Gresham College
<h3>Founding and early years</h3>
<p>Sir Thomas Gresham, founder of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Exchange(London)" class="mw-redirect" title="Royal Exchange (London)">Royal Exchange</a>, left his estate jointly to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_London_Corporation" title="City of London Corporation">City of London Corporation</a> and to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercers%27_Company" class="mw-redirect" title="Mercers' Company">Mercers' Company</a>, which today support the college through the Joint Grand Gresham Committee under the presidency of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Mayor_of_London" title="Lord Mayor of London">Lord Mayor of London</a>. Gresham's will provided for the setting up of the College – in Gresham's mansion in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishopsgate" title="Bishopsgate">Bishopsgate</a>, on the site now occupied by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_42" title="Tower 42">Tower 42</a>, the former NatWest Tower – and endowed it with the rental income from shops sited around the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Exchange(London)" class="mw-redirect" title="Royal Exchange (London)">Royal Exchange</a>, which Gresham had established.
The early success of the College led to the incorporation of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Society" title="Royal Society">Royal Society</a> in 1663,<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gresham_College#cite_note-1">[1]</a></sup> which pursued its activities at the College in Bishopsgate before moving to its own premises in Crane Court in 1710. The College remained in Gresham's mansion in Bishopsgate until 1768, and moved about London thereafter until the construction in 1842 of its own buildings in Gresham Street EC2. Gresham College did not become part of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_London" title="University of London">University of London</a> on the founding of the University in the 19th century, although a close association between the College and the University persisted for many years. Since 1991, the College has operated at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barnard%27s_Inn" title="Barnard's Inn">Barnard’s Inn Hall</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holborn" title="Holborn">Holborn</a> EC1.
The seven original Gresham College Professorships that date back to the origins of the college are as follows:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gresham_Professor_of_Astronomy" title="Gresham Professor of Astronomy">Astronomy</a></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gresham_Professor_of_Divinity" title="Gresham Professor of Divinity">Divinity</a></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gresham_Professor_of_Geometry" title="Gresham Professor of Geometry">Geometry</a></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gresham_Professor_of_Law" title="Gresham Professor of Law">Law</a></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gresham_Professor_of_Music" title="Gresham Professor of Music">Music</a></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gresham_Professor_of_Physic" title="Gresham Professor of Physic">Physic</a></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gresham_Professor_of_Rhetoric" title="Gresham Professor of Rhetoric">Rhetoric</a></li>
</ul>
<p>These original endowed chairs reflect the curriculum of the medieval <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University" title="University">university</a> (the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trivium_(education)" class="mw-redirect" title="Trivium (education)">trivium</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadrivium" title="Quadrivium">quadrivium</a>); but as a place for the public and frequent voicing of new ideas, the college played an important role in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Enlightenment" class="mw-redirect" title="The Enlightenment">the Enlightenment</a> and in the formation of the Royal Society. Early distinguished Gresham College professors included <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Wren" title="Christopher Wren">Christopher Wren</a>, who lectured on astronomy in the 17th century and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Hooke" title="Robert Hooke">Robert Hooke</a>, who was Professor of Geometry from 1665 until 1704.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gresham_College#cite_note-3">[3]</a></sup></p>