15th Century - Alumni Cantabrigiensis

There is an entry in Alumni Cantabrigiensis showing that John GREE was a student at Queens College in the University of Cambridge. It reads:

B.A. 1472-3, as Cree; M.A. 1475-6; B.D. 1484-5. Proctor, 1482-3. Fellow of QUEENS', 1484-93. R. of St Botolph's, Cambridge, 1492.

A further reference is in a list of Fellows & Presidents of Queens' College, Cambridge, 1448-1599 by Dr Jonathan M. Holmes (John Gree/Cree was a Fellow not President):

1484-1493 John Gree or Cree, M.A., B.D. Proctor. Rector of St Botolph's, Cambridge, of St Michael's, Harbledown, Kent, Chaplain of the Black Prince's Chantry in Canterbury Cathedral.

(Web link no longer works.)

Commentary

Alumni Cantabrigiensis* is a list, with brief biographies, of all graduates of Cambridge University.

It is of great interest that the list notes that John's entry for BA was written as Cree. In our researches over many years we have never met the surname Gree. We would say therefore that the BA entry, CREE, is likely to be the correct one, rather than the later ones.

This is of great significance because we have very few Cree references this early in England. John Cree could of course be a Scotsman. The name was more common in Scotland at that time and many Scots attended Cambridge University.

*Alumni Cantabrigiensis: a biographical list of all known students, graduates and holders of office at the University of Cambridge from the earliest times to 1900 [Part 1:] J. Venn and J.A. Venn, From the earliest times to 1751 (4 vols; Cambridge, 1922-1927) Part 2: J.A. Venn, From 1752 to 1900 (6 vols; Cambridge, 1940-1954) (reprinted in facsimile, 1974-1978)