a high reputation for his skill and success as a physician,
particularly in the treatment of the severer kinds of
fever.
He was elected Master May 31, 1803, being probably
the best selection the Fellows could have made amongst
themselves ; for, though their average attainments were
higher than on the previous two elections, only one of
their number, Dr. Wollaston, the eminent chemist,
had achieved any public celebrity. Davy continued his
medical practice as Master for a number of years, except
during the time he held the office of Vice-Chancellor,
and obtained a considerable local reputation. Towards
the close of 1810 he abandoned medicine, and took
Holy Orders, graduating as D.D. in 1811. This change
of profession is said to have been due to the influence
of the lady to whom he then became engaged, and who
brought him a considerable fortune. She was Anne,
daughter of William Stevenson, of Biana (an old house
near Eccleshall), Staffordshire. They were married at
St. George's, Hanover Square, May 16, 1811. Their
married life only lasted a few months, as Mrs. Davy died
October 9 following.
208 CAIUS COLLEGE
Davy bore the character of an active and efficient
manager of affairs, both in the University and in the
College. In the capacity of Vice-Chancellor, in 1803,
he took an attitude which is curiously significant of the
position of the medical school at the time. A son of
Mr. Thackeray, Fellow of King's, who had practised as
a surgeon for some years, desired to graduate as a
physician, and for this purpose entered as a Fellow-
commoner at Emmanuel. After the requisite five years'
residence as a student, and after having performed all
the statutable requirements, he applied for permission
to perform the customary Act. To his astonishment
this was refused at the last moment by the Professor,
who maintained that the statutes did not allow one
who had been a surgeon thus to proceed to M.B. An
interpretation of the statute was sought from the Heads,
who, largely owing to the strenuous advocacy of Dr.
Davy, who was Vice-Chancellor, supported the rejection.
They gave the decision that ' no one can be admitted
as a candidate who has been habitually engaged, within
the time prescribed by the statute, in the practice of
any trade or profession whatever. 1 This new legislation,
for it seems to have been practically such, thus passed
in 1803, was rescinded in 1815.
On most University matters Davy was a strong Whig,
or Liberal ; in fact, judged by the contemporary standard
of his position as a Master, he might be called a Radical.
For instance, he was the only Head of a House, except
Dr. Lamb, of Corpus, who signed the petition to
Parliament, in 1834, for the abolition of religious tests
in the University. Another signal instance, according
to Gunning, was given by the fact that it was by his
THE NINETEENTH CENTURY 209
single vote in the Caput (the then executive body in
the University, corresponding to the modern Council)
that a proposal was rejected, in 1806, for appointing a
syndicate to devise some monument to Pitt. Davy
himself, however, maintained that his objections applied
rather to the method than to the object of the proposal.
In 1827 he was appointed by the Crown to the
valuable living of Cottenham, near Cambridge, and was
made Prebendary of Chichester June 14, 1832 pre-
ferments which he held until his death. It may be
taken for granted that these were political appointments.
Dr. Lamb, of Corpus, his fellow-Liberal, was made Dean
of Bristol in 1837.
Though learned and skilled in his own profession,
his dominant tastes were classical. He had a splendid
private library, which he used to boast contained the
two best editions of every classical author. This was
sold after his death for ^1,130 ; the sale catalogue,
with the prices realized, is in our library. Wide as was
his correspondence with literary contemporaries, none
of his letters seem to have got into print. Mr. Thomas
Kidd had intended to dedicate his edition of Horace
to Davy, as he states in his preface, and had actually
printed it, but the intended compliment was declined.
By the general testimony of those who knew him
personally, he was a courteous, affable gentleman of
the old school, extremely fond of society and of social
and literary intercourse. He was a regular attendant
at the meetings of the Family Club a social gathering
of ancient standing still existent in Cambridge. In
later years a serious deafness, which gradually increased,
tended to cut him off from all such opportunities of
14
210 CAIUS COLLEGE
intercourse ; but during his early years the Lodge must
have been one of the best centres of literary communica-
tion in Cambridge. Professor Pryme, who knew him
well, gives the following account of him :
' He was a man of acute mind, and had written a great
deal on metaphysics and other literary subjects ; but he
directed in his will, and with almost his dying words
earnestly requested, that his MSS. should be destroyed,
which was done by boiling them in the great kitchen
copper of the College. There is reason to believe that
he had been sceptical up to middle age, and afterwards,
becoming a sincere believer, he dreaded lest there should
be some taint of his former opinions in his writings.'
