Original sentence: Although the College was closely linked to those institutions for many centuries, it became a more open society in the later 19th century.Closed scholarships for members of Merchant Taylors' School, London persisted until the late 20th century.In the second half of the nineteenth century it benefited, as ground landlord, from the suburban development of the city of Oxford and was unusual among Colleges for the size and extent of its property within the city.Initially the college was rather small and not well endowed financially.The endowments which St John's was given at its foundation, and during the twenty or so years afterward, served it very well.White acquired buildings on the east side of St Giles', north of Balliol and Trinity Colleges, which had belonged to the former College of St Bernard, a monastery and house of study of the Cistercian order; this had been closed at the Dissolution of the Monasteries.White was Master of the Merchant Taylors' Company, and established a number of educational foundations including Merchant Taylors' School
Edited sentence: (Closed scholarships for students from the Merchant Taylors' School, however, persisted until the late 20th century.) The endowments which St John's was given at its foundation, and during the twenty or so years afterward, served it very well and in the second half of the nineteenth century it benefited, as ground landlord, from the suburban development of the city of Oxford and was unusual among Colleges for the size and extent of its property within the city.Although the College was closely linked to such institutions for many centuries, it became a more open society in the later 19th century.Initially the new St John's College was rather small and not well endowed financially.White acquired buildings on the east side of St Giles', north of Balliol and Trinity Colleges, which had belonged to the former College of St Bernard, a monastery and house of study of the Cistercian order that had been closed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries.White was Master of the Merchant Taylors' Company, and established a number of educational foundations, including the Merchant Taylors' School