University men

On page 20 of his book on 1662 David Appleby says that despite statements by W F Mitchell in 1932 saying that those who were ejected were generally poorly educated some 85% were university graduates. Most had gone to Cambridge, especially those who had farewell sermons printed. At least 87 attended Emmanuel College, 'a hotbed of Puritanism'. He suggests that the tutors would have encouraged friendships and that Ralph Venning, George Swinnock and John Whitlock (all of whom graduated from Emmanuel in 1646) would have known each other from their teenage years being part of a larger group in other colleges. Luke Cranwell, Henry Newcombe, John Barrett, Robert Seddon and Oliver Heywood all graduated from Cambridge that same year.

Fewer had studied at oxford but just four colleges - Exeter, Magdalen, New Inn Hall and Wadham produced 111 between them. The writers went to Wadham (Robert Atkins, Thomas Lye, Thomas Manton) and Exeter (Joseph Caryl, John Galpin, George Newton).