Archaeologists have discovered the remains of Oxford University’s “lost college,” over 500 years after it was abandoned.
During Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries in the 1530s, it was one of many Catholic religious buildings looted or destroyed.
Henry desired to be free of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, who had failed to give him a male heir, the Tudor monarch attempted to split the English Church from the Catholic Church.
Because the Pope refused to grant an annulment, Henry VIII established an independent Church of England, of which he was the leader, and ordered the closing of Papacy-aligned monasteries in Rome.
St Mary’s College, which was founded in 1435 but only lasted 100 years, was intended to be a study centre for Augustinian canons.
However, until Cardinal Wolsey, Henry VIII’s principal adviser, interfered in the 1520s, construction was hindered.
After that, development moved fast, but the structure was disbanded and quickly fell into disrepair as a result of Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries, which took place between 1536 and 1541.
The college was abandoned in the 16th century when Cardinal Wolsey was deposed and beheaded as a result of Henry VIII’s formation of the ‘Anglican Church’ so he could divorce his wife.
Archaeologists digging the site ahead of the planned construction of 30 student flats have discovered a portion of the lost college’s construction works.
A vast limestone foundation is thought to have supported a wall of a large stone structure.
Experts believe it came from one of the structures that made up St Mary’s College, which became known as ‘Oxford’s lost college’ due to its relative obscurity, possibly the cloister’s south range.
‘We hope to shed light not only on the layout of the “lost college” of St Mary’s but also on the lives of some of mediaeval Oxford’s most influential Norman families who undoubtedly lived at the site,’ said Ben Ford, senior project manager for Oxford Archaeology.
Nearby, butchered animal bones and charcoal were discovered, possibly from the kitchens of St Mary’s College.
The Frewin Hall complex, where excavations are taking place, has been occupied continuously from the 11th century, with traces of a Norman house built for a wealthy owner.
‘Frewin Hall has a stone vaulted basement dating from Norman times, and it is one of Oxford’s oldest structures still in use,’ Ford noted.
‘If we’re really lucky, we might find indications of even older everyday life from Oxford’s earliest years, when it was first founded as a heavily-defended town on the Thames, defending the border between Saxon and Viking-held regions,’ said the researcher.
A 17th century stone flagon, a bone comb, a silver penny, and ornately carved mediaeval floor tiles were also discovered.
‘We are excited by the amazing insights of St Mary’s College and the larger history of Frewin that the archaeologists are exposing,’ said r Llewelyn Morgan, a fellow of Brasenose College.
‘It has been a place of learning for 600 years, and our lovely new building will keep that legacy going.’
