Edward Lightfoot gained his BA in 1584 and his MA in 1588. Little else is known about him.

Bequest to the Library

Lightfoot apparently left his whole library to St John's and over 30 volumes appear to have come from him. These consist chiefly of 16th-century classical editions, but also cover a range of other subjects including mathematics, agriculture, and alchemy. Several of the volumes given by Lightfoot also bear 16th-century blind-tooled bindings, one by Garrett Godfrey.

Provenance markings

The Wynn (or Gwynn) family of north Wales were well connected to St John's in the early 17th century. Both Robert Wynne, and his younger brother William, attended the College. Their father, Sir John, a baronet, landowner and antiquary, was one of the major sponsors of John Williams during his early career.

Jeremiah Holt gained his BA from St John's in 1599/1600, his MA in 1603 (in which year he also become a Fellow), and his BD in 1610. He was incorporated at Oxford in 1608. He was successively rector of Horton in Buckinghamshire, Stonham Aspal in Suffolk (from which he was ejected in 1644), and Thurlton in Norfolk. He is recorded as dying on the 27th November, but the year of his death is unknown.

Holt's gift to the Library

John Collins graduated BA from St Johns in 1596 and MA in 1599. He then studied for his MD, spending several years abroad, graduating in 1608. In 1613 he was elected to a Fellowship at St John's, and subsequently became a censor (1615), anatomy lecturer (1624), and Regius Professor of Physick (1626). In his post as anatomy lecturer he established dissections as part of the curriculum, although he may not have accepted the important discovery of circulation by his colleague William Harvey.

David Dolben was born in Denbighshire, came to St John's in 1602 and gained his MA in 1609. He was initially appointed vicar of Hackney, but later also gained a living in Denbighshire. Through this latter appointment he became successively prebendary of St Asaph, capital burgess of the town of Denbigh, and finally Bishop of Bangor in 1631. He published little and played no significant part in the religious controversies of the time.

Dolben's bequest to the Library

Abdias Ashton graduated BA from St John's in 1582, MA in 1585, BD in 1592, and was elected a Fellow in 1590. He was ordained deacon and priest at Peterborough in 1591, and was chaplain to the Earl of Essex, before becoming rector of Halesworth in Suffolk, and then moving to parishes in Yorkshire, and finally Lancashire.

Ashton's gift to the Library

Ambrose Gilbert gained his BA in 1614, followed by an MA in 1617, and BD in 1624. He was rector of Orsett in Essex.

Gilbert's bequest

Gilbert left various choice volumes to St John's, which were delivered to the Library in 1632. These are all late 16th- and early 17th-century theological works, including Bibles.

Provenance markings

The books given by Gilbert bear a simple book label. In translation it reads:

Given by the Reverend Ambrose Gilbert, Batchelor of Sacred Theology, and a most virtuous alumnus of this College.

The poet Edward Benlowes matriculated from St John's in 1620, staying for two years before finishing his education at Lincoln's Inn in London. After making the grand tour he settled at the family home, Brent Hall, near Finchingfield in Essex, and became a wealthy patron of the arts, particularly poetry. He often lavished gifts of books on his protégés, such as Francis Quarles, and on his old College, to which he also gave two globes. During the Civil War he played a minor role on the Royalist side, for which he was heavily fined by Parliament.

Robert Heath left St John's without taking his degree, to become a lawyer. A protégé of George Villiers, later Duke of Buckingham, Heath became recorder for the corporation of London in 1618, soliciter-general in 1621 and attorney-general in 1625. He was also MP for East Grinstead in the parliaments of 1624-5. After Buckingham's assasination in 1628 his career went into decline. He was made a judge in the Court of Common Pleas in 1631, but was dismissed in 1634, possibly due to the machinations of William Laud.

John Thompson gained his BA from St John's in 1616, and his MA in 1620, becoming a Fellow in the same year. He was MP for Cambridge from 1625 to 1626 and served as secretary to John Williams, his fellow Johnian.