'Town and Gown' joined forces on Sunday 23 September to celebrate Cambridge's octocentenary. University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Alec Broers, and the Mayor of Cambridge City, Councillor Chris Lakin, planted a tree in the Botanic Garden, as a celebration of the important role that the University has had in the development of Cambridge throughout its 800-year history.

'Town and Gown' joined forces on Sunday 23 September to celebrate Cambridge's octocentenary. University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Alec Broers, and the Mayor of Cambridge City, Councillor Chris Lakin, planted a tree in the Botanic Garden, as a celebration of the important role that the University has had in the development of Cambridge throughout its 800-year history.

In a special ceremony attended by Cambridge City Councillors and Officers as well as University representatives, and the city's Octocentenary Steering Group, the Vice-Chancellor and the Mayor planted a big cone pine, Pinus coulteri, along the Garden's Main Walk.

The big cone pine has been chosen because it is an unusual and spectacular specimen, which should eventually reach a height of 30 metres and bear immense cones up to 30 centimetres long. It also grows well in Cambridge and should be long-lived.

During the ceremony, the Mayor and Vice-Chancellor were each presented with a copy of Darwin's Mentor, John Stevens Henslow, 1796-1861, a new biography by Max Walters, a former Director of the Botanic Garden and Anne Stow, a former University librarian. The book was published earlier this month by Cambridge University Press.

John Stevens Henslow was Professor of Botany at the University, during which time he taught Charles Darwin. He was also the moving force behind the Botanic Garden's move to its present 40-acre site from the city centre in 1846.

This year's octocentennial celebrations in Cambridge mark the granting of a charter to the city in 1201. Before that date, the town of Cambridge was held by King John, and administered on his behalf by the county Sheriff. The burgesses continually sought to get this jurisdiction passed into their own hands, to take control of their own affairs and deal directly with the King.

The Charter secured Cambridge most of the franchises which the chief towns of England enjoyed at the beginning of the 13th century, including the right to have a Guild of Merchants, whose members were free of tolls throughout the King's lands. All civil cases between burgesses would be held in the town. In addition a fair could be held in Rogation Week at Reach.

The University's octocentenary will be in 2009. 1209 is the earliest record of the University, when groups of scholars migrated and settled in Cambridge, taking refuge from hostile townsmen in Oxford. There were enough of them by 1226 to have set up an organisation, represented by an official called a Chancellor. They seemed to have arranged regular courses of study, taught by their own members. King Henry III took them under his protection as early as 1231 and arranged for them to be sheltered from exploitation by their landlords.

Photo: Neville Taylor


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