LADS in red, come raise a chorus; 'Tis a golden rule of rowing, True since rowing first began ; Chorus-If we can! If we can! If we can! To set the Cam on fire, Yet we'll get the boat up higher So we'll work together facing It's not only in the racing That a place is lost and won! While there's aught to do remaining Chorus-If we can! If we can! If we can! Then row for Lady Margaret every man! Watch the time and swing and feather! VOL. XVII. If we can! 4F Then when scarlet blades are flashing Though whoe'er you please ahead be, Follow out this simple plan: Let the motto of the Red be "We will bump them if we can!' Chorus-If we can! If we can! If we can! If we can! R. H. F. man! NOTES FROM THE COLLEGE RECORDS. (Continued from p. 481). T is well known that St John's did not come into possession of all the estates the Lady Margaret had designed for its support. Through the unwearied efforts of Bishop Fisher, backed up by the assiduity of our third Master, Nicolas Metcalfe, the estates of three religious houses were added to the endowments of the College. The Maison Dieu of Ospringe and the Benedictine Nunneries of Higham and Broomhall were dissolved by Henry VIII, and their possession granted to the College. Preserved among the muniments of the College are a vast number of charters belonging to these Houses. Fascinating as these are to the professed antiquary, it cannot be said that to the ordinary reader grants of land and compacts between ecclesiastical bodies which have been dissolved for centuries are of much interest. But preserved among the rentrolls and charters of Higham are a few letters and documents of more general concern. The Nunnery of Lillechurch or Higham (near Rochester) is stated to have been founded by King Stephen before the year 1151. From a writing of Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury (1138—1162), preserved in the College (printed in Dugdale's Monasticon, ed. 1846, IV. 381), it appears that King Stephen and his Queen Matilda gave to their younger daughter Mary, and her nuns of St Sulpice, the Manor of Lillechurch, and so founded this house. Mary herself afterwards retired to the Abbey of Rumsey, in Hampshire, and ultimately married Matthew of Flanders and became Countess of Boulogne. The Manor of Lillechurch and its demesnes were confirmed by grants from successive Kings to the nunnery at Higham, and at the dissolution of the nunnery became the property of St John's College, one of the farms into which the College estate there is divided being called 'Lillechurch,' and another the 'Abbey farm,' to this day. Originally founded for sixteen nuns, the house gradually decayed, until in the early part of the sixteenth century there were but three inmates, against two of whom charges of dissolute life seem very clearly to have been made out by Bishop Fisher (Dugdale, Monasticon IV. 379; Lewis, Life of Bishop Fisher, II. 307). A list of the abbesses and prioresses will be found in Dugdale (l. c. p. 378). In the College Library is now deposited the mortuary roll of Amphelicia, who was prioress in 1298. This is a parchment roll some 50 or 60 feet in length, signed by no less than 363 religious houses in England, each setting forth in a short formula that the deceased has their prayers from that time forth. It is believed to be the finest of such documents in existence (First Report of the Historical MSS Commission, p. 74) One point of interest lies in the fact that we have in it so many specimens of contemporary handwriting. While turning over a quantity of rent-rolls of the Manor of Lillechurch I found two parchment rolls; one apparently a service for the Commemoration of Benefactors, partly in Norman-French, partly in English; the other a list of pittances or allowances to the nuns on certain church festivals. This commemoration service has at some time been much injured by damp, and the earlier part (forming the outside of the roll) is not easily deciphered. It commences with a list of abbesses and prioresses, and the names here given add very considerably to the list given by Dugdale, while one or two of his names do not appear in this list. It will be observed that prayers are offered for the souls of William Wells, Bishop of Rochester (1437-44), and of John Low, Bishop of Rochester (1444-68). It may therefore be conjectured that the service was used while Thomas Rotheram was Bishop (1468-72). Jube domine benedicere. Auctor & Defensor sit nobis omnipotens miserere domine Amen. Benedicite Domine. Parlum del ordere del alme nre mestre. Nous membre del alme labesse Marie, labesse Amor, labbesse Emeline, labbesse Oliue, labesse Mabile, labbesse Amice, labbesse Eustace, labbesse Jude, labbesse Jon, Del alme la p'orisse Alis, la p'orisse Eunice, la p'orisse Jon, la p'orisse Amflise, la p'orisse Maut, la p'orisse Jone, la p'orisse Maut, la p'orisse Elizabeth, la p'orisse Cecile, la p'orisse Oliue, la p'orisse Jone. Del alme le roi Esteuene, la reyne Maut, Madame Marie & de lor enfants. Et alme del roy Henry & de ces enfants, la alme del roy Ion (?) & de ces enfants lalme le roy Edward et de ces enfants.... (The manuscript is here much torn and defaced) Prium pr seint ecglice ke deu la garde & la mentayne & la defende de....& de trauaile & la content p' sa m'ci. Amen Priu pr lalme le roi Esteuene pr lalme la reyne Maut et på la alme Marie pr labbesse, roy Jon pr lalme le roy Edward, pr lalme Wille, p' lalme Raffh, pr lalme Jon, pr lalme Raffh, pr lalme Jon, pr lalme Willem, & pr lalme Willem Jon, ke diu assōile. p'. n'. Priu p lalme Thōs, pr lalme Regnal, pr lalme Jon, pr lalme |