Rightly or wrongly, it is certain that the suspicion of
heterodoxy clung to him throughout his life.
He died in College, May, 1839, and is buried in the
chapel. There is a brass there to his memory, designed
by Mr. W. Shoubridge, with an inscription by Mr. H.
Drury, both members of the Colkge. The ancient
collegiate practice, referred to by Mr. W. A. Wright
in his edition of Shakespeare's ' Julius Caesar, 1 of con-
tributing a number of memorial verses was adhered to
on this occasion. In a volume in our library are a
number of compositions in Greek, Latin, and English,
which were thus written by members of the College at
Dr. Davy's funeral. The following appreciative notice
in the Times is said to have been written by his friend
Mr. Barnes, the editor :
' Perhaps no man in the University had acquired a larger
degree of the respect and goodwill of his contemporaries
of all classes of opinions ; and most deservedly so, for he
THE NINETEENTH CENTURY 211
was, throughout a long life, distinguished for the courageous
integrity of his opinions, for the manly candour of his
understanding, for the suavity of his manners, and the
benevolence of his actions. He was, besides, highly ac-
complished, both as a professor of medical science and as a
general and classical scholar. He felt the greatest interest
in the College over which he presided ; and many persons
now eminent may, and we believe do, unhesitatingly ascribe
their success in life to his judicious advice and friendly
services when they were mere students.'
He was a considerable benefactor to the College,
principally by the estate of Heacham, near Lynn,
which he left in trust for the Master for the time being.
We have three portraits of him two in the Lodge,
and one at Heacham.
Though very extensive changes and additions were
contemplated in our buildings during Davy^s time,
only slight alterations were actually effected : very
fortunately, as most people will now think. The
actual change consisted in the favourite device of
coating with cement the old brick surface of the Legge
and Perse Buildings a device which has marred the
picturesque appearance of other colleges in Cambridge.
This was done in 1817, at a cost of X J 400. In 1822
very extensive additions were seriously discussed. Plans
were prepared by the architect, Mr. Wilkins, for which
he was paid ^250, but for some unknown reason,
possibly the cost, nothing more was done. From the
plans, which are preserved in our Treasury, it appears
that the Legge and Perse Buildings were to be entirely
rebuilt. The old Gate of Humility was to be left
standing. Beyond this, at the south-east corner, was
142
212 CAIUS COLLEGE
to be another block of building occupying the position
of our present Gate Tower. The style was like that
of the Provost's Lodge at King's College, built by the
same architect at about the same time. So far the
desirability of the change is a question of taste, as
between the design of Wilkins and the actual construc-
tion of Waterhouse. But more was contemplated, and
this of a character which we can only be too thankful
to have escaped. The face of the Caius court, in-
cluding that of the chapel, was to have been interfered
with, to the injury or destruction of one of the few
pieces of work which have been practically left un-
touched for more than 300 years.
One little change may be noticed as having been
introduced into the College in 1837. Till now there
seems to have been little or no distinction between the
gowns used by the members of the various colleges,
nearly all alike wearing what was little more than a
small black flap. In this year the present very distinc-
tive blue gown for the undergraduates was adopted by
College order.
The College boat club was founded about this time.
No doubt various small and temporary associations had
from time to time been formed for music, and possibly
for games, but the boat club was certainly the fore-
runner of the many organizations which now exist in
every college for athletic and social purposes, and a few
words ought therefore to be said about its origin. It
was established in or about the year 1825 or 1826,
the earliest record of any race being in the Easter term
of 1827. The first racing-boat was a six-oared wherry.
The original members were R. M. Gillies, captain;
THE NINETEENTH CENTURY 213
A. C. Paget, coxswain ; J. J. Smith, afterwards the
well-known tutor ; W. Plunkett ; A. C. Humfrey ;
J. M. Rodwell, subsequently distinguished as an
Oriental scholar ; and E. Holley. Of these, probably,
Paget, brother of Sir James and Sir George, best
deserves the name of the actual founder ; and it may
be pointed out that the motto of the club, ' Labor ipse
voluptas, 1 is the family motto. The prescribed uniform
was ' a straw hat with a black riband, a striped shirt,
with black handkerchief, bluejacket, and white trousers,
with a black belt.'
