century, Nevile's Court was further developed by Christopher Wren under the instruction of the master of the college, Isaac Barrow , forming the Wren Library .[ 13] In the 1860s, William Whewell paid for the construction of Whewell's Court , two neo-Gothic courts located on the opposite side of Trinity Street .[ 14]
Nevile's Court, Trinity College
Statue of Isaac Barrow by Matthew Noble in Trinity College Chapel
Whewell's Court , Trinity College
Statue of William Whewell by Thomas Woolner in the chapel
List of masters
Name
Portrait
Birth
Death
Term of office
Notes
Ref(s).
John Redman
—
1499
1551
1546–1551
Lady Margaret's Professor of Divinity (1538–1542), Public Orator of Cambridge (1537–1538), Warden of King's Hall (1542–1546), later forming Trinity College
[ 15] [ 16]
William Bill
c. 1505
1561
1551–1553
Master of St John's College, Cambridge (1547–1551), Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University (1548), Provost of Eton College (1558–1561), Dean of Westminster (1560–1561).
[ 17] [ 18]
John Christopherson
—
c. 1519
1558
1553–1558
Chaplain and confessor to Mary I , Dean of Norwich (1554–1557), Bishop of Chichester (1557–1558)
[ 19]
William Bill
c. 1505
1561
1558–1561
Second term as Master of Trinity College
[ 17]
Robert Beaumont
—
c. 1525
1567
1561–1567
Lady Margaret's Professor of Divinity (1559–1561), Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University (1564 and 1566)
[ 20] [ 21]
John Whitgift
c. 1530
1604
1567–1577
Archbishop of Canterbury (1583–1604)
[ 22]
John Still
c. 1541
c. 1608
1577–1593
Master of St John's College, Cambridge (1574–1577), Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University (1575 and 1592), Bishop of Bath and Wells (1593–1608)
[ 23]
Thomas Nevile
c. 1548
1615
1593–1615
Dean of Peterborough (1591–1597) and Dean of Canterbury (1597–1615), Master of Magdalene College (1582–1593); significantly developed Trinity College, including expanding Great Court and building Nevile's Court
[ 24] [ 25]
John Richardson
1564
1625
1615–1625
Biblical scholar , Regius Professor of Divinity (1607–1617), Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge (1609–1615), Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University (1617)
[ 26]
Leonard Mawe
—
1552
1629
1625–1629
Bishop of Bath and Wells (1628–1629), Master of Peterhouse (1617–1625)
[ 27]
Samuel Brooke
—
1575
1631
1629–1631
Playwright , Gresham Professor of Divinity (1612–1629)
[ 28] [ 29]
Thomas Comber
1645
1699
1631–1645
Linguist , Dean of Carlisle (1629–1654)
[ 30]
Thomas Hill
—
c. 1600
1653
1645–1653
Master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge (1644–1645), Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University (1646)
[ 31]
John Arrowsmith
—
1602
1659
1653–1659
Theologian , Master of St John's College, Cambridge (1644–1653), Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University (1647), Regius Professor of Divinity (1651–1656)
[ 32]
John Wilkins
1614
1672
1659–1660
Natural philosopher , cofounder of the Royal Society , Warden of Wadham College, Oxford (1648–1659), Bishop of Chester (1668–1672)
[ 33] [ 34] [ 35]
Henry Ferne
—
1602
1662
1660–1662
Dean of Ely (1661–1662), Bishop of Chester (1662)
[ 36]
John Pearson
1613
1686
1662–1672
Theologian , Master of Jesus College, Cambridge (1660–1662), Lady Margaret's Professor of Divinity (1661–1673), Bishop of Chester (1673–1686)
[ 37]
Isaac Barrow
1630
1677
1672–1677
Christian theologian and mathematician , known for early development of infinitesimal calculus ; Regius Professor of Greek (1660–1663), first Lucasian Professor of Mathematics (1663–1669), academic advisor of Isaac Newton
[ 38] [ 39]
John North
—
1645
1683
1677–1683
Regius Professor of Greek (1672–1674), buried in Trinity College Chapel
[ 40]
John Montagu
c. 1655
1728
1683–1699
Dean of Durham (1700–1728), benefactor to the college
[ 41]
Richard Bentley
1662
1742
1700–1742
Classical scholar , critic , theologian , Regius Professor of Divinity (1717–1742)
[ 42]
Robert Smith
1689
1768
1742–1768
Mathematician , Plumian Professor of Astronomy and Experimental Philosophy (1716–1760), buried in Trinity College Chapel
[ 43]
John Hinchliffe
1731
1794
1768–1789
Bishop of Peterborough (1769–1794), Dean of Durham (1788–1794)
[ 44]
Thomas Postlethwaite
1731
1798
1789–1798
Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University (1791)
[ 45]
William Lort Mansel
1753
1820
1798–1820
Public Orator of Cambridge (1788–1798), Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University (1799), Bishop of Bristol (1808–1820)
[ 46]
Christopher Wordsworth
1774
1846
1820–1841
Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University (1820 and 1826), youngest brother of the poet William Wordsworth
[ 47]
William Whewell
1794
1866
1841–1866
Polymath , scientist , theologian , mathematician , poet ; funded the construction of Whewell's Court
[ 48]
William Hepworth Thompson
1810
1886
1866–1886
Classical scholar , Regius Professor of Greek (1853–1867), reformer of Trinity College and the University of Cambridge
[ 49]
Henry Montagu Butler
1833
1918
1886–1918
Headmaster of Harrow School (1860–85), Dean of Gloucester (1885–86)
[ 50]
J. J. Thomson
1856
1940
1918–1940
Physicist , laureate of the Nobel Prize in Physics (1906), known for the discovery of the electron
[ 51]
G. M. Trevelyan
1876
1962
1940–1951
Historian and author, Regius Professor of History (1927–1943), Chancellor of Durham University (1950–1957)
[ 52]
Edgar Adrian
1889
1977
1951–1965
Electrophysiologist , laureate of Nobel Prize for Physiology (1932) for work on the function of neurons , President of the Royal Society (1950–1955), President of the Royal Society of Medicine (1960–1962), Chancellor of the University of Cambridge (1967–1975)
[ 53]
Rab Butler
1902
1982
1965–1978
Conservative Party politician, Deputy Prime Minister (1962–1963)
[ 54]
Alan Hodgkin
1914
1998
1978–1984
Physiologist and biophysicist , joint winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1963), awarded Copley Medal (1965), later President of the Royal Society (1970–1975)
[ 55]
Andrew Huxley
1917
2012
1984–1990
Physiologist and biophysicist , laureate of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1963), President of the Royal Society (1980–1985)
[ 56]
Michael Atiyah
1929
2019
1990–1997
Mathematician , Savilian Professor of Geometry (1963–1969), laureate of the Fields Medal (1966) and Abel Prize (2004), President of the Royal Society (1990–1995)
[ 57] [ 58] [ 59]
Amartya Sen
1933
1998–2004
Economist and philosopher , laureate of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (1998), recipient of the Bharat Ratna (1999)
[ 60] [ 61]
Martin Rees
1942
2004–2012
Cosmologist and astrophysicist , fifteenth Astronomer Royal (appointed 1995), President of the Royal Society (2005–2010)
[ 62] [ 63] [ 64]
Gregory Winter
1951
2012–2019
Molecular biologist , laureate of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (2018), known for work on the therapeutic use of monoclonal antibodies
[ 65]
Sally Davies
1949
2019–present
Physician (haematologist ), Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Health (2004–2016), Chief Medical Officer (2010–2019)
[ 7] [ 66]
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