THE BACK LODGINGS.

441

The identifications are very puzzling. But it seems certain that a part of the buildings shown by Loggan in 1675 and pulled down in 1844 was Beef Hall. In the Tanner MSS. 338, fol. 59, under a 'Viewe of the howsing and lands of ye Universitie of Oxon lying within the limite of Oxford taken and made in March Anno Dni 1636°,' is entered: 'St. Ebbe's parish-Beofe hall and the two gardens belonging to it. The tenement is upon repairing and likely to be done verie well.' Two years earlier, next the All Souls land was 'a hall belonging to ye universitie' (Wood, MS. D. 2). Thenceforward the name is of common occurrence in leases and accounts till 1863, as all that house or tenement commonly called Beef Hall.'

As regards Minote, we know that after 1575 it was rented for students' chambers by principal Summaster', and was known as Summaster's Lodgings, a name which, Wood tells us, it bore a hundred years later: ' now Summaster's Lodgings.' This is borne out by the College accounts. - In 1657, slatting Somersett building 2/ 6s. 10d.'; 1654, 'Sir Spurway's chamber in Somerset's buildings'; and so in 1651. This then must have been the more eastern of the two blocks of rooms destroyed in 1844. Beef Hall we have seen was, in 1636, old enough to need thorough reparation. It may be assumed that the other building, if it needed re-slating in 1657, was older than the foundation of the College, which, however straitened in means, was not likely to erect anything so homely and unacademic as these Back Lodgings. Between the two buildings Burghers shows a walled-up door upon the street. This is a clear indication of a pre-collegiate date.

The only drawing extant of the buildings in Broadgates times is the map of Ralph Agas-practically reproduced by Speed (1605) and Hollar (1643)—referred to above on page 37. There was doubtless much reconstruction in Elizabeth's reign.

Asking what traditions existed early in this century as to the identity of these two blocks, which were connected by a wall some fifteen or eighteen feet long, we find Dr. Ingram, in 1837, writing: Adjoining to [the Master's] Lodgings westward was formerly a tenement belonging to Magdalen college, called Mine, Mignot or Minote hall, and afterwards Summaster's Lodgings... Another tenement... was divided into Durham or St. Michael's hall and St. James's hall, situated between Minote hall on the east and Beef hall on the west. These buildings still remain as we pass into the fellows' garden, and are partly inhabited by students.' It is not quite clear which buildings Dr. Ingram means as still remaining; but at any rate his words include the hall of St. Michael and St. James. Storer's Oxford Visitor (1822) has a cut of the eastern building, and

The St. Ebbe's procession went over the Wall into the Master of Pembroke's Garden close to the Chapel; from thence through Mr. Shirley's, a Tanner, in

Beef Lane.'

1 But a paper in the College muniments quotes a lease in the Magdalen Ledger, F. 264, of a garden-ground in St. Aldate's parish, demised to William Broade, anno Eliz. 18 (1576), for twenty years, and charged later upon Pembroke. The Magdalen bailiffs and bursars, however, seem to have been confused about their two properties along Beef Hall Lane.

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THE BACK LODGINGS.

identifies the other with St. Michael's Hall. Skelton (1818) calls them Summaster's, formerly Minote, and Beef. In Wade's Walks in Oxford (1816), we read, ' Part of one of these [detached edifices] which is on our right hand as we go into the Fellows' garden was formerly called Durham Hall, east of which was Mignott or Mine Hall, now as well as the former occupied as chambers.' The entrance to the Fellows' garden was opposite the door of the eastern part of the double building. In Fletcher's copy of Gutch's Wood (1810), the name 'Beef Hall' is placed under a sketch of the easternmost building, which shows how confused the traditions were. In this sketch a bracket under the roof is clearly of Charles I's time, or perhaps of 1657, when Summaster's was 'slatted.'

To turn back to the statements of Wood, who was an observant boy in Oxford during the Great Rebellion. He says: 'On the ground of St. Michael's... is now the comeners house of easement for this college.' (This the old engravings show on the space connecting the two buildings.) 'On the other' (i e. seemingly, on the ground of St. James) 'chambers for the students thereof.' I take it, however, that, west of 'Summaster's,' Wood's identifications are partly guesses, for even the situation of Beef Hall was not certain. 'Beef Hall seems to be the house where Collyer now lives in Beef hall lane, so it is where the white porch is' (MS. D. 2, fol. 224).

