Since the early 1500s, the Treasury atop the Muniment room has housed the College Chest. The chest is believed to have been constructed within this very room in order to securely store the College’s silver, money, and important books and documents. One such document is the Foundation Charter, signed and sealed by King Henry VIII. A copy of this charter now hangs above the chest.
The chest is made of panelled oak, with a hinged lid and three wrought iron locks and hasps numbered “1”, “2”, and “3.” Two of these outer locks are believed to have been added to the chest in around 1516. The three keys were then distributed between three different College Fellows. All three key holders had to be present to access the College treasures.
Christopher Pickvance, an expert on mediaeval chests who visited the College in 2018, described the chest as ‘very much a one-off.’ During his research on sixteenth century furniture, he recounted, it had emerged that the College chest was the earliest known dateable frame and panelled chest in the country. This design subsequently became common for expensive chests, whilst most (cheaper) medieval chests continued to be boarded.
Similarly, most chests throughout the 16th Century were built without feet or legs in order to aid travelling, particularly by cart or wagon.
The inclusion of feet in the College Chest’s design, then, is indicative of the intention for it to remain within the Treasury, as well as helping to ensure the preservation of its contents, raising them from the floor.
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