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Colleges are religious institutions in origin, one of the main purposes of which was religious worship. From the Reformation until the mid-nineteenth century both the College and University were Anglican monopolies, protected by religious tests for all fellowships and offices; and a requirement of daily common prayers was laid down in the statutes. Compulsory attendance of Chapel, which finally died out during the First World War, was upheld not only on religious grounds, but as an important part of the general disciplinary structure of the College alongside attendance of dinner in Hall and observance of a curfew. Enforcement of the rule was primarily the responsibility of the College deans, of which there were usually two, a Senior Dean and a Junior Dean.

The office of Dean, dating from the sixteenth century statutes, had traditionally been both a religious and a disciplinary role; carrying not only responsibility for performance of all Divine Services in the College but also charge of the religious and moral discipline of the students. Until the mid/late nineteenth century, the office of Dean traditionally passed among the clerical Fellows by rotation; however, with the decreasing number of clerical Fellows available and willing to serve, only one Dean was appointed and the post was taken on by career clergyman. The disciplinary role of the Dean declined, and the pastoral and religious care of undergraduates became of greater importance. This was underlined by the appointment, from 1896 onwards, of a Chaplain, whose role was not only to assist the Dean, but, as a younger man, to be in closer contact with the students. With the growth of formal theological study, the Dean was commonly expected to teach and direct studies.

(See Volume III of the Biographical History for further information regarding the history of the fabric of the Chapel).