Pieces Michaelmas Term 2012 - Issue 24

pieces Christ’s College Newsletter

Issue 24 Michaelmas Term 2012

Save the Last Dance Memories from Christ’s May Balls

The Men From Auntie Two alumni reflect on their journeys from Christ’s to the BBC

Blades, back in the water Gala Regatta and Dinner report

The Master, Frank Kelly, speaking at 8 September Reunion 2012

From the Master The College is again full with new and returning students, and the Matriculation photos have been taken in the Fellows’ Garden (see back page).

In this edition we reflect on the long days of Summer in ‘Save the Last Dance’ (pp.

6 – 7) with images and memories of the May Ball through the years. We also look back to the time of Sir John Finch, and his collection of tables of veins and nerves.

His portrait has recently been included in an exhibition by the Royal College of Physicians (p. 10). On page 13 we bring together boaties past and present in a report on the Blades Reunion Dinner.

On page 11 we celebrate the acquisition by the Old Library of the family prayer book of John Graham, Master in the 1830s and 1840s. On page 12 we have an article on Mary Tudor (1496–1533), Queen of France and Duchess of Suffolk, and her connection with the Mary Rose, a model of which has recently been installed in College, in a case expertly crafted by College carpenter Matthew Woosnam.

We also celebrate the achievements of students, Fellows and alumni. On page 4 Tom Gilliver (m. 2008) introduces us to his new poetry collection, published by Salt publications, and on page 5 Professor Sarah Franklin discusses her research on the interface between reproduction and technology. In ‘The Men From Auntie’ Edward Taylor (m. 1952) author of ‘The Men from the Ministry’ and Gordon House (m. 1968) former head of Radio Drama discuss working for the BBC.

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College and Alumni News

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A Taste of Salt Tom Gilliver (m. 2008) on his poetry collection published by Salt publications.

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The Men From Auntie Edward Taylor (m. 1952) and Gordon House (m. 1968) on life at the BBC.

Reproductive Technologies Professor Sarah Franklin on the interface between reproduction and technology.

Save the Last Dance From 1930s glamour to Rio revelling: Christ’s May Ball through the years.

Finch and the Table of Veins Professor William Steen on Sir John Finch and the Royal College of Physicians.

11 A Family Man Dr Gavin Alexander and Assistant College Librarian Steven Archer on the acquisition of John Graham’s prayerbook.

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The Mary Rose Francis Woodman FSA (former Fellow) explains the link between the two Mary’s.

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Making a Gift to College

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Dates For Your Diary

Blades Back in the Water Blades Regatta and Gala Dinner.

Sport

Guests at the 22 September Reunion

This is the last edition of pieces edited

by Tamsin Astbury, who has now gone to work full time at CRASSH. We wish her all the best in her new role. All future correspondence can still be sent to publications@christs.cam.ac.uk.

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Professor Frank Kelly FRS www.christs.cam.ac.uk

Contact the editor: publications@christs.cam.ac.uk

College and Alumni News

Sixth-Form Scientists at STEM

Parisian Intersections Helen Abbott’s (MML, m.1997) book, Parisian Intersections: Baudelaire’s Legacy to Composers, has just been published by Peter Lang.

The book, Helen’s second monograph to date, analyses a key Baudelaire poem and 5 nineteenthcentury song settings of it.

There is also an accompanying website with recordings of the songs, some of which have never been recorded before:

The STEM Summer School was a residential event in August, jointly held with Sidney Sussex College for fortythree Sixth Form Students interested in studying Science at university-level. The intention was to dispel myths about Cambridge and encourage applications in Science from state schools. It was generously supported by the Simon and Jill Campbell Foundation and was the first of its type at Christ’s.

http://bit.ly/19crecordings Further information can be found on Helen’s research blog: http://helenabbott.wordpress.com/

Birthday Honours Christ’s alumni have been recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. Congratulations to Professor Dougal Goodman (m. 1970) who has been apppointed OBE for services to science, to Mr Richard Turner (m. 1970), Senior Inspector of Ancient Momuments for the Welsh Government, who has been apppointed OBE, to Professor David Black (m.

1960) who has been appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia and to Professor Michael James (m. 1960) who has been awarded the British Empire Medal for services to the community of Sidmouth, Devon.

Environmental Award Congratulations to the Catering Department on being awarded a Gold Certificate Environmental Award.

