Oxford appears as both a place of learning and a point of reference in the court’s movements. Reginald Pole’s studies at Magdalen College connect it to royal patronage and scholarly promise, while the court’s proximity to Oxford places it within the wider setting of Thomas Wolsey’s government and Thomas More’s public responsibilities.

Education at Magdalen College

Henry VIII offers to pay Reginald Pole’s fees and secures him a place at Magdalen College, Oxford. The opportunity follows Margaret Pole’s account of her son’s studies with the Carthusian brothers, and she presents the king’s support as a considerable favor. For Reginald, however, advancement carries a personal cost: he understands that he will again live away from his family while they are together at court.

Reginald later completes his studies and returns with an impressive reputation. He is described as a promising scholar and as the best Latinist in his college, and even in the town. Oxford thus marks a period of separation as well as achievement: the education that prepares him for distinction also keeps him apart from his household.

The Court Near Oxford

At Easter 1518, while Margaret and her family celebrate at Bisham, the royal court is traveling near Oxford. Henry VIII is inaccessible, and the business of the realm is entrusted to Thomas Wolsey. His clerks write royal letters, his surveyors assess prices, and his advisers determine policy; Thomas More serves as a trusted intermediary between the king and Wolsey.

Oxford’s place in this account is primarily geographical rather than political: it locates the moving court during a period when royal government is conducted through Wolsey’s expanding household. More is also given responsibility for the health of the court. He orders households with a sick member to display a bundle of hay at the door as a warning to others. Although some people object that the measure marks out the poor, Margaret writes to thank More for his care and sends him medicinal oils when she hears that he is ill. The carrier takes the basket to More at Abingdon, near Oxford, linking the place to the networks of service and correspondence surrounding the court.