Alvey gained his B.A. degree at St John's College, Cambridge in 1575/6, his M.A. in 1579, and his B.D. in 1586. He was elected a Fellow of St John's College, Cambridge in 1577, and became President of the College in 1590. In 1601, he relocated to Ireland, where he became Provost of Trinity College, Dublin. He returned to Cambridge in 1609.[1][2] An outbreak of plague in June 1604 caused a temporary closure of the College, and again he retired to England until June 1605. Alvey was a conscientious Puritan who kept meticulous accounts. Though Provost for eight years, he resided for not much over five, and left little or no mark on Trinity. He was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dublin from 1609 to 1612.[3]
To St. John's College, Alvey bequeathed a number of his own books as well as 100 marks for purchasing books.[4]