The award is presented by the Catering Managers’ Committee of the University of Cambridge and recognises the ethical and environmental practices within the Catering Department.

Twenty-one students from state schools throughout our Link Areas of Lincolnshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and the London borough of Harrow, selected by their teachers on the basis of their academic ability, were resident at Christ’s, whilst three Graduates and one Undergraduate assisted at the event. The sixth-formers, who will be applying for university places this autumn, sampled lectures, lab classes and small group teaching in the departments of Engineering, Maths and Physics, as well as attending general admissions and careers talks.

The feedback was extremely positive; a number who hadn’t been considering a Cambridge application have now changed their minds. Some strong friendships have been formed and perceptions of Cambridge changed for the better.

We extend our sincere thanks to the Simon and Jill Campbell Foundation without which this event and the positive changes it initiated would not have been possible.

ERC Starting Grant Congratulations to Fellow Dr Alessio Ciulli on being awarded a Starting Grant from the European Research Council. This five-year grant will support Alessio’s group research on druggability of proteinprotein interactions (PPIs) within multisubunit and multidomain protein.

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A Taste of Salt Tom Gilliver (m. 2008) introduces us to his new poetry collection, published by Salt publications.

Why did you start writing poetry?

I’m not entirely sure. I remember being read Betjeman when I was little, and as a teenager I liked Philip Larkin’s poetry. I think there’s something inherently mournful about metrical verse, and I probably responded quite instinctively to that. And then you want to create the same feeling in your own words. It’s partly to preserve something, an insight or a moment, and partly to let it go.

Has studying at Christ’s influenced you?

Yes, absolutely — I studied English. I actually found it quite difficult to write poetry during term-time; it’s so busy. It’s invaluable to be taught to think critically about literature and language, though of course that makes it harder to write anything without discarding it! Most of all, I’m glad to have been introduced to the poetry of J.H. Prynne, which I might not have come across had I not been in Cambridge.

Dales all my life, so many of the poems are connected to that landscape. The title is also meant to suggest the ironies of a different kind of connection — to the literary past. The poems aren’t really about things in the world, nor simply about language; they’re stuck somewhere between the two.

I like their innocence.

Visitation When I pass today, the earth has turned: the field has been deeply ploughed, stiff slabs of earth and stones thrown clear — and speechless cows are standing near.

But no trace left of tyres or man: this, then, could it be voluntary, the night’s exfoliation? Strange, that unseen violent change has left my mind still turning, slowly, over.

What is the new collection about?

From The Graft by Tom Gilliver, published by Salt There’s no overarching theme; I just wanted to collect together the poems I like best. I’ve lived on the edge of the Yorkshire

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http://bit.ly/thegraft

Reproductive Technologies Professor S. B. Franklin discusses her research

Sarah Franklin, former bye-Fellow was elected a Professorial Fellow in 2012. This term she is co-convening a seminar entitled ‘Reproductive Control, Controlling Reproduction’ which explores these themes from an interdisciplinary perspective.

Professor Sarah Franklin The first edition of Francis Hugh Adam Marshall’s pioneering textbook The Physiology of Reproduction was published in 1910, the year after he became a Fellow of Christ’s, having obtained an undistinguished Third in Natural Science in 1900, followed by a more successful stint at Edinburgh and his return to Cambridge University as a Lecturer in Agricultural Physiology in 1908. Affectionately known as ‘Tibby’, he played a major role in bringing the Cambridge School of Agriculture to greater prominence by providing the first substantial synthesis of reproductive physiology. Marshall was significantly influenced by the Cambridge embryologist Walter Heape, to whom he dedicated the first edition of his now famous text-book (reprinted over a dozen times and still in widespread use), and he was succeeded in his efforts to illuminate mammalian reproductive processes by many distinguished members of the ARC Unit of Animal Reproduction, as well as the Animal Research Station, the Babraham Institute, and the Department of Physiology at Cambridge.

As early as the 1920s the significance of Marshall’s research for increasing control of human reproduction was the subject of a lecture delivered at Cambridge by J. B. S Haldane, entitled Daedalus; or, Science and the Future (1923) in which he predicted both IVF and ectogenesis.

