In the mid-nineteenth century, a royal commission was appointed to investigate 'the state, discipline, studies, and revenues' of Cambridge University, and eventually recommended radical reforms. As part of its brief, it gathered records that had been preserved for centuries as the university evolved. Published in three volumes in 1852 under the title Documents Relating to the University and Colleges of Cambridge, the compilation, much of it in its original Latin, charts the university's emergence as one of the world's leading academic institutions and the challenges it faced along the way. This material remains a valuable resource for historians of British education and society. Volume 3 includes the original charters and statutes for ten of the colleges, from Magdalene (founded 1428) to Downing (1800), as well as decrees, deeds and, in the case of Trinity, royal letters.
