Feudal barony of Dunster National Trust and contributes his personal knowledge in helping to record the modern history of the Castle. Feudal barony of Dunster The feudal barony of Dunster was an English feudal barony with its "caput" at Dunster Castle in Somerset. During the reign of King Henry I (1100–1135) the barony (or "honour") comprised forty knight's fees and was later enlarged. In about 1150 the manors retained in demesne were Dunster, Minehead, Cutcombe, Kilton and Carhampton in Somerset, and Ham in Dorset. The historian the Duchess of Cleveland wrote as follows in her 1889 work "Battle Abbey Roll" concerning the origins of
Henry Dunster (1634) and taught at Magdalene. He served as Headmaster of Bury Grammar School and was a curate at Saint Mary's Church in Bury. Sponsored by Rev. Richard Mather, Dunster emigrated to Boston, Massachusetts in 1640. When Nathaniel Eaton was dismissed in 1639 as master of the recently established Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Dunster was appointed as his successor. Thus on August 27, 1640 Dunster became the first president of Harvard. "(For a discussion of Dunster's choice of the title "president" see President#Title.)" He modeled Harvard's educational system on that of the English schools such as Eton College and Cambridge