Less than 5 years later, in 1929, Gregory Pincus, visiting the Cambridge School of Agriculture from Harvard, began his series of experiments on rabbit eggs, and the in vitro culture of mammalian embryos. These studies, combined with the work of Min-Chueh Chang, who left Cambridge

to join Pincus at the Worcester Foundation of Experimental Biology in 1946, led to the development of both the oral contraceptive pill and the first successful mammalian in vitro fertilisation, achieved by Chang in rabbits in 1959.

It was the Cambridge biologist Robert Edwards, working in partnership with the physician Patrick Steptoe, based in Lancashire, who first succeeded in fertilising a human egg in vitro, in 1969. It would be nearly another decade of determined effort before the birth of Louise Brown would transform the future of human reproduction, through a combination of IVF and embryo transfer, or ET. Considering that the first successful mammalian embryo transfers were performed by Walter Heape in 1890, the history of IVF, and its links to Cambridge, can be considered to date back more than 120 years.

These facts take on additional significance when we consider that more than 5 million IVF babies have been born since 1978 – and at an ever greater rate each year.

To understand the significance of reproductive control in terms of both its history and its future thus requires an interdisciplinary effort, and this is what ‘reproductive studies’ comprises today at Cambridge, in projects linking Anthropology, Sociology, Social Psychology, History, Philosophy and Law with Medicine and Biology. The seminar I am co-convening this term with Professor Martin Johnson entitled ‘Reproductive Control, Controlling Reproduction’ explores these themes from an interdisciplinary perspective to address a set of questions that has a long and innovative history associated with both the College and the university. www.crassh.cam.ac.uk/events

The Poster advertising Professor Franklin and Professor Johnson’s seminar at CRASSH.

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Save the Last Dance! Memories of Christ’s May Ball past and present ‘Fowl Play’ at the 1984 Ball

‘Trick of the Light’ In 1967, as reported by Nick Martin in ‘TheTimes’ (above), The Who headlined the Christ’s College May Ball. In true rock and roll style Pete Townshend is reported trashing the Marshall Amps surrounding the stage, followed by smashing his guitar and badly cutting his finger. A true stoic Pete carried on playing, as did the rest of the band. As if the sparks and bloodshed was not enough, apparently half-way through the set, the College lights went out and Keith Moon was left playing in the dark for half an hour until the power came back on.

In the early eighties, the smartest college balls always promised a piper at dawn. As a member of the Christ’s 1984 May Ball committee, I was put in charge of publicity and decided our poster needed a novelty twist. Our ball was to offer a cockerel at dawn. Arrangements for the night were proceeding well until, a few days before, someone suggested we should perhaps actually fulfil our promise. As a law student, and therefore dimly aware of the Trade Descriptions Act, I set off to find a kindly poultry breeder and persuade her to lend us one of her handsome male bantams for the night. Quite how I managed to sweet-talk her into going along with our plan I simply have no idea.

Much, much, later, around the time of the survivors’ photo, I was again reminded of my publicised promise. I went to fetch said bantam from the garden where we had housed him, safely we thought. I could hear him going about his duty, albeit his tone was somewhat muffled and he was nowhere to be seen. After a thorough search of the foliage I had to give up my intention to parade him before the assembled revellers.

I returned later in the day to retrieve him and return him to his owner. Still he was nowhere to be seen, and now, of course, he was silent. Much to the mirth of my fellow committee members, I saw that I had some explaining to do.

At some point during my subsequent embarrassed phone calls, probably as I was promising to find a replacement bird while frantically flipping through the cockerel breeder section of the Yellow Pages (was there really such a thing?), the Cambridge Evening News got hold of the story. As the cutting suggests, the story did end happily after all. More or less.

We had wanted our ball to ruffle the feathers of a few rival colleges, but it was my (ahem) poultry attempt at publicity that gave the local paper its front page coop.

Theme Park rehearsing for the 2012 May Ball The 2010 Christ’s Ball holds special memories for Sam Berkeley (m. 2005) and Ingrid Berkeley (née Burt, m. 2006) “We met in February 2008 when we were both at Christ’s, I was in 3rd year and Ingrid in 2nd. In 2010 the May Ball was on June 15 and Ingrid’s birthday is June 16, so I thought what better time than to propose than at a May Ball exactly on her birthday. So at about 12.30am on her birthday we went out to the mulberry tree in the Fellows’ Garden, where it was quiet, no one else was around and the lighting was beautiful. Thankfully she said yes straight away! Then it was great because we were able to celebrate with all our friends. We were married on July 7 this year.”

