Identity area
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Context area
Archival history
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Statutes are the regulations governing University business and the management of Colleges.
The College's 'foundation charter' of 1542 laid down that Lord Audley and his heirs should write the statutes to cover the governance of the College. Lord Audley died in 1544 and as nothing had been achieved he wrote in his will that his executors should draw up the statutes. His executors were Lady Elizabeth Audley, Edward Lord North, Sir Thomas Pope, Thomas Barber, and Edmund Martyn and they delivered the statutes on 10 February 1555.
In 1565 the foundation statutes were corrected and additions made. This was done on the original statutes rather than on a separate clean document. They were sent to the Master and Fellows by the then Visitor, Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk on 24 January 1565.
The 1565 Latin statutes were not superseded until a new set was written in 1860. Since then there have been revisions in 1882, 1926, 1957 and 1997.