Cromwell himself was particularly interested in a new university at Durham which he viewed as important in order to help with the propagation of the gospel in those 'dark places' of the North.

[10] It had an effective life of 1656 (when Cromwell and his Privy Council issued an order for the founding of the College) to 1659, being dissolved officially in 1660.

[19] Georg Ritschel, then teaching in Newcastle, who was a Comenian reformer in contact with the Hartlib Circle, may have acted as a tutor in 1657.

[20] The letters patent had mentioned besides Hunton and Hill as a Senior Fellow or Preacher: The College never scaled up to these intentions.

According to Fowler, "on April 22 [Richard Cromwell] directed that a grant which had been drawn up to make the College a University should not be sealed until further order".