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Paul Parker (m. 1982) Christ’s 1984 May Ball Committee

From left to right: David Vermont (m. 1952), Ann Wilson (Girton), Marion Robinson (Girton) and Peter Cawsey (Trinity). Taken during dinner at the May Ball 1955 which was held in the Lecture Room near the baths on the South side of the College, where the Library is now situated.

David Vermont (m. 1952), pictured far left, kindly sent in this photograph of the 1955 May Ball. He writes that they all had the benefit of the guidance and friendship of J. B. Trend and all read Spanish. David subsequently married Ann in the College Chapel in 1957 with the Chaplain, John Brown, officiating. They had three children, the youngest being Rachel (m. 1983), who was a choral exhibitioner at Christ’s.

Paul (m. 1938) and Fernande Swyer

The Christ’s Dragon in all his Rio finery at the Christ’s College May Ball 19 June 2012

Jill and Cyril (m. 1938) Fitt

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The Men From Auntie Gordon House (m. 1968), former-head of BBC Radio Drama and Edward Taylor (m. 1952) author of ‘Men From the Ministry’ talk about their time at Christ’s and the BBC. My favourite memory of Christ’s was of the then Master and Nobel Prize Winner, Lord Todd, chatting animatedly to myself and my parents at a garden party at the college. So animated was he that the glass of punch he had raised to his lips never quite made it to his mouth, and he emptied the whole contents of the glass down his shirt front. Completely unfazed by this, he produced a brightly-spotted handkerchief from his pocket and without the slightest embarrassment proceeded to wipe his soaking shirt, while not for a moment interrupting the flow of his (very amusing) anecdote. “That’s style for you” said my awe-struck mother afterwards.

Sir Ian Botham, ring up Ian’s wife Kathy – an Archers’ fan – and in his best Brian Aldridge seducer’s voice, say “I understand Ian’s out this evening; would you like me to pop round for a coffee…..?” )

25 September Reunion Dinner, 2010. (clockwise from top left: Duncan Kenworthy; Richard Axton; John Pickford and Gordon. All three read English and were taught by Richard.)

Virtually every leading writer and actor works, at some time, in Radio Drama – a hugely under-valued medium; we gave Ewan McGregor his first professional job, and Trevor Howard his last. I’ve had the enormous privilege of working with the cream of British acting talent, and – though I retired from the management job some years ago, – continue to do so; I’ve just finished directing Juliet Stevenson and Alex Jennings in an original new radio play by Peter Souter.

Gordon House playing the character of Gross in the Pembroke Players’ Production of “The Memorandum” in 1970 – the first British production of Havel’s play.

My career-choice was a complete accident. Set to be a teacher, I had already booked a place at a Cambridge teaching college when a friend told me that the BBC were coming to do preliminary interviews at Cambridge for two radio training courses they were running. Intrigued, I decided to apply; as did he. His interview lasted all of thirty seconds.

He was asked what papers he had read that morning – a devious question since strike-action had prevented any papers being delivered to Cambridge that day. “Er – I had a quick glance at The Guardian headlines” said my friend, nervously. “And I’ve had a quick glance at you,” said the BBC interviewer, crossing him off his list. Forewarned, I safely negotiated this mean-spirited opening gambit and was eventually chosen for the BBC Programme Operation Assistant training scheme. I thought it might be fun to work at the Beeb for a few months.

I stayed at the BBC for thirty four years. I was like an alcoholic let loose in a bar – I could never quite drag myself away. After stints in Children’s Television (I directed “Jackanory”) and Radio Sport, I found my metier in Radio Drama, where I ran both the World Service Drama team and, latterly – as Head of Radio Drama – the whole caboodle. Even The Archers!

(I once witnessed Charles Collingwood, spurred on by

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And I owe so much to Christ’s. Shortly before my retirement I spent an eye-opening afternoon reading the notorious “Personal File” that the BBC used to hold on every employee.

There, at the very beginning, was a laboriously-typed, glowing, two-page reference (there were no computers then, remember) from John Rathmell, Senior English Tutor at Christ’s. I had no idea Dr Rathmell had been called upon to write a reference – nor that he knew me so well. (“House thinks he’s an actor, but I believe his real talents lie in production”) As I since learned, the BBC set great store by such references; I suspect that skirting around trick questions would not, in itself have guaranteed my BBC traineeship. So thank you John Rathmell – and Richard Axton – and Lord Todd, for helping me on my way. I owe them, and Christ’s, a great deal.

