TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE W. E. GLADSTONE, M.P., FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY, ETC.

We the undersigned beg to express an earnest hope that Her Majesty’s Government will afford their support to the following Resolution, which will be submitted to the House of Commons by Mr. Roundell, on the 9th of July:—¹

“That this House, while fully recognising the obligation to make provision for the due fulfilment of the requisitions of Sections 5 and 6 of ‘The Universities Tests Act, 1871’ (relating to religious instruction, and to morning and evening prayer in Colleges), deems it inexpedient that, save in the case of the Deanery of Christchurch, any clerical restriction shall remain, or be attached to, any Headship or Fellowship in any College of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.”

And that they will also support the following addition to such Resolution, to be proposed by Mr. Bryce:—²

“Or to the professorships of Hebrew and Ecclesiastical History in the University of Oxford, and the professorship of Hebrew in the University of Cambridge.”

When the Universities Tests Abolition Bill of 1871 was before Parliament, it was only by small majorities that proposals for the abolition of clerical Headships and Fellowships were rejected; one reason assigned for the opposition of the then Government to the proposal being that a Commission would probably be appointed to examine the whole question of the tenure of Fellowship and College offices.³ When, in 1877, the Bill for the appointment of Commissioners, with power to make Statutes for the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, and the Colleges therein, was brought in (by the Conservative Government), clauses providing for the abolition of clerical restrictions were rejected by the small majorities of nine, and twenty-two; notwithstanding the opposition of the Government, with its normally large majority.

At the present time, it is believed that in some of the Colleges the strong representations of the College authorities have induced the Commissioners to virtually assent to the abolition of the restriction, in the case of both the Headship and the fellowships. It is, however, understood that in other Colleges the clerical Headship will be retained, and that there will be a reduction only in the number of the clerical Fellowhips.

The Statutes have not yet been settled for the whole of the Colleges, and none of the Statutes will have force until they have been laid before Parliament. We are therefore desirous that, while the negotiations between the Colleges and the Commissioners are still in progress, there should be an expression of opinion on the part of the newly elected House of Commons that the principle of the Universities Tests Act of 1871 should be fully recognized by the Commissioners.

We are also of opinion that no sufficient reason can be advanced why the Chairs of Hebrew and of Ecclesiastical History at Oxford, and of Hebrew at Cambridge, should be filled only by clergymen of the Church of England, or ministers of any religious body, and that, in the interest of learning, and even of religion, as well as on the ground of justice, these Professorships should be thrown open to laymen.

We desire to call your special attention to the fact that Mr. Roundell’s Motion fully respects the compromise, in regard to religious instruction and worship in the Colleges, upon which the Universities Tests Abolition Act was based; it being understood to be practicable to make provision for such instruction and worship without the retention of the existing system of clerical Fellowships.

June, 1880.⁴