It need hardly be said that the races were at first of
a very casual and informal character. The number of
the competing crews varied from race to race, and
even sometimes from day to day during the same set of
races. Nor was the number of men in a boat necessarily
the same. Thus, in 1827 the Caius boat, together with
one or two others, had but six oars, whilst the rest had
eight.
The College boat soon took a good place on the
river. As will be seen by the accompanying table, its
period of greatest success was in the years 1836 to 1844,
during which it was four times head of the river. In
1844 it acted, in a sense, as representative of the
University. The circumstances were these: The
Town boat club happened that year to have an un-
usually good crew, and challenged the University crew
to row against them. The University proposed in-
stead that whatever crew was head of the river should
act as their representative. This was agreed to, and
the Caius boat, being head at the end of the races,
rowed against the Town boat and won the race. The
214 CAIUS COLLEGE
tradition long prevailed that the use of the light blue
ribbon in the College hat was due to this incident.
This is a mistake, as it appears almost certain that the
light blue colour had been for some years adopted by
the College, probably before its systematic use by the
University.
It may be added that the present boat-house was
built in 1878, at a cost of about =1,500. The original
riverside home of the club consisted of two small
wooden rooms at ' Upper Cross's ' boat-house, a little
below the ferry. From about 1844 to 1871 the club
was housed in a room at Scarlets, now Pocock's boat-
yard.
PLACE OF THE FIRST BOAT AT THE END OF THE EASTER
TERM RACES.
Year.
Place.
Year.
Place.
Year.
Place.
1827
... 3
1843
... 3
1859
... 7
1828
... 2
1844
... 1 .
I860
... 5
1829
... 7
1845
... 4
1861
.. 7
1830
... 6
1846
... 11
1862
... 7
1831
... 6
1847
... 12
1863
... 15
1832
... 11
1848
... 4
1864
... 10
1833
... 4
1849
... 7
1865
... 8
1834
... 8
1850
... 7
1866
... 8
1835
... 6
1851
... 16
1867
... 12
1836
... 2
1852
... 15
1868
... 16
1837
... 2
1853
..." 7
1869
... 16
1838
... 3
1854
... 8
1870
... 15
1839
... 1
1855
... 6
1871
... 11
1840
... I
1856
... 13
1872
... 13
1841
... 1
1857
... 10
1873
... 11
1842
5
1858
7
1874
... 15
THE NINETEENTH CENTURY 215
Year. Place. Year. Place. Year. Place.
1875
... 16
1884
... 7
1893
... 10
1876
... 8
1885
... 6
1894
... 12
1877
... 2
1886
... 7
1895
... 9
1878
... 2
1887
... 7
1896
... 7
1879
... 3
1888
... 5
1897
... 6
1880
... 2
1889
... 5
1898
... 7
1881
... 5
1890
... 5
1899
... 10
1882
... 8
1891
... 6
1900
... 11
1883 ... 7 1892 ... 10
BENEDICT CHAPMAN : 1839-1852.
Benedict Chapman, thirtieth Master, was a son of
Charles Chapman of Norwich, and was born in that
city. He was educated at Norwich Grammar School,
under Dr. Parr, and was admitted pensioner at our
College, May 10, 1787, about the same time as his
predecessor, Dr. Davy. He soon became a scholar on
the foundation; graduated B.A., as Sixth Wrangler,
1792 ; M.A. 1795 ; and D.D., after his election to the
mastership, in 1840. He was a Fellow of the College
from 1792 till 1820, when he resigned on accepting the
living of Ashdon, Essex. During his residence he
showed himself an active man in College affairs, espe-
cially as concerned the bursarial business, but never
took any prominent part in the educational work.
After twenty years of absence in a country parish he
returned to Cambridge as Master of the College,
having been elected June 11, 1839. It may be taken
for granted that such an election, Mr. Chapman was
already in his seventieth year, and quite unknown in
the literary or scientific world, was influenced by
216 CAIUS COLLEGE
special motives. It is, indeed, no secret that in the
minds of several of the electors his merits lay principally
in the fact that he had reached an age which made it
likely that there would be another election before long,
when a very popular and excellent man, Dr. Paget,
would have reached the statutable age for the master-
ship. The circumstances of the election precluded the
possibility of Chapman's exercising any important in-
fluence on the studies or the social tone of the College.
