A very important petition

For students back in the 1860s, College food was as important an issue as it is today. Found amongst the records of the ‘Reform of servants committee’ (1854-1916), this petition, addressed to the then president Rev. Stephen Parkinson, summarizes the various grievances towards catering in the College. This includes:

   - A lack of tables
   - A lack of waiters (one waiter to six men would apparently be desirable)
   - An unsuitable carver
   - A lack of good beer (“We are willing to pay any fair and reasonable prices to procure some really good and drinkable beer”)

The petition then goes on to outline the students’ dissatisfaction with the pricing of the food, which in comparison with other colleges (many of which are listed) is extortionate:

“For the sum of 4/2 [shillings/pence], a dinner procured at St John’s College consisting of soup, meat, pastry, cheese & celery, whereas 2/6 only is charged at Magdalene College for a dinner similar in all respects except that fish is substituted for soup on alternate days.”

The rest of the petition can be read below. Whether these complaints were acted upon is unknown.

Article contributed by Richard Sellens, Graduate Library Trainee.