Later Victorian Cambridge

Abstract

This is the last of four books on the history of Cambridge University by the distinguished historian and Fellow of Trinity College D.A. Winstanley, first published in 1947. It covers the period from 1860 to 1882, when new University Statutes resulting from the Royal Commission were implemented in the face of considerable opposition. The author records with evident satisfaction that during this period a number of important reforms were finally achieved. The book is meticulously researched and documented, but Winstanley's energy, enthusiasm, and taste for quirky detail is evident throughout. He describes allegations of a college Mastership obtained 'by crooked means', the University's unpopular power to arrest and imprison young women on suspicion of prostitution, the real reasons behind the ban on college Fellows marrying, how the stringent religious tests were eventually relaxed, and how educational standards were raised by measures including better teaching, restructured subject areas, and tougher examinations.

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