Excerpt from the College's Royal Charter

William and Mary, by the grace of God, of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, King and Queen, Defenders of the Faith, and so forth. To all to whom these our present letters shall come, greeting.

Forasmuch as our well-beloved and trusty subjects, constituting the General Assembly of our Colony of Virginia, have had it in their minds, and have proposed to themselves, to the end that the Church of Virginia may be furnished with a seminary of ministers of the gospel, and that the youth may be piously educated in good letters and manners, and that the Christian Faith may be propagated amongst the Western Indians, to the glory of Almighty God, to make, found, and establish a certain place of universal study, or perpetual College of Divinity, Philosophy, Languages, and other good Arts and Sciences, consisting of one President, six Masters or Professors, and an hundred scholars, more or less, according to the ability of the said college; and the statutes of the same, to be made, increased, diminished, or changed upon the place, by certain trustees nominated and elected by the General Assembly aforesaid: to wit, our trusty and well-beloved Francis Nicholson, or Lieutenant Governor in our Colonies of Virginia and Maryland, William Cole, Ralph Wormly, William Byrd, and others, or the major part of them, or of the longest livers of them, upon the south side of York River, or elsewhere, where the General Assembly itself shall think more convenient, within our Colony of Virginia, to be supported and maintained in all time coming.

And forasmuch as our well-beloved and trusty the General Assembly of our Colony of Virginia aforesaid, has humbly supplicated us, by our well-beloved in Christ, James Blair, Clerk, their agent duly constituted, that we would be pleased not only to grant our royal license to the said Francis Nicholson, and others, to make, found, erect and establish the said college, but also to extend our bounty and beneficence toward the erection and foundation of the same, in such a way and manner as to us shall seem more expedient: We, taking the premises seriously into our consideration, and earnestly desiring that, as far as in us lies, true philosophy, and other good and liberal arts and sciences may be promoted, and that the said orthodox Christian Faith may be propagated; and being willing, that forever hereafter there should be one such college or place of universal study, and that the said college should subsist and remain in all time coming; of our special grace, certain knowledge, and mere motion, have granted and given leave, and by these presents do grant and give leave, for us, our heirs and successors, as much as in us lies, to the said Francis Nicholson, and others that they may have power to erect, found and establish a certain place of universal study, or perpetual College, for Divinity, Philosophy, Languages and other good Arts and Sciences, consisting of one President, six Masters or Professors, and an hundred scholars, more or less.

And further we will, and for us, our heirs and successors, by these presents do grant, That when the said college shall be erected, made, founded, and established, it shall be called and denominated forever, The College of William and Mary in Virginia; and that the President and Masters, or Professors, shall forever be called and denominated, the President and Masters, or Professors, of The College of William and Mary in Virginia.

In testimony whereof, we have caused these our letters to be made patent. Witness ourselves, at Westminster, the eighth day of February, in the fourth year of our reign.

More information about William and Mary's Royal Charter is available at the Earl Gregg Swem Library Special Collections Website.