Turning to leases: In 1634 the Warden and Fellows of the College of the souls of all faithful people deceased let to Pembroke College their tenement and garden with the appurtenances thereof, 'the which sometymes was two messuages scituate and beeinge in the parish of St Aldate in Oxon aforesayd betweene the ground whereon in times past hath been an Hall belongeinge to the Hospitall of St John's without the east gate on the east parte and a Hall belongeinge to the Universitie of Oxon on the west parte, which also is extended from the common streete to the towne wall, for a terme of forty years.' This need not mean that Minote was no longer standing, but only that it was not in 1634 an independent hall; but if so, one would gather that Beef was existing as an academic hostel. It was, however, just before this date 'not inhabited by anie scholars.' The two messuages on the All Souls land had become one tenement. In 1629 it is described as 'a tenement in ancient times divided into two,' in 1622 as 'a garden of All Souls,' in 1612 as 'a parcel of ground sometimes [i.e. formerly] called Michaell Hall.' As late as 1845 it is 'the parcel of ground commonly called Michael Hall' lying on the east of 'that house or tenement commonly called Beef Hall.' In a lease of 1637, however, the Magdalen land (Wylde's Entry), University land, and All Souls land appear to be united under the general name 'Beef Hall,' and from 1655 a series of leases speak of a building on this ground consisting of ' two low rooms, two chambers, and two cocklofts.' The 1637 lease does not mention this, but in it the College reserves and lets separately 'a cockloft and two chambers, one upper and one lower,' for the reception of scholars.

Summaster's or Minote—in the Latin edition of Wood (1678) as in the English (1665) described as lying 'on the west side of Cambey's Lodgings'— must be the easternmost detached building of the Back Lodgings. The

THE BACK LODGINGS; BEEF HALL.

443

little piece of ground separating this from the other block of rooms cannot have sufficed for the double hall rented from All Souls, but was probably, as Wood states, the site of St. Michael's. The eastern portion of the double building to the west may then have represented the other part of the All Souls property. This leaves the tenement at right angles to it to represent Beef Hall, unless, conceivably, a building still further west and used as stabling for the Master, were Beef Hall, or the remains of it. It seems impossible to regard the double building as the double hall of SS. Michael and James, because of the parish boundary. I do not feel sure that that double building was not entirely in St. Ebbe's parish. In that case it was Beef Hall; but then the two saints will have no more accommodation than the two Judges of Assize in the Vice-Chancellor's chair in St. Mary's! The objection to regarding the transverse part as Beef is that the latter has then no front to the lane named from it and is reduced to a cockloft and an upper and a lower chamber. Wylde's Entry was in Wood's time 'a void piece of ground,' 'a garden ground.'

Beef Hall.-In 1626, two years after the foundation of Pembroke, this was a private house. But on Apr. 1, 5o Caroli I (1629), the College, with a view to future needs, acquired the lease for £120 (vide supra, p. 214). In 1637, under the name of 'Beef Hall,' the College let everything west of the Magdalen land (Minote) for 20s. rent and £20 fine, to John Peacock of Chorley in the parish of Cumnor, except the Master's stable, and a cockloft and upper and lower chamber, let for 1d. to Mr. John Darby, M.A., for the reception of scholars of Pembroke. These rooms Mr. Darby assigned, in 1639, to William Turner the College coquus. In 1655 the premises formerly rented by Darby and Peacock are found tenanted by George Pryce, the College butler, and, in consideration of the surrender to the College of the lease made in Peacock's favour, were let to Pryce for 20s. 1 The premises are described as 'all situate lying and being in the parishes of St. Ebbe's and St. Aldate's alias St. Tolls or one of them.' There stood on them a tenement consisting of two low rooms, two chambers, and two cocklofts, and they comprised also one little parcel of ground, 39 feet long and 12 broad, 'whereupon certain chambers were heretofore built which were consumed lately by ffire 2, on the west of the said tenement'; a garden ground 50 feet long and 40 broad (adjoining a parcel of ground on which stables were heretofore standing), now walled in'; and a parcel of ground on the south of the said

1 Pryce paid 35. hearth-money in 1665. The College paid 53s.—as much as 'Winchester' (New) College. (Oxford City Documents, ed. Rogers, O. H. S., pp. 79, 81.)

