St Cuthbert's Society

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St Cuthbert's Society
Durham University

Motto

Gratia gratiam parit
Friendship begets friendship

Colours

Named after

Cuthbert of Lindisfarne

Established

Thursday 25th October 1888

Principal

Prof Roy Boyne

Senior Tutor

Sharon Richardson

President of the Society

Tom Foulser (2009/10)

Undergraduates

1144

Postgraduates

Website

St Cuthbert's Society

JCR Website

cuths.com

Campus

Durham City

St Cuthbert's Society, almost universally known as Cuth's, is a collegiate body of the University of Durham. It was founded in 1888 by non-resident students not wishing to affiliate with the two existing colleges of the University (Hatfield College and University College). It is named after Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, whose body rests behind the high altar in nearby Durham Cathedral. St Cuthbert's was the third of Durham's colleges to be founded, following University and Hatfield College. It is located on Durham's peninsula - and as such qualifies as one of the University's Bailey colleges - and guarantees accommodation to all first year students and encourages second, finalists and postgraduates to live in if spaces are available (465 in total)

1 Relationship with the University
2 Location
3 Traditions
4 Coat of Arms
5 Boat Club
6 Principals of St Cuthbert's Society
7 Presidents of St Cuthbert's Society
8 Distinguished Alumni
9 Further reading
10 External links

[edit] Relationship with the University

St Cuthbert's foundation as a Society differed from that of the earlier colleges in that it was founded as much by its students as established by the University, and was originally an entirely non-residential Society. Other Societies followed: St Aidan's Society is now St Aidan's College, and the Graduate Society is now Ustinov College; but St Cuthbert's is the only college which has been permitted by the University to retain the title "Society". However, since 1947, the management of the Society rests with the Principal, Senior Tutor and Bursar. The "President of the Society" is still the honorary title for the elected member of the student body who has the responsibility for managing the JCR with the support of the JCR Executive.

[edit] Location

St Cuthbert's Society

Door,12 South Bailey

The Society is split on two sites with most central facilities provided at its main site at the end of the South Bailey, in and around a large, late seventeenth century building. Notable among these facilities is the dining hall and bar, which is the only Durham college bar to have regular day-time, as well as evening, opening.

There is accommodation for 110 students on the Bailey and 355 students at its Parson's Field site off Old Elvet. The Parson's Field site includes Refounders House, Brooks House, Fonteyn Court and Parsons Field Court. Brooks House, a new 192-bedroom accommodation block, named after a former Principal, Professor Leslie Brooks, was completed by the start of the 2006-2007 academic year.

[edit] Traditions

St Cuthbert's Society's patron, St Cuthbert, continues to be remembered annually, if somewhat incongruously for an ascetic, in 'The Feast', a traditionally members-only banquet held on or near St Cuthbert's Day feast day on 20 March.

Another, summer-based, event is 'Cuth's Day'. This includes entertainment conducted on, off and in the River Wear - which curls around the foot of the college's gardens - live music, and a day-long garden party.

In contrast, more solemn events, held on both Cuth's Day and the traditional ecclesiastical festival, comprise a silent gathering of Cuth's students at the shrine of St. Cuthbert at the east end of Durham Cathedral at dawn, followed by a hearty breakfast in one of the city's better hotels.

The surviving Refounders of St Cuthbert's Society hold a reunion weekend every September. Also, the Founders of St Cuthbert's Society are remembered at the annual Founders' Formal and past Presidents attend the President's Formal.

It must be said that the traditions range far wider than these social events, as follows:

[edit] Coat of Arms

The original seventh century pectoral cross of St Cuthbert was discovered when his grave was opened in 1827, and is now preserved in the cathedral treasury. The motto, gratia gratiam parit, appears in the Adagia of Erasmus, a collection of Greek and Latin adages, and can be loosely translated as ‘friendship begets friendship’ or ‘kindness begets kindness’. The full coat of arms includes an eider duck as the crest. This is because, while resident in the Farne Islands, St Cuthbert instituted special laws to protect these and other seabirds nesting there, creating what may have been the first bird protection laws anywhere in the world. Consequently, eider ducks have long been known as 'cuddy ducks' (Cuthbert's ducks) in the Pitmatic dialect as spoken in Northumberland.

[edit] Boat Club

Launched in the summer of 1893, five years after the foundation of St Cuthbert's Society itself, it then entered two boats in the inter-collegiate races. The next year the Club won its first trophy - the Challenge Pairs - and acquired its boathouse. This building remained the hub of the Club's activities.