29 Dunster’s Accounts, Commencements, and Tuitions

    [ca. May 3 1654]

    Accompts of Commensments and Tuitions for the yeare 1640 to 1652.

    40

    not any

    00:00:00

    41

    Batchelers of Art.

    Anno

    42

    Commensments.

    09:00:00

    43

    Commensments.

    04:00:00

    44

    Commensments.

    00:00:00

    45

    Commensments.

    07:00:00

    46

    Commensments.

    04:00:00

    47

    Commensments.

    06:00:00

    48

    Commensments.

    00:00:00

    49

    Commensments.

    05:00:00

    50

    Commensments.

    09:00:00

    51

    Commensments.

    10:00:00

    52

    Commensments.

    00:00:00

    54:00:00

    To abate for 5 pore schollers [. . .]

    05:00:00

    rest

    49:00:00

    To alowe for Comensment Diner in 42 being att the presidents charge.

    Masters of Art.

    Anno

    45

    Commensments.

    04:00:00

    46

    Commensments.

    03:00:00

    47

    Commensments.

    00:00:00

    48

    Commensments.

    04:00:00

    49

    Commensments.

    03:00:00

    50

    Commensments.

    05:00:00

    51

    Commensments.

    00:00:00

    52

    Commensments.

    04:00:00

    23:00:00

    Tuitions.

    Anno

    40

    41

    42

    43

    Tuitions.

    10:12:00

    44

    Tuitions.

    12:03:04

    45

    Tuitions.

    16:12:09

    46

    Tuitions.

    12:00:00

    47

    Tuitions.

    48

    Tuition.

    25:18:021

    49

    Tuition.

    31:01:04

    50

    Tuitions.

    35:10:00

    51

    Tuitions.

    39:15:04

    52

    Tuitions.

    50:17:04

    233:10:03

    paid to the Fellows and other helpers £15 or therabouts from yeare 48 and befor £5 or therabouts so that the Committe alowes of £20.

    Debitor per Contra Creditor

    Mr. Henry Dunster President To 54 Comensments from

    by the first Commensment feast being at his owne charge

    09 :00 :00

    the yeare 42 to 52

    54:00:00

    by 5 scholers whoe had theyr commensment gratis

    05:00:00

    by printing of the thesis from 42 to 52 20sh. per annum

    10:00:00

    24:00:00

    so that ther is £30 for Commensments.

    30:00:00

    in Consideration therof is to be considered the Presidents entertayneing strayngers and not receyveing any tuition of any of the graduates which is payde in other colledges.

    Further Debitor Contra Creditor

    To Tuitions as apeares other side

    by alowanses to the fellowes from

    233:10:3

    1648 to 1652 £15 more before that tyme £5

    20:00:00

    213:10:3

    121:3 :5

    Rests

    213:10:03

    92:6 :10

    223:10:32

    The Committe find that the president hath received for his 12 years service by all waies and meanes the somes herafter expressed

    By: allowance further for scribes offices and other things paid by the president not so [convenient?] to be expressed

    40:00:00

    By abattement for tuitions of strangers and scolers of other colonys

    81:03:05

    121:03: 5

    Rests charge for tuitions

    092:06:10

    £

    s

    d

    To so much the Country the first yeare

    050:00:00

    To so much of the Ferry of Charlestowne for 6 yeares at £40 per annum

    240:00:00

    To so much of the contry in the 7 years

    056:00:00

    To the Ferry the last 5 yeares

    200:00:00

    To so much received for Tuitions

    092:06:10

    To so much for comencments

    030:00:00

    668:06:10

    Which some of £668:06s:10d makes annually for 12 years £55:13s:10d per annum.

    Disbursments out of the somes per contra Gifts and Revenues and study rents are Creditor

    Distribution to Fellowes toward their maintenance from the beginning untill 10 mo. (1652)

    By all Annuall Contributions of some Townes within the coloney of Massachusetts from

    out of the Coloneys

    £

    s

    d

    the year 1644 when contributions

    contributions

    179:

    14:

    4

    began til unto

    £

    s

    d

    By distributions unto poore scolers and such as did service for coledge or country out of the same contributions

    118:

    10:

    8

    1652 total is

    188:

    3:

    4

    By Annual Contributions from the townes in other Coloneys

    078:

    15:

    03

    By so much paid for fraught and cariadge of the townes contributions

    012:

    06:

    6

    By particuler gifts from several persons in the colony of Massachusetts

    030:

    15:

    By so much allowed for 4 scolershipp for 4 yeares namely (48) (49) (50) (52)

    060:

    00:

    00

    By particuler gifts from persons in neighbor colonyes

    009:

    04:

    00

    By 15 pounds per anum allowed by the country for 4 scolershipp which is in consideration of the some of £162:16:4 in the country [treasury?] being the gifts of the Lady Moulson Mr. Bridges and other benefactors in England for 4 yeares past at 52

    60:

    00:

    00

    2 years more to be added paid this yeares

    By building and Reparations paid out of Studdy rents from anno (44) to (50)

    040:

    00:

    00

    By Studdy Rents: from 8 mo. 1644 unto 1646

    020:

    00:

    00

    By Studdy rents anno 1647: 1648: 49:

    020:

    00:

    00

    By Repations and buildings since 1650 untill 1652 [exclusively?]

    044:

    05:

    04

    By Studdy Rents from June (50) unto June (52)

    019:

    14:

    05

    Consideration to the Contrys gift 1653 how disposed when the president hath received 1653.

    [Endorsed:] account what received and what paid per estimation.

    Corporation Papers. There are two columns of figures at the end. This document appears to have been prepared in connection with the Committee’s report to the General Court, May 3, 1654. Most of the entries, starting with Dunster’s account, are duplicated in the following document, but here they are arranged in a different way.

    One of the interesting aspects of the accounts of “commencements” (graduation fees) is their occasional disagreement with figures given in the Quinquennial Catalogue. For instance: the Quinquennial indicates that seven students received the Bachelor’s degree in 1647, whereas the account for that year shows that only six graduation fees were charged. Similarly, the Quinquennial credits the Class of 1652 with one A.B., and the account for that year shows no graduation fee charged.

    The Quinquennial suggests that only two men received the Master of Arts in 1648; the account shows that four were charged the fee. That the degree was conferred on more than two persons in 1648 seems likely, for on August 14, 1648, Governor Winthrop wrote John Winthrop, Jr.: “There were 3 hopefull younge men commenced masters of Arte this last Commencement, one is Schoolmaster at Concord, another at Hartford and a 3 at [blank].” Winthrop Papers, v. 245. A facsimile of the page showing income from scholars appears as Plate 7 in M. S. Foster, “Out of Smalle Beginnings . . .”.