Definitely the
college with the silliest name in
Cambridge, and probably the most frequently misspelt (if punctuation errors for
Queens' are ignored). It was founded in
1348 as Gonville Hall by Edmund Gonville and then again by John Keys in
1557, who obviously was
pretentious enough to want to have is name spelt in
Latin. On or other of them decreed in the founding statutes that no
Welsh people or
cripples should enter the college - which I believe they may have recently dropped.
Keys was also keen on gates, and had three erected in the college for symbolic purposes: the gate of humility (marked 'humilitas'), the gate of virtue ('virtuis') and the gate of honour ('honoris') through which students pass when they graduate. Popular legend has it that 'necesitas' was one inscribed above on of the toilet doors
Quite rich, but rather behind Trinity and John's in the weath stakes. Consequentally, most of the buildings are quite pretty in a renaissance kind of way, although their more recent accomodation block Harvey Court is so ugly that it has been Grade II* listed.
Well-known Caians include: William Harvey (discovered blood circulation), John Venn (of the diagram fame), George Green (Green's Theorem, Green's Functions), Alain de Botton and Stephen Hawking is a fellow.