Gordon House

Gordon and Bill Nighy recording a recent BBC production (“Marmalade for Comrade Philby” by Christopher William Hill.)

Gordon playing a Hitchcock cameo role!

produced it and always wrote it, sometimes with a young writer. It was useful to develop young writers for the BBC. I worked mainly with comedians, who are the best fun in the world. My particular favourite was Arthur Askey, who had been my childhood hero. I worked with him a lot. He was as marvellous as when I remember him. I was very fond of Morecombe and Wise, who I worked with when they were starting their career, and also when they were at the top.

Can you tell me about your current project?

I wrote for radio and television for 40 years. Towards the end as I came towards retirement I thought I’d have a shot at theatre. I wrote 6 plays, Murder by Misadventure was produced in 1997. In my eighties I thought I’d have a shot at novels. I’ve managed to sell my first novel, which is now on the market. The Shadow of Treason.

What you found different in writing novels rather than plays?

I’ve found for the first time in my life I’m writing prose. If you want to say ‘That’s a beautiful view’, you can write ‘It was a beautiful view’ you don’t have to put it into the characters’ mouths; writing prose is an interesting change.

Edward Taylor (m. 1952) What are your memories of Christ’s?

Great pleasure, I absolutely loved it, it’s very high in my affections. It was a different world. I was sharing a room in the second court. It was up three flights of stairs. If you had a call of nature in the night you put a dressing-gown on, went down three flights and out round the corner. These days, when I’ve been back, seeing students living in luxurious bedsitters is quite an eye-opener.

How did you become a professional writer?

Through the Cambridge footlights. I couldn’t get in as a performer alone, but I wrote material they wanted to use, and insisted they allowed me to take part. I came to London with the footlights review of 1955 and we played a season at the Scala Theatre. A BBC Producer who saw the show and liked my material, signed me up as a trainee writer-producer.

Do you have any particular memories of working for the BBC? Obviously hundreds if not thousands. So full of hundreds of good moments. The Men from the Ministry was my particular love, because I entirely devised and created it. I also

Please get in touch if you would like to feature in an article about your career path since Christ’s.

Contact publications@christs.cam.ac.uk

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Finch and the Table of Veins Professor William Steen (Fellow Commoner) on Sir John Finch, 17th Century alumnus and benefactor, and his work on circulatory and nervous systems.

In 1672 Finch discarded his medical career and was appointed ambassador to the Sublime Porte of the Ottoman Empire in Constantinople. Baines died there in 1680 and was embalmed and sent back to be buried in Christ’s Chapel. Finch died of pleurisy in Florence two years later, in 1682 and is buried alongside his companion.

On his death his collections were sent to the home of his favourite nephew, the politician Daniel Finch, Earl of Winchelsea and Nottingham. There they were kept at Burleyon-the-Hill, Rutland, and are recorded in the inventory of the house in 1772 as “a press containing some curious anatomies”. In 1823, a descendant of Daniel, George Finch, Earl of Winchelsea and Nottingham and founder of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), quite possibly unaware of their provenance and that Finch had once been in medical research, presented the tables to the RCP as having belonged to his cousin “the late Dr Harvey”. Had they been part of his work it is most likely that Harvey would have mentioned them in his writings and himself bequeathed them to the RCP along with his library and museum when he died in 1657. It is now believed that it was our famous alumnus Sir John Finch, who made them. “A lynx with knife, you show that to cut a man up with skill is no less a work of divine art than to make him in the beginning” Epigram “to Sir John Finch, the famous professor of anatomy”1660.

Sir John Finch Our 17th century alumnus and benefactor, Sir John Finch has received some belated recognition. His portrait was removed from the Hall in the early part of this year and was on loan to the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) to support their rare and exciting exhibition which included some 17th century anatomical tables of extraordinarily skilful dissections illustrating the artery and vein systems, nerve network and the lymphatic system, thought at one time to have been made by William Harvey FRCP (1578–1657) the discoverer of the circulation of the blood, but now thought to be the work of Finch, who was a relative.

