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Letter from Samuel Hey (President of Magdalene College) to the Hon. Sir John Griffin Griffin (Visitor) informing him of the sudden death of the Master Barton Wallop at Wallop and therefore the Mastership was vacant.

Letter from the Countess of Portsmouth to George Sandby about the the Mastership

Transcript

I believe Sir you'll be a little surprised at receiving a letter from me, but an incident has happened that I wished you to be apprised of. You may probably have heard that the Mastership of Magdalene College in Cambridge is vacant by the death of Dr ____ & I believe you know the presentation is in my gift & that I always designed it for Mr B[arton] W[allop] but as he is too young to take it, my next thought must be to fix on a person to hold it for him that is worthy to fill such a preferment and to do honour to the College & be an example worthy his in me & action & indeed I do not know anyone so likely to answer these purposes as yourself, & therefore if you think the Mastership worth your acceptance on the terms mentioned I must beg to see you as soon as possible that the vacancy may be filled immediately

Letter from the Hon. Sir John Griffin Griffin (Visitor) to Samuel Hey (President of Magdalene College)

Transcript

Sir,

I return you many thanks for your obliging attention in regard to poor Mr Wallop's death; who seems to have died from neglect of himself having been very unwell at times with faintings & violent oppressions upon his stomach without applying for relief.

If not too much trouble I shall esteem it a favour if you could give me a rough sketch of the profits & emoluments of the Master of Magdalen, how they arise & how they become due & at what period [see MACD/1/1/27].

When I inform you that I have offered the Mastership to my very old & amiable friend Mr Peckard I do it out of respect to your situation in the College, & to the character you have maintained in that office & I do assure you that you are the first person to whom i have conveyed my intentions. If Mr Peckard should accept, which I trust he will, yourself & the College will have a very worthy & ingenious gentleman to live with & whom other qualities will I am sure endear him to you all.

I cold have wished indeed on this occasion that Mr P. had been a Cambridge man but I trust every liberal mind will overlook this when put in competition with the rights due to a sincere & uninterrupted friendship of above thirty years standing.

I am etc etc etc etc

Letter from John Crayter to the Countess of Portsmouth [Visitor] advising her about her choice as Barton Wallop as Master.

Transcript

Madam,

Tis not material where the person was educated whom you intend for the Mastership of Magdalen College, unless the Statutes require him to be a Cambridge man, which is not very probable. The gentleman must get a copy of Dr Chapman's nomination, for your Ladyship's guide, which he must present to the person who is to admit him, who i presume will be the Vice-Master or Senior Fellow.

I Heard the news in the corner of a coffee house, & immediately recollected your Ladyship's intentions for Mr Barton Wallop; but the College was supplied with two or three Masters before I could get half was in my letter to my Lord. There must be a bond of resignation when required, this I am persuaded my Lord will pitch upon a man of honour, where honesty and integrity will be the best security. I go to Town in a few days, & if your Ladyship can get the nomination dispatched I shall be glad to give the new master all the assistance in my power before I go into the north which will be about the latter end of this month. I am with compliments to my Lord,

You Ladyship's
most obliged and most obedient humble servant
John Crayter

Letter from George Sandby to the Countess of Portsmouth about executing the bond to give up the Mastership in favour of Barton Wallop when required

Transcript

Madam,

I have executed the Bond, and sent it to your Ladyship by this post; and should I be above ground will, infallibly, render it useless. And tho' my situation should not be so useful to myself as many think it will, and has been found so by my predecessors in my office, perhaps some opportunities may arrive, wherein I can be of service to others. As far as these come within your Ladyship's knowledge I hope you will apprise me of them: wherein my own is sufficient it shall be carefully applied. Whilst I am saying this, my eye casts forward to the young master to whom I wish the best ornament of a good mind, and all the friendships of fortune.

My humble duty waits on Lord Portsmouth and I am,
Madam,
Your Ladyship's most obliged and devoted servant,
G. Sandby

Letter from George Sandby to the Countess of Portsmouth describing his admission as Master.

Transcript

Madam,

After undergoing a very great fatigue I am returned to myself & my country house again, from whence I beg leave to renew my thanks to your ladyship, and to enlarge my narration.

My Doctor's degree was made complete to me upon the second day of my being at Cambridge and on the third I was admitted to the Mastership. The ceremony of Admission is this: the Society being assembled at the Lodge, the senior Fellow first reads the nomination, and that is approved of, then the Master (to be) has the Statute concerning his own qualification put into his hands which he reads aloud, swears observance of, and of all other Statutes of the College; then the Chapel Bell tolls and the senior Fellow leads the Master by the hand and places him in his seat which gives him possession. The chapter of the Statute concerning the quality of the Master says:

that he shall be thirty years of age or about it & at least of the degree of Master of Arts, that within one year from his admission he shall be a Deacon and within two in full Orders; and if he fails in these points he may without any delay be instantly removed and his place filled up.

Mr Eliot informed me that there was a very great disturbance when Dr Chapman was nominated. He was the youngest Head ever known; and upon his being presented was first rejected by the Society as disqualified but a Certificate being afterwards produced showing him to be in his thirtieth year they judged that to be within the description of the Statute and so admitted him.

It may please God to make another nomination required before the pretty young gentleman [Barton Wallop] can receive the Mastership and then my debt becomes discharged of itself. But lest my life should reach so far I shall frequently repeat from under my hand what my heart cannot possibly do otherwise than comply with. And, when my seat is added to that, which I will, in due time, provide that it shall, all changes and chances will be guarded against. Those who are most ready, as is my case, to perform without any obligation, are most desirous to be subject to them.

