1541 and all that

There can be few Old Breconians who are unaware of the importance of the ‘h’ and 1541, and their link to our Founder, Henry VIII.

Perhaps less familiar is 19 January 1541, the date on which Henry VIII granted the Friary lands and Friary buildings to William Barlow, the Bishop of St Davids, so that the "College of Christ" could be founded at Brecknock.

Though the original grant, which we tend to call the Royal Charter, is believed to have been removed in the seventeenth century and most likely destroyed, the National Archives in Kew hold a contemporary copy in their collection. Tightly written in Tudor script, the Latin text is not easy to decipher. Fortunately, a transcription and translation is available and it is from this that the origins of the school’s foundation are more easily traced.

Thanks to a very kind donation by a descendent of Bishop Barlow, we have recently been able to purchase a high quality scan of the relevant section from the National Archives, together with permission to display it. A colour version will soon hang in Reception so that sight of the original document can be enjoyed by visitors, pupils and parents.  

Photo: goosebumps at the NA

Charles Morgan (Orchard 1965-71), who is currently researching the foundation of Christ College as part of a wider research project, recently visited the National Archives to see the real thing. He says his O’ Level Latin rather let him down, but he reports “goosebumps” as the roll was unfurled. It is easy to understand why.

We think Charles Morgan may be the only living Old Breconian to have seen “Patent Roll, 33 HEN VIII, Part 9, Membrane 30”, but do tell us if that’s not the case; we’d love to know more.