Sir John Finch came from a successful political family. After Eton, Finch came up to Christ’s and studied under Henry More and there he met his lifelong companion, Sir Thomas Baines (1622–80). Together they went, in 1656, to study medicine at Padua University – the top university at the time – where they graduated in Medicine. They returned to Christ’s for a short spell as teachers and were elected to the Royal Society. They returned to Italy in 1665 where Finch became Pro Rector of Padua and later Professor of Anatomy at Pisa as well as Minister to the Ducal Court at Florence.

One of Finch’s students, Edward Browne, wrote in 1665 “Sir John Finch… hath tables of veins, nerves and arteries, five times more exact than are described by any author”. Finch also referred to “our own tavale (tables)” as superior to other methods of human tissue preservation.

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One of the RCP anatomical tables. In this the nervous system has been dissected and mounted on wood and preserved under lacquer. The tables measure approximately 1.5m x 70cm.

A Family Man Gavin Alexander, Fellow Librarian and Steven Archer, Assistant College Librarian on the College’s recent acquisition of John Graham’s Prayer Book.

A pencil likeness of John Graham, drawn by one of his students, C. F. Weston, around 1840.

The College has recently acquired a small book with a unique history. The tradition of recording the birth of a family’s children in a psalter, Bible, or prayer book goes back centuries.

When John Graham, Master of Christ’s, started a family, he therefore began writing the dates of birth and baptism of his children in a copy of the 1832 edition of Charles Blomfield’s A Manual of Family Prayers, eight children in all, all born while he was Master. The book’s pages show the signs of daily devotional use, and Graham edited and adapted the prayers, changing words and phrases, cutting passages. This little book evokes the family life that filled the Lodge in the 1830s and 40s, and we are delighted that it is back in Christ’s.

John Graham (1794–1865) matriculated at Christ’s in 1812, graduating as fourth wrangler and Chancellor’s Medallist, and becoming a Fellow, in 1816. In 1830 he was elected Master, and in 1833 married Mary Porteous; they had six sons and four daughters, all born in Cambridge. Two of his sons, Edward and Robert, died in infancy and are buried in the Chapel and two, John and Albert, later studied at Christ’s; the last two of the ten children are not recorded in the prayer book. Graham was a liberal, supporting the movement to allow dissenters to take degrees by abolishing the religious tests that were required to be sat by all. In 1838 he attempted to amend the College’s Statutes so that nonAnglicans could become scholars or Fellows, and to allow Fellows to marry, but the Fellows blocked him. It was not until a generation later that the colleges made their transformation from largely clerical organisations with celibate Fellows, compulsory chapel, and a narrow curriculum, into institutions that have changed little from how we know them now, aside from the admission of women.

The title page of the prayer book and more details of the children on the left

The front of the prayer book showing Graham’s signature on the paste-down and the details of the children on the fly-leaf We acquired it from Kieron Ridehalgh, who has a book and collectables business in Rossendale, Lancashire, and discovered Graham’s book in a car-boot sale in Chorley. He likes to find the history behind such books and if possible reunite them with their families. In this case, to find out which John Graham this might be, he checked Census records, and saw that the names of the family in the prayer book matched the returns for a John Graham who in 1841 was Master of Christ’s and in 1851 was Bishop of Chester; the former was clearly filled in by Graham himself and records all the College’s residents, his own family at the top of the list. We are very grateful to Mr Ridehalgh for his work, and for bringing Graham’s prayer book to our attention.

1848 saw Graham resign the Mastership to become Bishop of Chester, a move which took his family and his prayer book to the north-west. He retained his interest in the University and its reform, however, being appointed Chair of the Royal Commission set up in 1850 to examine the University; its report resulted in new Statutes and a new form of governance for the University, the basis of its modern structure. He was also Chaplain to Prince Albert (1841–) and Clerk of the Closet to the Queen (1849–), a role which he held until his death in 1865 at the Bishop’s Palace in Chester.

Graham did not publish widely, but the Bodley Library does house eight of his sermons, including some which were preached here in the Chapel at Christ’s.

The binding of the prayer book

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‘Mary Rose’: Mary Tudor, Queen of France, Duchess of Suffolk 1496–1533

The Castilian betrothal lapsed in 1514 and Henry offered her to the ailing Louis XII of France who had daughters but no son. Mary, then 18, protested very publically but finally agreed on Henry’s promise that after Louis, she could marry at will.

Henry would later deny this.