The College is situated almost out of the town, remote from any other, near the River, and in a very dirty street. The Lodge is a very good one, commodious, and has a piece of pasture, of two acres, adjoining to the garden, set at £8 a year. In one of the two parlours is the picture your Ladyship spoke of, of Lord Audley, presented to the College by Lod Suffolk. Though it is said to be Lord Audley, I should rather doubt of it, myself. It has the dress of a Lord Chancellor, or of some high Officer of State; but the fashion of it is much later than the reign of Henry Viii and the hair & cut of the beard exactly agree with Van Dyke's portraits. If your ladyship is imposed upon by a false copy it is what many a great and wise person has suffered besides: but though this dead take these liberties and appear to be what they are not I shall only appear to be what I really am and that is

Madam
Your Ladyship's most obliged & most obedient servant
G. Sandby

ps. though I am an unworthy master I have a very worthy Mistress who presents, with me, all Duty to Lord Portsmouth, your Ladyship, and Lord Herbert.
Upon the 15th September we go to Cambridge & as I must furnish the Lodge I hope to buy the greatest part of what my predecessor left

Letter from George Sandby to the Countess of Portsmouth about executing the bond to give up the Mastership in favour of Barton Wallop when required

Transcript

Madam,

The time of my going to your Ladyship's College comes very near, and that will make me so much nearer to Saville Street, that I shall certainly (God willing) have the honour of waiting upon Lord Portsmouth, and your Ladyship, in the winter. When I get to Town, I can execute the Bond to your Ladyship's satisfaction, or as much sooner as I am commanded.

I hope that the General and his Aid de Camp are both well, and send over good news for the public, and of themselves.

With much duty to Lord Portsmouth.,
I am
Madam,
Your very devoted, and very obliged humble servant,
G. Sandby

Letter from George Sandby to the Countess of Portsmouth accepting the Mastership and the terms by which he was to give it up to Barton Wallop after a set number of years or on request.

Transcript

Madam,

It is the greatest pleasure to any man, of feeling, to have the esteem of those he most esteems, and therefore, I must be happy in your Ladyship's kind, and little thought of, offer to me of the Mastership of Magdalene College. If I have the honour to be placed there I shall discharge the trust as well as I can, and show a most faithful execution of it in my last act, by the delivery, of it back again into the hand of my noble benefactress. Your Ladyship is pleased to name a term of years for my holding it; but where a grandson of Lord Portsmouth's is concerned, you need only say to thy servant go! - and he goeth.

The post day at Bungay is not still Saturday but I will try that this shall meet the Yarmouth bag, that your Ladyship may know my intention of setting out from hence upon Sunday in the afternoon as soon as I have performed my duty. I will give my bones one day's rest in Fleet Street; so that if your Ladyship has ay instructions or orders for me, I can receive them there, on Wednesday, before I personally say, that I am,

Madam,
your Ladyship's most obliged & most obedient servant G. Sandby

Letter from Frederick Cornwallis [Archbishop of Canterbury] to the Duke of Newcastle [Chancellor of the University] asking for help to secure a benefice for the Professor of Divinity and protesting against Barton Wallop becoming Vice-Chancellor

Transcript

My Lord,

It was in the light of a public man, & with an intent to serve the University, that I took the liberty to propose, in conjunction with your Grace, to obtain some benefice for Dr Watson that might enable him to live in Cambridge, with a dignity becoming the Professor of Divinity. Your grace has kindly & generously proposed a plan that will well answer the purpose & which I fully approve of. As to your friend at Bury, your Grace may certainly command me. I at the same time, mentioned to your Grace that it would be well if it could be contrived, by way of exchange to prevent Mr Barton Wallop from claiming the Mastership of Magdalene College which he may do next Lady Day and which if he does he will, I think, disgrace both himself & the University. It is worth about £200 a year with a good Lodge. I submit this to your Grace's consideration & am my Lord with the truest regard,

your Grace's most faithful servant Frederick Cornwallis

Handwritten extract from the will of the Countess of Portsmouth [she died in 1762].

Transcript

Whereas I am entitled to the patronage, donation or free disposition of the Mastership of Magdalene College in the University of Cambridge, I do hereby give and bequeath the same to George Jennings of Newsells in the county of Hertford Esq & William Hervey of Chigwell in the County of Essex Esq & the survivors of them and to the Executrix, Administrators and assigns of such survivors for the term of 99 years. If the Honourable Barton Wallop Grandson of my dear husband John Earl of Portsmouth shall so long live upon trust to present or nominate the said Barton Wallop to the said Mastership upon the first vacancy thereof after he shall be duly qualified to take and hold the same. And it is my will that until the said Barton Wallop shall be duly qualified to take & hold the said Mastership my said trustees or the survivors of them or the Executors, Administrators or assigns of such survivors shall from time to time as the said Mastership shall become vacant nominate & appoint such person or persons to the said Mastership as the owner or owners for the time being of my capital mansion house at Audley End in the county of Essex shall nominate direct or appoint after the nomination & appointment of the said Barton Wallop then the said term of 99 years to cease & be paid

Deed of presentation of the Revd and Hon. Barton Wallop to the Mastership by the Hon. Sir John Griffin (Visitor) and George Jennings [named in the will of the Countess of Portsmouth]

A bond of resignation of the Mastership prepared and signed by George Sandby. This was a condition of his appointment as Master by the Countess of Portsmouth [Visitor] who wished to give the Mastership to her step grandson Barton Wallop when he came of age. This duly took place in 1774.

The bond was witnessed by John Palmer, Butler of Magdalene College and William Murfitt, cook of Magdalene College