On 20 December 1610 Wadham College received royal letters patent, and its statutes were approved by Dorothy in 1612. The college was formally instituted in April 1613. The appointment of the Warden, Fellows, and Scholars, and even on occasion the college cook, rested with Dorothy, as shown by a series of letters written by her business agent John Arnold, and signed by her. Dorothy never visited the college and relied on Arnold to communicate her wishes to the Warden and Fellows.