Of the hundreds of materials that fill the archives of Rome's Venerable English College, there are two that especially stand out: a manuscript of the life of St. Thomas of Canterbury and the Red book, a continuous record of all students who have ever attended the college.
As the patron saint of the college, the manuscript of the life of St. Thomas of Canterbury was well protected, even surviving the ransacking of Rome in 1527.
PR. MAURICE WHITEHEAD
Archivist
It was locked away, probably somewhere in the wall, a bit like a tabernacle, that sort of design. It was kept there very, very carefully. And the troops who came to ransack Rome didn't realize it was there, and it escaped, and it survived today.
The ransacking is not the only hurdle that the Venerable English College has faced. Dating back to the time of the first student enrollment in 1579, the Red book has recorded many secrets. It recounts the period when the College was considered a threat to the emerging Reformed Church in England.
PR. MAURICE WHITEHEAD
Archivist
Many of the students, in the late years of Elizabeth I, and into the 17th century, took a new persona when they arrived in Rome. Took a new name, a new pair of names—a new Christian name, a new surname—to disguise themselves from English government spies who were watching the college.
The Red book now has over 4,000 names—featuring every student who has ever enrolled in the Venerable English College.
Professor Whitehead says the college is focused on raising funds to catalog their archives, increase access to the public and preserve these historic documents that recount the faith and heroism of the students.
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