Cambridge in the 1830s

Alexander Chisholm Gooden was born in London in 1817. His father had made a fortune trading in Portugal; his mother was a leading member of Clan Chisholm, long remembered for her defence of the family's highland tenants against clearances and evictions. Alexander arrived at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1836, having previously been educated at the University of London. He was top of the Classical Tripos in 1840. In 1841 he went to Germany to read for a Trinity fellowship, and died there from peritonitis after rowing on the Rhine.The 169 letters between Gooden and his family and friends constitute a rich and hitherto unknown source for student life in Cambridge in the 1830s. The letters cover a wide range of topics: friendships, local politics, accommodation, clothing and bills, the personalities and vagaries of dons, and Gooden's health (he suffered from constipation). They also give a detailed picture of his career as a student of classics and mathematics, and after his examination success in 1840, as a private tutor to undergraduates. The differences between Cambridge and London styles of scholarship caused difficulties for Gooden; they offer the reader an unusual and interesting light on his struggle to succeed at Trinity.JONATHAN SMITH is Archivist at Trinity College Library, Cambridge; CHRISTOPHER STRAY is Honorary Research Fellow at the Department of Classics, University of Wales, Swansea.