INTRODUCTION
The diocese of Oxford was carved out of the large medieval diocese of
Lincoln in 1542, the last diocese to be founded as part of King Henry VIII's
extensive reorganization of the dioceses in the early fifteen-forties. (fn. 1) The diocese
consisted of the county of Oxford, and its cathedral, as with almost all others of
the king's 'new foundation', was situated in one of the newly-suppressed
monasteries, in this case at Oseney, a former Augustinian priory, just outside
Oxford's west gate. The last abbot of Oseney, Robert King, already a suffragan
bishop of Lincoln, was appointed the first bishop of Oxford. The chapter
consisted of a dean and six canons, nominated by the king, their number perhaps
being determined by the fact that Oseney's buildings included seven 'lodgings'. (fn. 2)
Unusually, none of the canons was a former monk. Apart from this feature,
Oxford had followed the customary pattern for new dioceses and cathedrals.
However, other factors came into play.
In Oxford, Cardinal Wolsey had founded what he intended to be a great
college on the site of St. Frideswide's monastery, which had been suppressed in
1524 for this purpose (together with a number of smaller monastic
establishments) by authorization of Pope Clement IV and King Henry VIII. (fn. 3)
Building work on a lavish scale began immediately. (fn. 4) The building and its full
complement of members were still incomplete when Wolsey fell from favour in
1529 and died in 1530. After some years of uncertainty, Cardinal College was
refounded in 1532 as King Henry VIII's College, on a slightly smaller but still
generous scale. (fn. 5) Wolsey's statutes had provided for a dean and sixty canons 'of
the first order', although their number was scarcely over thirty at Wolsey's fall. (fn. 6)
By the fresh foundation, there was to be a dean and twelve named canons. The
dean, John Higdon, died within six months, and John Oliver was appointed. (fn. 7)
The rest of the establishment comprised eight priests, a clerk, choristers and
twelve honest paupers, but Wolsey's educational objectives were no longer
explicit.
Thirteen years later, John Oliver surrendered the college and all its
possessions to the Crown on 20 May 1545, and on the same day Bishop King
surrendered the see of Oxford to the Crown. (fn. 8) The king proceeded to combine
the two in a unique establishment called 'Ecclesia Christi Cathedralis Oxon', set
up by letters patent of 4 November 1546 on the site of St. Frideswide's. (fn. 9) These
provided for a dean, with a dual role as head of both the college and the cathedral
chapter, and eight canons, all to be appointed by the Crown. There was some
continuity with the two previous bodies: Richard Cox, who had been dean of
Oxford at Oseney, was reappointed, together with four of the six Oseney canons.
The remaining two canons of Oxford at Oseney and John Oliver, the former dean
of King Henry VIII's College, had already been granted pensions. (fn. 10) One new
canon, William Tresham, had been a canon of King Henry VIII's College. The
archdeacon of Oxford was released from the jurisdiction of the bishop of Lincoln
and placed under that of Oxford. Wolsey's educational aims were resurrected,
with provision for about 100 students. Further letters patent described the joint
establishment's endowment, which came primarily from that originally given to
Oseney, the endowment of Cardinal College, having by now been largely
dispersed. (fn. 12) Stone and fitments from Oseney were transported to Christ
Church. (fn. 13) For the cathedral, this meant a move to a much less impressive
building, as Oseney Abbey was twice as large and fine as St. Frideswide's. (fn. 14)
Henry VIII's death on 28 January 1547 may explain why no statutes were issued,
but the chapter claimed in 1837 that although they had no statutes they were
permitted by the charter of endowment to make regulations. (fn. 15)
Within eight years the dean and three canons had been removed from office at
the beginning of Mary I's reign, followed, five years later, by the removal of the
dean and four canons at the beginning of Elizabeth I's reign.
As might be expected, the cathedral chapter, although appointed by the
Crown, was drawn overwhelmingly from Oxford graduates. In 1605 and 1630
the cathedral's links with the University of Oxford were strengthened, with the
annexation of the Regius Professorships of Divinity and Hebrew to two of the
canonries. (fn. 16) Oxford, being a poorly-endowed see, usually had, as bishops, men
entering on an episcopal career. This resulted, with a few notable exception, in
frequent short episcopates, as the bishops moved to more lucrative sees.
