For a basic understanding of the structure of the modern University, its governance (Regent House, Senate, Council and General Board) and governing processes (graces, reports, notices and discussions), see How the University and Colleges work and adjacent pages, and more specifically University governance guide: the Regent House for an explanation of the Regent House Roll, its members and the processes of reports, notices and graces.
Royal charters
| Charter of Edward I confirming the privileges of the University of Cambridge, 1291/2 (classmark: UA Luard 7*): | Digitised via CUDL. |
| Liber privilegiorum et libertatum alme universitatis Cantebrigiensis, Hare A (classmark: UA Hare A.I, II): transcripts of royal charters, letters patent and other documents granting and confirming the University’s privileges, compiled by Robert Hare ca. 1590: | Digitised via CUDL. |
| Grant of Arms to the University of Cambridge, 1573 (classmark: UA Arms 1): | Digitised via CUDL. |
Statutes and Ordinances of the University
The Statutes and Ordinances are the regulations governing all aspects of University business and its relationship with the Colleges; they provide the constitutional basis for the University to govern its affairs. The earliest recorded statutes date back to the thirteenth century. In 1571, the statutes were recognised in law in the Act of Parliament that incorporated the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Notable revisions of the statutes were produced in the 1850s (the first to be in English), 1882, 1883 (with College statutes), 1904 (with the Ordinances) and 1926.
| For a general explanation of the application and history of statutes and ordinances in University governance: | Governance explained: Statutes and Ordinances of the University |
| For a blog-post on significant records digitised on CUDL relating to the medieval University: | The medieval University goes online |
| For the most up-to-date edition of the Statutes and Ordinances and for older editions back to 2008: | https://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/so/ |
| Oldest University statutes compiled in the Old Proctor’s Book, c.1390 - c.1483 (classmark: UA Collect. Admin. 3), digitised via CUDL: | https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-UA-COLLECT-ADMIN-00003/1 |
| Documents relating to the University and Colleges of Cambridge 3 vols (London, 1852): see Vol. I, pp. 295-453, for an edition of Statuta Antiqua (from the Old Proctor’s Book): | Available online, via the Internet Archive. |
| Elizabethan statutes of the University of Cambridge, in force from 1570 until 1858-82 (classmark: UA Luard 187), digitised via CUDL: | https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-UA-LUARD-00187/1 |
| Documents relating to the University and Colleges of Cambridge 3 vols (London, 1852): see Vol. I, pp. 454-96, for an edition of the Elizabethan statutes: | Available online, via the Internet Archive. |
| Early Cambridge university and college statutes in the English language, collected by James Heywood (London, 1855): | Available online, via the Internet Archive. |
| Statutes of the University of Cambridge, with some Acts of Parliament relating to the University (Cambridge, 1882): | Available online, via the Internet Archive. |
| Statutes for the University of Cambridge and the colleges within it, made, published and approved (1878-1882) under the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge Act, 1877 (Cambridge, 1883): | Available online, via the Internet Archive. |
Grace Books
A grace was originally a personal exemption from statutory requirements granted by the Senate to those aspiring to a degree at Cambridge. With time, its meaning assumed a wider purpose in the routine business and decision making of the University, covering matters such as examinations and awards of degrees, changes to statutes and ordinances, creation or election of offices, discipline and so on. In the modern University, a grace is a proposal put to vote in the Regent House, the governing body of the University.
The four earliest Grace Books appear in published editions (no further editions have been produced). These volumes contain records of University business, both administrative and financial, as well as effectively serving as a register of degrees. From 1873 Cambridge University Reporter has been the official record of University administration.
| Liber Gratiarum Alpha (UA Grace Book Alpha), digitised via CUDL: | https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-UA-GRACE-BOOK-A/1 |
| Grace Book α: containing the Proctors’ accounts and other records of the University of Cambridge for the years 1454-1488 (Grace Book Alpha), edited for the Cambridge Antiquarian Society by Stanley Mordaunt Leathes, 1897: | Available online, via the Internet Archive. |
| Grace Book β: containing the Proctors’ accounts and other records of the University of Cambridge for the years 1488-1511 (Grace Book Beta), edited for the Cambridge Antiquarian Society with an introduction by Mary Bateson, 1903-5: | Available online, via the Internet Archive: Part I and Part II. |
| Grace Book Gamma: containing the records of the University of Cambridge for the years 1501-1542, edited by William George Searle (Cambridge, 1908): | Available online, via the Internet Archive. |
| Grace Book Delta: containing the records of the University of Cambridge for the years 1542-1589, edited by John Venn (Cambridge, 1910): | Available online, via the Internet Archive. |
Cambridge University Reporter
The official record of University administration from 1873 onwards, for: lecture lists, examination timetables and results, degrees conferred, reports and discussion of reports. Issues of the Reporter from the 1997-8 academical year to the present are available online: https://www.reporter.admin.cam.ac.uk/.