Harriet Wheelock / Tuesday 27 July 2010 Archive Item of the Month, July 2010 – The first College Minute Book This not terribly exciting looking volume contains one of the oldest items in the College archive; in a much later binding it holds the first set of College minutes. In 1692 the College, which had been established in 1654, petitioned King William III and Queen Mary II for a new charter, this was granted on 15 December 1692 and established the King and Queen's College of Physicians in Ireland. The charter limited the number of Fellows to 14, who were to hold office for life, unless they were removed for misdemeanours or non-residence. Unlike the previous charter, the 1692 charter did include discriminations against Catholics, due to the fear of Irish Catholic support of a Jacobite restoration. Seven fellows were nominated in the Queen's letter that accompanied the charter, they were Patrick Dun (President), Charles Willoughby, Ralph Howard, Christopher Dominick, John Madden, Duncan Cuming and Thomas Molynex; these seven were to name seven others to join them as fellows.[1] The first meeting of the newly reorganised college was held on 1 January 1692/3. The minutes in the volume give the date of each meeting, a brief summary of the business discussed, and the signatures of those fellows present. The minutes of one of the early meetings shows that it was not just the set up of the College that had changed; the new charter also gave the College new rights: 'Feb. 18 1692/3. At a meeting of the President and Fellows of the King and Queen's College of Physicians in Ireland. It was ordered to be taken notice of that this day the body of a malefactor who was this day executed was demanded of the Sheriff of the City of Dublin by order from the President and five of the Fellows according to a priviledge granted to the College of Physicians by their majesties' new charter. The said body was accordingly delivered upon the forsd. order and was brought to a convenient place were Dr. Gwyther, one of the Fellows of the said College is to dissect the same.'[2]The 1692 Charter allowed the College to dissect the body of six executed criminals each year, as long as they were decently buried. This was not the first time that dissections had taken place in Dublin, or indeed in the College, but the 1692 Charter was the first time that a formal grant for dissection in Ireland had been made. [3] [1] Wildness, J D H, The History of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (1963) [2] Minute Book of the King and Queen's College of Physicians, 1692/3 – 1717 [3] Hopper, A C B, 'Dublin Anatomy in the 17th and 18th Centuries', Dublin Historical Record, Vol. 40, No. 4, Sep. 1987 Images: * First Minute Book of the King and Queen's College of Physicians * Engraving of King William III and Queen Mary II * Minutes of meeting 18 February 1692/3 All from the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland Archive.