Clare Through Time
Each month, the archives of Clare College present a document created in the same month of a previous year since the College's foundation. We hope that these documents will shed light on the history of the College and promote greater awareness and use of the College archives. For past featured documents please click here.
If you would like any further information about the featured document or any of the past featured documents or would like to join the Clare Through Time mailing list for notifications when the monthly document is updated please contact the archivist.
May 2012 - Footballs and scarlet stockings
Some of the most interesting records surviving in the College archives that provide an insight into the lives of students at Clare during the 17th and early 18th centuries are the tutor's account books. In these are listed in detail the individual costs that students incurred whilst studying at Clare from the price of "a penknife, inke, paper and quills" to that of purchasing and repairing clothes and shoes. Of course many students also spent their money on textbooks and dining out with friends.
One such student was James Westhorpe who came up to Clare in 1662; he was sent down in 1666 although he was later ordained a priest at Peterborough. The accounts show James was very generous to his friends, enjoyed parties and ate out fairly often. They also suggest, however, that he was quite a temperamental character who may well have become quite frustrated whilst trying to learn the violin with paying "the joyner for making up his viall [violin]" on the 10th April 1666 and only three weeks later on the 30th April paid 4 shillings "for a new bow and strings and mending his violl [violin]". There are also many other entries in the accounts relating to the repairing and mending of his violin whilst he was learning to play it at Clare.
James' colourful character is further shown through an entry on the 15th May 1663 which states
"Paid then to ye vicechancellours servant in his owne presence ten shillings which he was adjudged by the court to pay to Rawleigh of Pembroke Hall for repair of his gowne torn in a quarrell, where Westhorpe was not in fault but punished"
A few days later on the 18th May 1663 it is quite possible Westhorpe had a fight in his room relating to this incident with the entry in the accounts reading
"To French for Westhorpes study mending for shelves and a cupboard and deske, rebinding of five bookes and mending windows - 9 shillings"
There are also references throughout James' accounts to him breaking things belonging either to himself or others including the repair of many door locks and the replacement of lost keys. One thing James carelessly broke on the 1st February 1664 was his arm which seems to have happened at the same time he was charged for "a new locke to his studye". Considering Westhorpe's tendency to enjoy himself and lose keys it would not be too hard to imagine him spending an evening in one of Cambridge's many taverns, losing his keys, coming back to his room at Clare without his keys and then breaking the door down to get into his room and as a result breaking his arm.
Unfortunately very little is known of Westhorpe after his time at Clare except that he left a debt of £3 14s 10d with the College which remained until 1700 when it was cleared, coincidentally on the admission of another James Westhorpe who is believed to have been his son.
Please click on the thumbnails below to view the pages of Westhorpe's accounts.
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