File 16.39a - Letters patent granting the Mastership of Trinity College, Cambridge to H. M. Butler, and related letters

1 box

Gift of Sir J. R. M. Butler, 29 November 1974

Letters patent dated 1 Dec. 1886 in the original red box with the royal arms stamped on the top of the box. This is accompanied by eight letters and a related document and printed item.

Four letters from John Hassard of the Vicar-General's Office over the last half of November 1886 relate to the logistics of resigning the Deanship of Gloucester and the appointment as Master of Trinity. One of his letters is accompanied by a note from Randall Davidson the Dean of Windsor regretting he cannot attend Butler's installation. Another letter from E. J. Perowne invites Hassard to spend the night at the Lodge of Corpus Christi College the night before the installation. The letters are accompanied by a copy of sections 1 and 2 of the "Pluralities Act" of 1838 concerning the restriction of holding a Deanship and Mastership at the same time and a printed sheet listing "Days Fixed" for the prelates of England for 1887, issued by Hassard of the Vicar-General's Office.

Two letters relate to practical details relating to the Master's Lodge and its staffing. The previous Master's widow Elizabeth Frances Thompson informs him of the death of her sister (Laetitia), and describes the state of the Lodge, items needed for housekeeping, and her recommendation of the housekeeper Mrs Jones. The Junior Bursar Gerard F. Cobb's letter contains practical details relating to the Master's Lodge and its staffing. A letter from Trinity Vice-Master Coutts Trotter forwards a copy of the statutes of the college and carries a description of the installation ceremony.

The original accession record for this material refers to c. 50 letters, but does not detail them. It is possible that the majority of the missing letters were catalogued into the larger collection, the Papers of Sir James Butler.