On 6th August 1348 Edward III founded two new colleges, symbols of his devotion and generosity to the church.
The first of these was the College of St Stephen at Westminster Palace, and the second, the College of St George at Windsor Castle.
The term 'College' was not used in the more modern sense of an academic institution, but rather to describe a group of clergy and laity who live and work together as a community, and this remains the case today. Members of the College live in the various cloisters around the Chapel and ensure that daily prayers are said for the Sovereign and for the Companions of the Order of the Garter.
Unquestionably, the Chapel is central to the College - it is the life-blood of our being! It is a Royal Peculiar, properly called the Queen's Free Chapel of St George: 'free' because is falls under the jurisdiction of the Sovereign and not that of the Archbishop or a Diocesan Bishop.
When Edward III first founded the Order of the Garter, in 1348, it would consist of the Sovereign, the Prince of Wales and 24 members. Things have changed and there are now also Stranger Knights - the sovereigns of other countries:
Edward III also called for the appointment of the Poor Knights who would live at the Castle and whose job it was to pray daily for the Garter Knights. In 1833, their name was changed to the Military Knights of Windsor. There are twelve of them and they have their own Governor. All have had distinguished careers in the services and they still process for Matins every Sunday morning, and for all the special services in the year. The Obit services are held at various stages in the year and commemorate the Founders of the College: all members of the College, including the Military Knights, have to be present for these Obit services
The statutes of 1352 ordained that 'one of the said Vicars more learned than the rest in instructing grammar and singing shall be bound diligently to instruct the said chorister boys of the same Chapel in grammar and singing'. This was the start of the school, making one of the oldest continuous Prep Schools in the country.
The College has its own Archive Department with a wonderful collection of books and manuscripts dating as far back as the Middle Ages, and in 1966, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh opened St George's House, which continues to serve as a conference centre for courses and consultations, including both lay people and clergy, where they examine important issues facing contemporary society. Consultations take place throughout the year and more recently have been extended to include younger adults of school going age, who pursue the issues of leadership and cultural diversity in secondary and tertiary level education.
The organisation of The Friends of St George provides a world-wide network of support for the St George's Chapel. The running costs of any such large institution are considerable, but when you add the complexity of historic buildings, artwork, book and manuscript collections, stained glass windows and the need to maintain a lively and thriving church community within a geographical position of unprecedented security, you are multiplying this cost at least tenfold and more! The Friends supply some of this support with reasonably modest membership donations, but additionally there is also a Development Office who source philanthropic donations of more considerable size, to fund those restoration projects which run in many millions of pounds.