In fact, the days were long past when the Master,
unless he happened to be of exceptional force of
character, could exercise any influence on the studies of
the place.
Tradition uniformly describes him as a courteous and
kindly old gentleman, and as uniformly stops there.
The main characteristic stamped on the memory of
those who knew him is the dignified appearance he
presented on horseback, and the blameless cut and tint
of his top-boots. He lived much at his country rectory,
and always rode the fifteen miles which lay between
Ashdon and Cambridge. He was in all respects, political
and academical, a strong Conservative.
Two events occurred towards the close of his life
which seem to have greatly perturbed him. The first
of these was the action of Mr. Tozer, a recently elected
senior Fellow, who appealed to the Chancellor of the
University to exercise his authority in reforming certain
details in College procedure. Mr. Tozer was techni-
cally in the wrong, for appeals to the Chancellor could
only be made in certain special cases, and then only by
the consent of a majority of two-thirds of the Fellows.
It may be thought that such an offence was a venial
THE NINETEENTH CENTURY 217
one, but the old Master took it terribly in earnest. He
wrote at once to the Chancellor, Prince Albert,
pointing out that the appeal was not according to
statute. Mr. Tozer was then summoned before a special
College meeting, was solemnly reproved, and reminded
that he had incurred the penalty of expulsion. Techni-
cally the Master was in the right, as has been said, but
considering how numerous and wide were the everyday
departures from both the spirit and the letter of the
ancient statutes, it seems almost grotesque to attach
such importance to a mistaken and unauthorized
appeal to authority. How important the Master
thought this incident is shown by his recording it in
full in the ' Annals, 1 thus breaking the silence of two
centuries ; for this is the only entry in that volume
since the time of the Commonwealth. This happened
in 1849.
The other event was of a much more important and
far-reaching character. The discussion which had for
some time been carried on in Parliament and the press,
as to the failure of the Universities to keep up with the
demands of the time, culminated in 1850 in the appoint-
ment of a Royal Commission ' to enquire into the state,
discipline, revenue, and studies of the University and
Colleges. 1 * The old Master probably regarded any such
inquiry as little short of sacrilegious. He did not,
indeed, like some of his colleagues, absolutely decline
to give any information to the Commissioners, but his
reply to them shows how keenly he resented their inten-
tion to disclose the secrets of College rule and revenue.
After declaring that he has been informed that the
Commission ' is not constitutional or legal, 1 and that he
[US COLLEv
to answer any of the questions
een ulvised to Ksoe :>.e ComniBsiaa,
Her Majesty I return the foUowiag
answers to the questions, out of an unfeigned respect to
the Crown, under a strong and earnest pretest against the
e.Tfr-:i^e :: BacA i
Qi Jt^iz
liuliun* the evik of exeesare credit from
and the principles on which scholarships
were commonly awarded, he expresses his opinion fully,
and what he says seems very reasonable. He entirely
the corporate income of the College, or tfr*y petnniaiy
: :he Fellowships and ii hiilanhip i Sour, there-
the report of the Ciiaiaii i iimfi> which was Ksmd
Dr. Cnarj . rsctive. Tne
the College they coold get at, for there was
a copy in the Lambeth Library, and this they published.
ailiilalnl form in which they printed the
the unfortunate result of the Master's
The CofnmissiaQers only knew
as it was pubKsfeed by J. Ives in 1773, who
attributed rt y not to Dr. Caios* btrt to Francis Blome-
field, md -'^ - <- r::z:cc ;: under thi befief
honed in the College chapeL There is a brass to
jemary in the antechapeL and a monument at
A M "* Hb portrait is in the Lodge. He was genenms
in hk lifeibae, as he gave ,1,000 to the building fund
in 1840. He also left a sum of monev to increase the
THE NINETEENTH CENTURY 219
endowment of the Norrisian professorship. So far as
can be ascertained, he never published anything. Like
Davy, he remained a personal friend of his old school-
master, Dr. Parr, three of his letters to whom have been
printed in J. Johnstone^s ' Works of Parr/
During Dr. Chapman^s time the accumulations for
the future new buildings were steadily carried on, and
on this account the actual changes made were very few
and unimportant. In 1843 gas was introduced into the
College, but only at first to light the courts ; it was not
until 1848 that it was extended to the chapel, hall, and
kitchen. In 1850 the front, or Tree Court, was made
more open by the removal of the wall on the left side
of the path from the Gate of Humility to that of Virtue.
