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Saint James Chapel, Exeter College, University of Oxford

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Saint James Chapel, Exeter College, University of Oxford case study 5 Saint James Chapel, Exeter College, University of Oxford 1624 Private chapel (university college) New chapel by George Gilbert Scott, 1856–91 Architect unknown Historical note Exeter College is one of the oldest colleges of Oxford University, founded in 1314 by the bishop of Exeter, Walter de Stapledon, but for the first 250 years of its existence it was also one of the smallest.2 Exeter College remained a strong adherent to the Roman Catholic ‘old’ worship partly no doubt because it drew most of its members from the conservative counties of the far west, where Protestantism was slow to gain ground. In 1578 because of these Catholic ten- dencies several fellows were removed and a new rector, Thomas Holland, ap- pointed by Royal Commission. This purge, combined with the gradual shift in west-country allegiances during the late sixteenth century from Catholicism to Protestantism, changed the whole character of the college. By the early seven- teenth century Exeter College had become notable for the Puritan inclinations of its membership.3 And by 1612 Exeter had become one of the largest colleg- es of university, with 134 commoners. Due to this growth the most important building activity took place between 1616 and 1710, including the hall, the cha- pel, and buildings on the south-east of the quad, all built under the rectorship of John Prideaux, between 1612 and 1642. However, financial difficulties arose in 1675. A visitation carried on the orders of the bishop of Exeter “found that too 1 Historic England, Images of England record 244921. Jennifer Sherwood and Nikolaus Pevsner, The Buildings of England: Oxfordshire (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1974), 134–8. 2 Charles W. Boase, Register of the Rectors, Fellows, Scholars, Exhibitioners and Bible Clerks of Exeter College, Oxford with Illustrative Documents and a History of the College (Oxford: Printed by W. Pollard, 1897), i. 3 William K. Stride, University of Oxford: College Histories: Exeter College (London: F.E. Robinson and co., 1900), 47. Kenneth Padley, “Revising Early Modern Exeter,” in Exeter College Association Register (2000): 39. © koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2019 | doi:10.1163/9789004398979_015 Saint James Chapel, Exeter College, University of Oxford 287 much was being spent unnecessarily, that adequate accounts were not being kept, and especially that the money spent on new buildings had not been properly accounted for.”4 The new chapel was built in 1624 under the patronage of George Hakewill, a confirmed anti-Catholic and Calvinist, and future chaplain to King Charles I. Hakewill had been a Fellow of Exeter College between 1596 and 1602 and was to be rector after Prideaux. He soon became one of the major benefactors of the college. One of his donations was the erection of a new chapel, at his per- sonal cost of £1200. Hakewill laid the foundation stone on March 11, 1623 and the chapel was consecrated October 5, 1624. It is therefore not surprising that Hakewill’s arms were ubiquitous in the woodwork.5 Like most Oxford and Cambridge chapels of this time, it was built in a late Gothic style, mixed with some classical decorative elements. Aymer Vallance describes the chapel as “of traditional Perpendicular, excellent for its time.” The plan, designed with an evangelical congregation firmly in mind, was unique in Oxford and consisted of a square with two aisles divided by an arcade. The pews faced each other across one central aisle, but there was a further aisle running down to the north. The small communion table was placed east–west and, combined with the chapel’s striking pulpit, this ensured that the empha- sis was on the word preached.6 Stride describes the pulpit as being on wheels and covered with a high canopy.7 A bell cote stood at the west end in the trough between the two roofs and the entrance was the only classical feature of the exterior.8 Decoration of flat pi- lasters and carved musical instruments seems to have been added on the west side.9 According to Stride, there was an inscription “primum quaerite regnum dei” above the door. Taunt describes the exterior as decorated with arched 4 H.E. Salter and Mary D. Lobel, eds., History of the County of Oxford: Volume 3, the University of Oxford (London: Victoria County History, 1954). British History Online, accessed March 18, 2016, http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/oxon/vol3. 5 Peter E. McCullough, “Hakewill, George (bap. 1578, d. 1649), Church of England clergyman and author,” in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Online (2008), doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/11885. 6 Emma Rhatigan, “Preaching Venues: Architecture and Auditories,” in The Oxford Handbook of the Early Modern Sermon, eds. Peter McCullough, Hugh Adlington, and Emma Rhatigan (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011), 114. 7 Stride, University of Oxford, 192. 8 Aymer Vallance, The Old Colleges of Oxford, Their Architectural History Illustrated and Described (Oxford: Batsford, 1912), 26, 27. 9 Stride, University of Oxford, 192..
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