ABSTRACT
The emergence of the English universities made an immense contribution to the economic life of Oxford and Cambridge and the surrounding areas. Barnwell Priory rented out Stone Hostel or Stone House, and in 1293 this was the subject of a dispute with the aspiring tenant, master Ralph of Leicester. Few licensed recreations were permitted by the university authorities or by the regimes of halls, hostels or colleges. The prohibitions on recreations imposed by colleges and halls are a mixture of sensible provisions and those that seem to be excessively severe. The evidence for minstrels in Oxford colleges dates mainly from the latefifteenth century, but earlier minstrel entertainments may be hidden from view because of lost or imperfect documentation. The ultimate success of the system was the gradual accumulation of properties that came to be identified as primarily for university use, whether as private lodgings, halls, hostels or schools.
