Catalogue description Exchequer: Treasury of Receipt: Deeds relating to Cardinal Wolsey's Colleges in Oxford and Ipswich

This series consists of 82 deeds from the Exchequer Treasury of Receipt relating to Cardinal Thomas Wolsey's foundations of colleges at Oxford in June 1525, and in his home town of Ipswich in July 1528.

Together with the surrenders in E 24 and other related records, they constitute the archive of the establishment of Wolsey's colleges.

This process of suppression and endowment created a great deal of documentation, much of which is in this series. It includes ratifications, confirmations and inspeximus of the papal bulls, giving Wolsey authority to suppress the houses, by letters patent; commissions of enquiry into the houses; licenses to Wolsey to found the colleges by letters patent; grants to Wolsey of the sites and possession of the suppressed houses by letters patent; mortmain licences to appropriate rectories by letters patent; and Wolsey's private deeds of foundation and endowment to the colleges under his seal as archbishop of York.

Most of the deeds in this series are calendared in Letters and papers, foreign and domestic of the reign of Henry VIII, ed J F Brewer et al, iv (London, 1862).