Identity area
Reference code
SJCR/SJAR/5/1/10/4
Unique identifier
Title
Date(s)
- 1875-2023 (Creation)
Level of description
Sub-sub-sub-series
Extent and medium
7 Folders, paper.
Context area
Name of creator
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Includes seating arrangements, notices, guest lists, invitations and correspondence for the annual Commemoration of Benefactors' Feast. Some files contain information on the elections of Fellows. Also includes schedules of guests from 1958-2014 [series incomplete].
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
The Feast is held every year, there should be a regular transfer of items from the Steward's Secretary annually.
System of arrangement
The items are arranged chronologically.
- items up to 2014 are stored in 115COLLEGE
- items from 2015 are stored in 166/COLLEGE
- Schedules of guests are stored in 82/TUTORIAL
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Note
The Port Latin Feast is held annually on 6th May to mark the day upon which St. John the Evangelist is said to have survived martyrdom in the year 92 A.D. under the rule of the Roman Emperor Domitian. The name 'Port Latin' comes from the Porta Latina (the 'Latin Gate') in Rome, before which St. John is reported to have survived unscathed immersion in a vat of boiling oil. He was subsequently exiled to the island of Patmos. The tradition of holding a Port Latin Feast at St. John's College has existed since at least the sixteenth century, with the earliest evidence for the celebrations dating from 1558.
Note
The Port Latin Feast is always held on 6 May (unless this falls on a Sunday or a Bank Holiday) which is St John Ante Portam Latinam (the Saint's day of St John the Evangelist). The feast is viewed by many Fellows as the most important event of the year. At one time attendance by Fellows was obligatory. The College invites distinguished guests from around the University, the local community and the wider world to the event.
Note
No Feast was held in 2021 due to the Coronavirus pandemic