Founding of Dulwich College by Edward Alleyn
- When
- 1619
- Where
- Dulwich, London
- Episodes
- 1
Edward Alleyn founded the College of God's Gift in Dulwich in 1619 to educate poor scholars. The institution was established under letters patent from James I after Alleyn overcame legal objections from Francis Bacon.
Episodes
Background and detail
Background. Edward Alleyn, an Elizabethan actor, owned the Dulwich manorial estate from 1605. He conceived the idea of establishing a college or hospital for the poor and educating poor boys, eventually founding the College of God's Gift.
Founding. On 21 June 1619, the College of God's Gift was established in Dulwich. Alleyn secured letters patent from James I, overcoming objections from Lord Chancellor Francis Bacon regarding the patent of incorporation necessary for the foundation's status.
Structure. The charity initially comprised a Master, Warden, four fellows, six poor brothers, six poor sisters, and twelve poor scholars. These members became joint legal owners of Alleyn's endowment of the manor and lands of Dulwich.
People involved
- Edward Alleyn · Founder
- James I · Monarch
- Francis Bacon · Lord Chancellor
Sources
- Dulwich College Wikipedia, revision of 2026-07-31
- Edward Alleyn Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-31
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.