Series 1 - Tutors

Tutors appear first in the medieval university (as early as the late thirteenth century) principally as the 'tueator' or 'creditor', an older companion who accompanied a scholar to look after his well-being and finances. In the halls and hostels, however, the principals or senior members who came to discharge that function also had some say in supplementing the university lectures and disputations with similar classes in hall and hostel; and thus an academic role accompanied the financial and social. The foundation of colleges meant that fellows, who initially shared rooms with undergraduates, assumed these roles.

When the Colleges attracted fee-paying undergraduate students in large numbers in the sixteenth century the teaching role of many fellows became widespread, their roles as accountant and guarantor for the student also continuing.

The Tutors’ function at Cambridge has become different from that at Oxford, where it is still the title of the teaching officers. At Cambridge this was true as long as tutors lectured in College, appointing Assistant Tutors to help them, but from the mid nineteenth century this task was mainly taken over by a number of specially appointed college lecturers, and from the late nineteenth century these were supported by supervisors who took over the task of class and individual teaching.

The tradition of ‘coaching’ at Cambridge, stimulated by the maths tripos, also encouraged the idea of teaching individuals, especially when ‘coaches’ worked under the aegis of the colleges, some being fellows.

The individual Tutors remained until 1900 in charge of their pupils’ accounts, and this was a private relationship, the Tutor standing in loco parentis. After 1900 when finances were centralised through the appointment of a Tutorial Bursar the Tutors remained supervisors of their pupils’ general welfare, and in charge of organizing admissions to the College. This function was to some extent co-ordinated from 1926 with the appointment of a Senior Tutor, but into the late 1960s St. John’s retained an Admissions Committee of Tutors.

The appointment of Tutors, whose numbers varied over time, lay in the hands of the Master until 1860 and then in the hands of the Master and Seniors, and, after 1882, of the College Council. The names of Tutors are recoverable from the General Admissions Registers after 1630, and in 1584-1586 from the Register of Fellows 1545-1612, pp.413, 426-427.
For a list of tutors from 1861 to 1968 see appendix to The Eagle, Easter 1971

College tutors remained until 1900 in charge of their pupils’ accounts, and this was a private relationship. After 1900 when finances were centralised through the appointment of a Tutorial Bursar the tutors remained supervisors of their pupils’ general welfare, and in charge of organising admissions to the College. This function was to some extent co-ordinated from 1926 with the appointment of a Senior Tutor, but into the late 1960s, St. John’s retained an Admissions Committee of Tutors.