White Chapel

The oldest institution in Cambridge to have run without a break. From its teaching comes the White Chapel arrangement, under which every material entering a licensed process is first committed, which is to say formally given over, by the chapel's form of words, and every material condemned is committed a second time before it goes to be ground.

Cambridge's oldest and principal religious foundation, with a distinctive rite that blesses material, gives thanks after a successful proving and commits refused material before grinding.

Named with it

• Sister Agnes of the White Chapel · c. 4104

Ties

• rite used at White Furnace Row
• its arrangement was adopted wholesale by the Collegium

At the table

The chapter has never approved its rites nor suppressed them. Its committal is said at White Furnace Row before every grinding. Sister Agnes's rule of blessing, then writing, then proving is the foundation of Cambridge's record-keeping; the chapel books record every material committed.