Editorial note

EDITORIAL NOTE

The plan for this volume, the fourth in the Cambridgeshire series to be published, was devised in 1935 by Mr. L. F. Salzman when Editor of the History. Many articles were then commissioned, and some of them had already been written by 1937. Little further progress, however, was made at that time and the Second World War inevitably brought things to a standstill. After Mr. Salzman's retirement in 1949 a few further articles were put in hand, but by 1952 it had become apparent that the volume would not be finished with any promptitude without some special financial assistance. At this juncture the University, Colleges, and City of Cambridge came readily to the aid of the University of London and in 1953 and 1954 subscribed a generous sum to meet the bulk of the editorial expenses. Their benevolence is here acknowledged with sincere gratitude. With the money raised it was possible to engage the part-time services of a local editor, Dr. J. P. C. Roach, Fellow of Corpus Christi College, who, apart from doing much of the detailed editorial work, himself wrote substantial sections. Mr. J. L. Kirby also rendered most useful editorial services. All the articles submitted before 1938 have been revised by their original authors, or, where the authors were no longer living, by others. The article on the City of Cambridge carries the story in general to 1951, the College articles to 1953, and the University article to 1956. The list of heads of houses has been corrected to 1958. The almost simultaneous publication of a volume on the buildings within the City by the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments has rendered it unnecessary to include more than a very little architectural information in this one. For the same reason the illustrations tend to portray the life of the City and University rather than their buildings. An index to this and the other three volumes of the Cambridgeshire History that have up to the present appeared will be published separately in the near future.

Very valuable assistance has been furnished to the editors by Mr. John Saltmarsh, Vice-Provost of King's College. It is here most gratefully recalled together with that rendered by Mr. W. A. Munford and Mr. E. Cave, successively City Librarians, and the members of their staffs. Much other help, no less welcome, is acknowledged in the footnotes.