Behind this wall, on the site of the present small garden^
were formerly two little gardens, divided from each
other by the wall built by Dr. Caius. The one next
Caius" building was his ' President's garden **; the other
belonged to one of the houses in that block of buildings
which then stood in the south-east corner of our ground.
These houses, as already mentioned, had been acquired
in 1782, but no occasion had yet arisen for their occu-
pation as College rooms. The increased number of
students now made it desirable to utilize them for this
purpose, and accordingly ' BarraclougrTs Building, 1 as it
was called from the name of a former tenant, was in-
corporated into the College. It was a fine old red-brick
house, with its front towards the Senate House, and with
its west face opening on to the little garden mentioned
above. In Bentley^s time it was well known as the resi-
dence of Dr. Conyers Middleton. It accommodated about
eight students, and was entered from our front court.
CAIUS COLLEGE
The religious and social character of a college varies
greatly, as we have seen, from time to time. In former
days the Master sometimes put his stamp upon the
whole society, but in later times the determining influ-
ence was more often due to the tutor. In 1848 the
advent of Charles Clayton as tutor produced a marked
effect of this kind, and for some fifteen years Caius
became known as the distinctively Evangelical College.
But during the earlier years of Chapman^s mastership
the College reputation was of a very different kind. It
was on the river that its main distinction lay, and its
best-known members were a band of athletes of whom
the most prominent were Baliol Brett, afterwards Lord
Esher, and the three brothers Croker.
The following contemporary verses show the character
popularly attributed to the College at this time :
' Know ye the college where men never shine
In aught but in quaffing the juice of the vine :
Where clouds of tobacco send forth a perfume,
That is plainly perceived pouring forth from each room ?
The sounds that ye hear there are not like the lute,
For the voice of the rowing-man seldom is mute.
But the ale that they sell there, I own it will vie
With any that's made, or sold, under the sky.
And the hue of their copus is brightest in dye.
'Tis the College of Caius.'
(Vide Whibley's 'Cap and Gown,' p. 140.)
The position of the boat on the river at this time
(1839-1844) is a matter of history, but patriotic members
of the College will indignantly repudiate the charge that
it was not distinguished in aught else. On the contrary,
THE NINETEENTH CENTURY 221
more than the average number of men of marked ability
and distinction were trained during the ten years
1830-1840. George Green, for instance, the eminent
physicist ; no less than three judges, Baggallay, Pearson,
and Brett ; Harvey Goodwin, Bishop of Carlisle ; W.
Elwin, editor of Pope ; H. Drury, chaplain to the
Speaker ; T. Solly, metaphysician and logician ; beside s
a considerable number of men who rose well above the
average as authors, County Court Judges, and Church-
men. Besides the above, a considerable number of those
who were Fellows of the College during the same period
deserve especial notice : for instance, Dr. Guest ; Pro-
fessor Willis ; Murphy, the mathematician ; Sir G. Bur-
rows and Sir G. Paget, physicians ; Henry Bickersteth,
afterwards Lord Langdale ; I. P. Cory, historian ; and
Edward Jacob, who was about to be appointed a Judge
at the time of his early death.
The principal event of domestic interest during this
period was the celebration of the five hundredth anni-
versary of the foundation of the College. The gathering
was held in the old hall, January 28, 1848. The
chapel service was at four, the dinner at five. The
Master being absent from ill -health, Dr. Paget presided.
As many guests as the hall would conveniently hold
were invited, including the Vice-Chancellor, the Bishop
of Norwich, the President of the College of Physicians,
and many former members of the College. There was,
naturally, no space for undergraduates, who were, indeed,
mostly away, as it was still vacation time ; but those in
residence were accommodated at dinner in the lecture-
rooms or elsewhere. The customary toasts were pro-
posed, and suitable speeches delivered, of which that of
CAIUS COLLEGE
Dr. Paget seems especially to have attracted attention.
Odes were also contributed, in accordance with a custom
once common on such occasions in the University, both
in Latin and English. By a happy coincidence the
Mathematical Tripos list, which came out a few days
before the dinner was held, showed an extraordinary
success on the part of the College, no less than five of