January 14: Happy Mallard Day, mates

Mallard Day, All Souls' College, Oxford University

In 1437, Henry Chichele (c. 1364 - April 12, 1443), Archbishop of Canterbury, founder of All Souls College, Oxford, proposed to found a university in 'Oxenforde', England. He was turning over in his mind where he might place the college, and in a dream a person came to him, telling him to "laye the first stane of the foundation at the corner which turneth towards the Cattys Strete", where in digging he would find a "schwoppinge mallard" (a huge mallard duck) imprisoned in the sewer, "wele yfattened and almost ybosten (bursting)" ...