Abstract
The object of this paper is to examine possible reasons for the emergence of the Cambridge Mathematical Tripos, an institution which was to serve as a model for the introduction of competitive examinations throughout nineteenth-century Britain. After tracing the evolution of the Tripos, the links between this examination and the changing pattern of teaching within the University are investigated and the possible influence of the threatened parliamentary visitation of 1749 on the formation of the Tripos is also discussed. The degree to which the early Tripos served meritocratic ideals is investigated through an analysis of the pattern of appointment to fellowships and college livings. Lastly, the reasons why mathematics loomed so large in Cambridge's early examination system are explored and the situation there contrasted with that at Oxford where logic, rather than mathematics, remained pre-eminent.
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