2 This phrase, 'consumed lately by fire,' is found in all leases down to 1719. It might be surmised that the mediæval halls along Beef Lane were consumed in the great conflagration of 1644. On Sunday afternoon, October 6, there happened a dreadful fire in Oxford; such an one for the shortness of time wherein it burned that all ages before could hardly parallel.' Beginning in the north of the city 'it flew over the gardens and backyards to Penny-farthing street, all which, except the east end, it burnt. From thence to Beef Hall Lane, which lane also, except the east end, it consumed. From thence to Slaying Lane.' (City, ii. 473.) There are houses, however, in the western part of Pembroke Street which r older than 1644, and it seems that only the further end of Beef Lane su

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BEEF HALL; FRANCIS JUNIUS.

tenement and parcel of ground and the said stables 42 feet long and 21 broad. The tenant was to pay 20s. yearly in the great hall of the College. The lease was renewed in 1671 at a rent of £1 6s. 8d., and in 1679 for nineteen years more. In 1696 the premises were let to John Price of the University of Oxon, gent., the lease being renewed in 1707 and 1712, at the same rent. In 1707 they were now in the tenure of Roger Hornblower, Jane Underwood, widow, and William Hathaway.' In 1719 they were let to William Culley, brewer, at the same rent, and in 1726, being now or late in the tenure of the Master and John Hopkins, their assignes or under-tenants,' they were leased to the said Hopkins for £1 6s. 8d., he being the College butler. He surrendered his twenty-one years' lease for £100 in 1730, at which time some ground on the left hand was in the occupation of Robert Wilkins, carpenter, together with the shop or workhouse adjoining. Of the premises rented by Hopkins, part was tenanted by the Master of the College. From this time probably Beef Hall came to be used by the College entirely for academical purposes. In 1749 the rents for 'Dunster and Beef' amounted to £14, Hopkins paying 10S. The old quit rent of 10s. 10d. for ' Beef Hall' (i.e. Beef seven shillings and a groat, and Dunstan 'the tenements forming the Common Room garden'—3s. 6d.) was raised to £5 5s. when the University renewed the lease in 1845. In the accounts of 1654 the 7s. 4d. is entered as 'a quit-rent for beefe hall to Magdalene colledg. reed by Daniell Hogg.' 'Magdalene' must be a mistake.

A remarkable man had his chamber in Beef Hall at the time George Pryce rented it, the great scholar and philologist FRANCIS JUNIUS (1589– 1677). François Du Jon, son of the Flemish divine of that name, came to England first in 1620 to prosecute his Anglo-Saxon researches, and paid frequent visits to the libraries of Oxford, which he loved with more than the devotion of a son. Wood records under date October 1676: 'This month Mr Junius came to live in Oxford with his intention to lay his bones here and give his MSS. to the library. He came for the sake of Dr Marshall and took his chamber against Lync. Coll. for a time; and soon after in Mr Price his house in Beef-hall Lane, purposely to disgest some notes for the press... Mr Junius tarried here till Aug. 1677 and then went to Windsore with an intent to returne to live in Oxon and die there; but was overtaken with a feaver. He left the University a hundred Saxon, Frank, Gothic and Teutonic MSS. and also his Gothic Saxon and Latin types'.' The 'obscure house in St. Ebbe's parish' (Chalmers), where he last lived, is identified by the College leases. Junius is buried in St. George's Chapel.

I know not whether Robert Minote who gave his name to Minote Hall was a progenitor of Lawrence Minot (floruit c. 1340), whose Halidon Hill and other poems celebrated the martial achievements of Edward III, and whom Dr. Craik describes as the first English versifier who deserves the name of poet.

1 Life and Times, ii. 358.

CHAPTER XXXV.

REFORM.

THE earlier Founders believed that any lad of average parts who was willing to study might be made into a student. They supplied him with bare necessaries and hedged him round with scholastic discipline. There was no reason therefore why their bounty should not be annexed to certain schools, localities, or families. The idea of vocation, or of competition, scarcely entered their minds. 'The local stimulus of rewards confined to special birthplaces,' the present Archbishop of Canterbury said in 1851, 'did much then to encourage learning; but we have now outgrown the need, and only feel the fetter. The change of manners too has deprived us of the check which once restrained idle men from undertaking what was then a laborious life.' The mutation of times was causing the College, even in Dr. Hall's mastership, to chafe at the restrictions of its close foundations. A number of entries in the Minutes prove that the governing body were jealous for the honour of learning. In one year, 1836, two Fellows (Channel Island and Tesdale) and two Abingdon Scholars were rejected as not sufficientes doctrina, and the College, acting on a decree of Archbishop Laud, filled their places from elsewhere. In the latter case, the College invited Mr. Valpy, of Reading School, to send two of his youths to Abingdon to be elected there if deemed competent by the electors. The Abingdon authorities refused to allow the election to take place till the Visitation, six months later. The College then informed them that the election would be held in the walls of the College, and invited their attendance. They protested and refused to come. The Reading candidates were examined at the College, but rejected for insufficiency. An arrangement with Abingdon was finally brought about by the Duke of Wellington, who received the thanks of the Master and Fellows for his Grace's determination of the matter, and for his paternal care of the interests of the