Dorothy Wadham facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dorothy Wadham
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1595 portrait of Wadham aged 60.
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| Born | 1534/1535 |
| Died | May 16, 1618 (aged 83–84) Edge, Devon, England
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| Known for | Founding Wadham College |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Parent(s) | Gertrude Tyrrell (mother) Sir William Petre (father) |
Dorothy Wadham (born Petre) (1534/1535 – 16 May 1618) was an important English woman who founded Wadham College, Oxford, which is one of the colleges that make up the famous University of Oxford. She was the first woman who was not part of the royal family or a noble to start a college at Oxford or Cambridge. Her husband was Nicholas Wadham (1531-1609). They lived at Merryfield in Somerset and Edge in Devon.
Her Early Life and Family
Dorothy was the second child, and the oldest who survived, of a very rich man named Sir William Petre (around 1505-1572). Her father was a Secretary of State for four different English rulers: King Henry VIII, King Edward VI, Queen Mary I, and Queen Elizabeth I. Sir William Petre became very wealthy by gaining a lot of land after the Dissolution of the Monasteries, when many religious buildings were closed down.
Dorothy's mother was Gertrude Tyrrell. We can guess Dorothy was born in 1535 because one of her portraits at Wadham College shows her at age sixty in 1595. When her mother Gertrude died in 1541, Dorothy was raised by her father's second wife, Anne. Dorothy was very good at writing and knew Latin, which suggests she was educated at home in Ingatestone Hall, Essex.
On 3 September 1555, Dorothy married Nicholas Wadham. They lived at Nicholas's family home, Merryfield, in Somerset. They never had any children.
At that time in England, there were strict rules about religion. Dorothy and Nicholas Wadham were suspected of being recusants, which meant they might have secretly followed the Catholic faith when it was not allowed. Because of this, Dorothy faced some difficulties, including having her weapons taken away. However, she was later officially pardoned.
Building a Legacy: Wadham College
When Nicholas Wadham died, Dorothy was in charge of carrying out his wishes, which included starting a college at Oxford University. She felt it was very important to follow her husband's will. She also added a lot of her own money to the funds her husband left, to help build and set up the college.
Nicholas had discussed his plans for the college with a man named Sir John Davis. Davis was involved in a political plot, which made the college plan risky. Dorothy worked hard to make sure Davis's involvement did not stop the college from being built. She used legal steps to make sure the college's future was secure without him.
A place for the college was bought in February 1610, and the architect William Arnold was hired to design the buildings. Even King James I helped by asking the Oxford City Council to lower the price of the land.
On 20 December 1610, Wadham College officially received its royal approval, called letters patent. Dorothy approved the college's rules in 1612, and the college officially opened in April 1613. Dorothy had the power to choose the Warden (the head of the college), the Fellows (teachers and researchers), and even the college cook! She never actually visited the college herself, but she communicated her wishes through her business agent, John Arnold.
Her Final Years
Dorothy Wadham passed away on 16 May 1618, at her home in Edge, Devon. Her body was taken to Merryfield and buried on 16 June next to her husband in the Wadham Chapel inside the Church of St Mary, Ilminster, Somerset. The memorial for Nicholas and Dorothy Wadham is the most important one in the church. Their brass memorial is considered one of the best in England from that time.