A model of the Mary-Rose expertly constructed by Wyndham Williams, who had previously made the model of The Beagle has recently been installed in College. Francis Woodman FSA (former Fellow) explains the link between the two Mary’s.

The Mary Rose, launched and named in 1511, formed part of the flotilla in October 1514 taking Mary to France, already Queen by proxy. She determined that the marriage would remain unproductive, which it did, and Louis died in the first hours of 1515. Fearing betrayal by her brother, she took advantage of the arrival in Paris of Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, whom she declared she would marry and that this was Henry’s intention. They did and it wasn’t. Eventually Henry’s fury abated and Mary settled down to a quiet life at Westhorpe Hall, Suffolk. They had four children – Henry dying aged only about 6, two daughters and later another son, also called Henry.

Summoned to the Canterbury Jubilee of 1520 Mary suffered the embarrassment of long meetings with her former betrothed Charles, now both King of Spain and Emperor. She later went on to the Field of the Cloth of Gold where she was paraded by Henry as ‘The French Queen’ a titled most commonly used of her.

Matthew Woosnam, carpenter, pictured with the Mary Rose in the exquisite case he crafted.

Mary was the youngest child of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. The beloved sister of Henry VIII, she was evidently the favourite grandchild of Lady Margaret Beaufort. In 1506 Mary, aged 10, was at Windsor when Juanna the Mad and Philip of Burgundy visited and subsequently the whole Court moved to Cambridge for the St. George’s festivities. Possibly Mary accompanied Lady Margaret when inspecting the work at Christ’s, then newly begun. In 1508, Mary was betrothed to Juanna’s son, Charles, heir to both Castille and Burgundy. The following year Mary sat with Lady Margaret “behind a screen” at the Coronation of Henry VIII and possibly remained in the Abbey until Lady Margaret’s death in the Abbot’s House a few days later.

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Mary’s last foray into politics came with her determined and very public opposition to any divorce between Henry and Katherine of Aragon. She wrote to the Pope and the Emperor, treasonable in any other but protected by her status as Dowager French Queen. The battle lost, she refused to attend the coronation of Bolyn, one of her ladies in waiting in France. Suddenly she took ill and died in Suffolk. Her burial in the Abbey of Bury in 1533 was not attended by any of the Tudors. Mary’s body, and that of her second son who died in 1534, were both summarily reburied in St. Mary’s Bury St Edmunds by Brandon, who had purchased the abbey buildings at the Dissolution.

Her children did not fare well. Both sons died young. The eldest daughter Frances was the mother of Lady Jane Grey.

Margaret, a granddaughter by Eleanor, married Henry Stanley, 4th earl of Derby, a descendant of the last husband of Lady Margaret Beaufort.

Blades, Back in the Water Blades Gala Regatta and Dinner A Gala Regatta and Dinner was held on Saturday 15 September 2012 to launch the Boathouse Redevelopment Fund. The plans have appeared in the College Magazine and the Christ’s College Boat Club website and feature upgrades to equip the Boathouse for modern rowing, land training and facilities for women. The College was honoured to host Olympic gold medal-winner Kieran West (m.1995) as afterdinner speaker for the evening.

Kieran West (m. 1995) studied Economics and Land Economy at Christ’s, where he also completed his PGCE in Mathematics. Having been a National Rowing Champion at the age of 15, he first rowed for the Blue Boat in 1999 and went on to be elected President of Cambridge University Boat Club in 2001, winning the Boat Race on both occasions.

He represented Great Britain for the first time in 1998 at the Under-23 World Rowing Championships in Greece, was selected for the senior team the following year and won a silver medal at the 1999 World Rowing Championships.

At the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games he was the youngest member of the first British Eight to win a gold medal since the 1912 Stockholm Olympics and the first member of Cambridge University to win the Olympic Games while still a student. He was subsequently awarded an MBE for ‘services to rowing’ in the 2001 New Years Honours List.

Over the course of his rowing career West won every major international and domestic rowing event: the Olympic Games, World Rowing Championships, Rowing World Cup, OxfordCambridge Boat Race, Head of the River Race, Head of the River Fours and Henley Royal Regatta.

Kieran West (m. 1995) giving the after-dinner speech.

