Foundation Robert Woodlark, Provost of
King's College, had begun preparations for the founding of a new college as early as 1459 when he bought tenements on which the new college could be built. The preparation cost him a great deal of his private fortune (he was suspected of diverting King's College funds), and he was forced to scale down the foundation to only three fellows. He stipulated that they must study
theology and
philosophy only. The college was established as "Lady Katharine Hall" in 1473. The college received its royal charter of incorporation in 1475 from
Edward IV. Woodlark may have chosen the name in homage to the mother of
Henry VI who was
Catherine of Valois, although it is more likely that it was named as part of the
Renaissance cult of
Catherine of Alexandria, a patron saint of learning. The college was formally founded on St Catherine's day (25 November) 1473. The
Catharine wheel, a symbol of the saint's martyrdom, appears on the college arms. The initial foundation was not well-provided for. Woodlark was principally interested in the welfare of fellows and the college had no undergraduates for many years. By 1550, however, there was a number of junior students and the focus of the college changed to that of teaching undergraduates.
The Robinson vote In 1861, the master,
Henry Philpott became
Bishop of Worcester, and stood down. Two of the five Fellows of the college stood for election:
Charles Kirkby Robinson and Francis Jameson. Jameson voted for his rival; however, Robinson voted for himself and won the election. The episode brought the college into some disrepute for some years. Robinson's long tenure as master only ended with his death in 1909.
Expansion and modern day As the college entered the 17th century, it was still one of the smallest colleges in Cambridge. However, a series of prudent masters and generous benefactors were to change the fortunes of the college and expand its size. Rapid growth in the fellowship and undergraduate population made it necessary to expand the college, and short-lived additions were made in 1622. By 1630 the college began to demolish its existing buildings which were decaying, and started work on a new court. In 1637 the college came into possession of the George Inn (later
the Bull Hotel) on
Trumpington Street. Behind this Inn was a stables which was already famous for the practice of its manager,
Thomas Hobson, not to allow a hirer to take any horse other than the one longest in the stable, leading to the expression "
Hobson's choice", meaning "take it or leave it". The college was granted new statutes in 1860 and adopted its current name. In 1880, a movement to merge the college with
King's College began. The two colleges were adjacent and it seemed a solution to King's need for more rooms and St Catharine's need for a more substantial financial basis. However, the Master (
Charles Kirkby Robinson) was opposed and St Catharine's eventually refused. In 1979, the membership of the college was broadened to welcome female students, and in 2006 the first woman was appointed as Master of the college,
Dame Jean Thomas. A history of the college was written by
W. H. S. Jones in 1936. In 2015, St Catharine's became the first college in Cambridge to implement a gender-neutral dress code for formal hall. During the 2020
COVID-19 pandemic, St Catharine's, in collaboration with
Cambridge Women's Aid, allowed women who were escaping domestic abuse to stay in college accommodation. Between 27 April and 3 September, women and children were provided with accommodation for a combined 1,456 nights. ==Buildings==