During the Civil War, Charles I made Oxford his headquarters, and he was in
residence at Christ Church. (fn. 17) After the king's defeat at the hands of parliament,
and despite the act abolishing cathedral chapters, (fn. 18) a dean and canons continued
to discharge their roles as fellows of a college. In 1646, parliament sent seven
preachers to Oxford University and the following year ten 'visitors' were
appointed by parliament to carry out an inquiry into the state of the colleges. (fn. 19)
At Christ Church, the dean and seven canons were ejected in April 1648, the
eighth dying about the same time. They were replaced with men acceptable to
the parliament: in fact, six of the parliamentary preachers and four of the
parliamentary visitors acquired prebends at various times. Some held
Presbyterian views and some were Independents, and one was not ordained. (fn. 20)
At the Restoration in 1660, the dean and all but one of the canons were deprived
in their turn.
In 1686, the office of dean gained national significance, when, on the death
Dr. Fell, James II appointed a Roman Catholic, John Massey, who was not in
orders. A royal licence was granted to him, allowing him to refuse the oath of
supremacy, and the subdean and canons reported this to the court of king's bench
as being a breach of statute. At the time of the Revolution, Massey left Oxford
at the end of November 1689 for the seminary at Douai in Flanders. The
subsequent presentation by William III and Mary II referred to the office as being
vacant by the death of John Fell, by implication regarding Massey's tenure as
illegal. (fn. 21)
In the eighteenth century the chapter of Oxford was unusual in frequently
having bishops among its members. These were bishops of impoverished sees
who were given (or retained) canonries at Oxford to be held in commendam to
augment their stipends. For most of the period 1714-55, the deanery was held
by successive bishops of Bristol. In 1719, the chapter included the bishops of
Bristol, Chester and Oxford; and in 1733, the bishops of Peterborough and St.
Asaph.
The extent of the diocese and the composition of the chapter remained
unaltered until the nineteenth-century reforms. The Statute 6 & 7 William VI c.
77 increased the size of Oxford diocese by transferring the archdeaconry of
Berkshire from Salisbury diocese and that of Buckinghamshire from Lincoln
diocese in 1836 and 1837 respectively, although the bishop, Richard Bagot,
maintained that the latter addition made the diocese too large for one man to
administer and it did not become effective until his translation to Bath and Wells
in 1845. (fn. 22) The Fourth Report of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners proposed to
reduce the number of canons at Oxford, as happened at most other cathedrals.
The canons, however, petitioned the house of commons in 1838 and 1839 against
the implementation of this, protesting that the suppression of canonries would
'operate to the discouragement of theological and general learning, of which
these dignities have not infrequently been the merited reward' as their numbers
were 'already not more than sufficient to fulfil the duties originally contemplated
for them to perform'. (fn. 23) In the event, the Statute 3 & 4 Victoria c. 113 left the
number intact. But the Lady Margaret Professorship of Divinity was annexed to
one canonry, instead, as formerly, to a canonry of Worcester. The new Regius
Professorships of Pastoral Theology and Ecclesiastical History were annexed to
two other canonries, and the archdeaconry of Oxford to yet another. This made
a total of six canonries annexed to other offices. Moreover, an Ordinance of the
Ecclesiastical Commissioners, arising out of the Statute 17 & 18 Victoria c. 81
and laid before the Queen in Council in 1857, ordered that the two prebends not
annexed should not be filled up on their next vacancy. (fn. 24) The reduction to six
canonries was reached by 1871.
The episcopal sources for compiling the Fasti are disappointing. In the
sixteenth century, the see was vacant for forty-four years in a period of fortyseven years. But even when bishops were regularly appointed there seems no
consistent policy of recording the institution of all canons, although those of
archdeacons are faithfully recorded. By contrast, the rich archives of Christ
Church provide details of installations, and the disbursement books and battel
books listing weekly payments to college members often make it possible to
pinpoint down to a few days the date of death. Further background details are to
be found in the invaluable writings and compilations of the antiquarians Anthony
Wood, in the seventeenth century, and Thomas Hearne, in the eighteenth.