PREFACE
In 1995 , the late Michael Nightingale , an old Wykehamist who had first worked among the College ’ s archives when he was a boy in the school in the 1940s , wrote to the Warden of Winchester , Sir Jeremy Morse , urging the need for a planned programme , to bring the conservation of the College ’ s muniments up to modern standards . Given Governing Body approval , he offered personally to lead a fund-raising campaign to meet the substantial costs of the work that was needed . The Warden took up the cause with enthusiasm and the Governing Body pledged its support , setting up to monitor progress an Archives Advisory Committee , with Michael Nightingale , the College Archivist , and the Fellow Librarian as its members . The Hampshire County Archivist , Miss Rosemary Dunhill , generously accepted an invitation to join the Committee , putting her expert advice at its disposal .
Michael Nightingale ’ s efforts , and the generosity of a number of trusts , ensured that , before he died in 1998 , a sufficient fund had been put together to make a start on his planned programme of conservation . A professionally trained archivist , Miss Suzanne Foster , was appointed to assist the College Archivist as his Deputy , a post which she combines with a position at Hampshire Record Office , thus assuring to the College HRO ’ s invaluable and expert advice and co-operation .
Unfortunately , Michael Nightingale did not live to know of the magnificent benefaction which Al Gordon , Honorary Fellow of the College , pledged towards the work on the muniments , on the occasion of the reception ‘ Ad Portas ’ at the College of HRH the Prince of Wales on 27th June , 2000 . His generosity has meant that the top priorities identified by Michael Nightingale can now nearly all be tackled . It was Al Gordon ’ s request , when he made his benefaction , that a pamphlet should be assembled and printed , outlining the contents and interest of the muniment collection , which he rightly discerned to have been too little publicised . This present pamphlet is the grateful response to that request .
As members of the Archives Advisory Committee , we wish to acknowledge our profound gratitude to Al Gordon and to the following trusts :
The Pilgrim Trust The National Manuscripts Conservation Trust The Cromarty Trust ( the Nightingale family trust ) The Esmée Fairbairn Charitable Trust The Charlotte Bonham Carter Charitable Trust The J . Paul Getty Jr . Charitable Trust The Friends of Winchester College .
Our warm thanks are due also to the Governing Body , and to those individual Old Wykehamists who have supported the appeal , notably Peter Stormonth Darling and Mark Loveday .
Roger Custance Rosemary Dunhill Maurice Keen John Nightingale
This pamphlet has been assembled by Maurice Keen , with the assistance of Roger Custance and Suzanne Foster . Those who know the College ’ s history will recognise the direct debts to T . F . Kirby ’ s Annals of Winchester College , to Winchester College Archaeological Society ’ s Winchester College , to Sheila Himsworth ’ s Winchester College Muniments and to John Harvey ’ s introduction thereto .
Front cover : The Upper Muniment Room . Back cover : William of Wykeham ’ s Statutes for the College : illuminated initial folio . Title page : Seal of Henry V as King of England and Heir of France on Letters Patent in favour of College , 1422 ( see p . 13 ).
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