Several causes contributed to render the king’s appeal through the medium of the bishops of slight avail. In the first place, the expenses attending the collection of briefs were then inordinate. The money, after it had been gathered, passed through many hands, each of which took care to attach a portion to itself; while the efforts made about the same time to push forward the building of St. Paul’s Cathedral stood very much in the way of the completion of King James’s College. { 188} With James I. died the only conscientious supporter, excepting the founder, and a few churchmen; the death of Sutcliffe was a deadly blight upon the prospects of his infant college. It was afterwards converted into a place for prisoners of war; and, with the manor, of which the Parliament took forcible possession, was ultimately put up to sale. Darley says, “It became a cage of unclean beasts, a stable for horses; and not only a place to make leaden guns in, but desired also for a palcestra to manage great horses and to practise horsemanship.” A print of the original design of this college was prefixed to a small book, called “The Glory of Chelsey College,” by John Darley, B.D., Rector of Northill, Cornwall. 1662. Archbishop Laud called it sneeringly “Controversy College.”
In 1667, Charles II. resolved on granting this college to the Royal Society, which was about that time incorporated. And as a grant of the manor of Chelsea had been made to the Duke of Hamilton by Charles I., the heirs of that nobleman now conveyed it to Andrew Cole, in trust, for that learned body. The Society, however, did not hold their sittings in it, probably from its dilapidated state; they ultimately conveyed it, in 1681, to Sir Stephen Fox, for the king’s use, in order to build Chelsea Hospital, for the sum of £1,300.
I will now give a description of the establishment of Chelsea Hospital. The building, as it now stands, was begun by Charles II., continued during the short reign of his successor, and completed by William and Mary.
It has been just stated that the site of King James’s College was purchased of the Royal Society for the purpose of erecting this Hospital; but not being found sufficient, the lands lying between the College and the river Thames, and that in front of the present Hospital, now called Burton’s Court, were also purchased of Lord Cheyne and Sir Thomas Grosvenor, for about the sum of £1100. About twenty-two acres of this land, lying on the eastern side, were, in 1690, granted by the Crown to the Earl of Ranelagh.