The Dinner and regatta were extremely enjoyable events, with late-summer sunshine, medal-givings and the chance for Blades alumni to meet up and share stories of the Boat Club. More than one attendee had the chance to pose with Keiran’s Olympic medal! Thank you to all who attended and made this such a pleasant day. We continue to raise funds for the important changes to the Boathouse, as we still have a long way to go. For more information on the improvements, and details on how to donate, please visit: www.christs.cam.ac.uk/boatclub/boathouse_redevelopment_ fundraising Or contact Senior Development Officer Rebecca Pitcaithly: Development Office, Christ’s College, Cambridge, CB2 3BU (0)1223 761492, rjp93@cam.ac.uk

The Regatta in full swing

Michaelmas Term 2012

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Boat Club

Sport

May Bumps Picnic – 16th June 2012

Battle of the Blues

by Robin Kerr (m. 1962)

Varsity Match, Twickenham, 6 December 2012

Varsity Match 2009 The 131st match takes place on Thursday, December 6th at Twickenham Stadium. Cambridge leads overall at 61 wins to 55 whilst Oxford has the momentum with 2 wins in a row. Make sure you’re there to show your colours and catch up with old friends. For more information please visit: www.thevarsitymatch.com/.

Scullling For Success

Five Christ’s College Blades, with an average age of 67, have sculled 58 miles of the River Trent, in torrential rain and near flood conditions, from Nottingham to Lincoln over two days in July 2012.Only an hour after finishing the River was closed by an official Flood Alert. The crew were rowing for the Christ’s College Boathouse Redevelopment Fund, which is raising money for the planned boathouse upgrade. For full details of the redevelopment fundraising and information on making a donation, please contact Senior Development Officer Rebecca Pitcaithly, Development Office, Christ’s College, Cambridge, CB2 3BU (0)1223 761492, rjp93@cam.ac.uk

Didi Goes International!

Congratulations to Didi Akinluyi (m. 2005) who was selected to represent Nigeria for three test matches in Botswana in July. Didi, a Rugby Union Football Club back row , represented Nigeria in the sevens at last year’s Confédération Africaine de Rugby tournament.

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www.christs.cam.ac.uk

With eight crews in the Mays (5 men’s, including the Fellows, and 3 women’s, making Christ’s one of the highest represented on the river) all 160 guests at the 2012 Bumps Picnic were assured of plenty of College action. This started early: at 10:30 the Fellows passed Osier Holt, going down to the start, just as the Christ’s flag was broken out at the picnic site. Dire weather had been predicted but, in the end, there was no rain and even occasional sun but a very high wind, leading to difficult conditions for the rowers and coxes but spectacular spray in the sunlight. Despite a 40 minute delay caused through a “wildlife rights” protest by human-sized ducks, the event finished almost on time – a credit to the CUCBC organizers. Three Christ’s crews (M2, M3 (Rugby) and W3) won blades, with their final bumps being observed from the picnic. Overall, Christ’s crews made 20 bumps but were bumped down by only 10 places. The men’s first boat rose three places to a respectable 11th place, while the women’s first boat sank four, from 3rd to 7th – still a fine start for next year’s crew!

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Pieces Issue 24 Michaelmas Term 2012

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Dates For Your Diary Wednesday 28 of November 2012 Alumni Winter Drinks Reception, Marble Hall at the Royal Society, London.

Thursday 6 December 2012 Varsity Match, Twickenham Saturday 23 March, 2013 MA Congregation Ceremony for alumni who matriculated in 2006.

Saturday 6 / Sunday 7 April 2013 CCMAA Meeting with Dinner at the College: Speakers will include Professor Martin Johnson, Professor John Rees, Dr David Thomas, Mr Dylan Mac Lochlainn and the after-dinner speaker will be Dr Mike Knapton.

We were delighted to admit Dr Alan Smith (m. 1964) and Mr Terry Cann (m. 1954) as Lady Margaret Beaufort Fellows on 11 October 2012.

Christ’s College Yearbooks The Assistant College Librarian, Steven Archer, would like to collate a full collection of Christ’s College yearbooks.

If you have any to donate please contact him at: 01223 (3)34905, sa377@cam.ac.uk.

A Parting Shot: Assembling for the 2012 Matriculation photograph

For more information on any of these events, please contact Rosie Applin, Alumni Officer: alumni@christs.cam.ac.uk , 01223 768276 Correction: In the 2012 College Magazine, news about Cathy Wilcox and Manzur Maula (both m.1982) were included in the m. 1987 news section. We apologise for any confusion caused by this.

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