Jesus College, Oxford, one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford, is run by the principal and fellows of the college. The principal of the college must be "a person distinguished for literary or scientific attainments, or for services in the work of education in the University or elsewhere". [1] The principal has "pre-eminence and authority over all members of the College and all persons connected therewith" and exercises "a general superintendence in all matters relating to education and discipline". [2] The current principal, Sir Nigel Shadbolt, was appointed in 2015 and is the thirty-first holder of the office. This figure does not include Seth Ward, who was elected principal by the fellows in 1657 but never installed; Oliver Cromwell, Chancellor of the University at the time, appointed Francis Howell instead. [3] Fourteen Principals have been former students of the college, the first being Griffith Powell, elected in 1613, and the most recent being Alfred Hazel, elected in 1925. The longest-serving Principal was Henry Foulkes, from 1817 to 1857. [4]
When the college was founded in 1571 by Queen Elizabeth I, the first charter installed David Lewis as principal and named eight others as the first fellows. [5] The statutes of 1622 allowed for 16 fellows. [6] There is now no limit on the number of fellowships that the governing body can create. [7] The college statutes provide for various categories of fellows. [8] Professorial fellows are those professors and readers of the university who are allocated to the college by the university. [9] One of these professorships is the Jesus Professor of Celtic, which is the only chair in Celtic studies at an English university. Holders of the position since its creation in 1877 include John Rhys, Ellis Evans and Thomas Charles-Edwards. [10] [11] The zoologists Charles Godfray and Paul Harvey are both professorial fellows. [12] [13] Official fellows are those who hold tutorial or administrative appointments in the college. Past official fellows include the composer and musicologist John Caldwell, the historians Sir Goronwy Edwards and Niall Ferguson, the philosopher Galen Strawson and the political philosopher John Gray. There are also senior and junior research fellows. Principals and fellows who retire can be elected as emeritus fellows. [8] The college can also elect "distinguished persons" to honorary fellowships. [14]
A further category is that of Welsh supernumerary fellows, who are, in rotation, the vice-chancellors of Cardiff University, Swansea University, Lampeter University, Aberystwyth University, Bangor University and the University of Wales College of Medicine. [8] There is one Welsh supernumerary fellow at a time, holding the position for not longer than three years. [15] The first of these was John Viriamu Jones in 1897. [16]
The college formerly had a category of missionary fellows, known as Leoline fellows after their founder, Principal Leoline Jenkins. In his will in 1685, he stated that "It is but too obvious that the persons in Holy Orders employed in his Majesty's fleet at sea and foreign plantations are too few." To address this, he established two fellowships, whose holders should serve as clergy "in any of his Majesty's fleets or in his Majesty's plantations" under the direction of the Lord High Admiral and the Bishop of London respectively. The last of these, Frederic de Winton, was appointed in 1876 and held his fellowship until his death in 1932. This category was abolished in 1877 by the Oxford and Cambridge Universities Commission, without prejudice to the rights of existing holders such as de Winton. [17] Another category of fellowship that was abolished in the 19th century was that of the King Charles I fellows, founded by Charles I in 1636 and tenable by natives of the Channel Islands in an attempt by him to "reclaim the Channel Islands from the extreme Calvinism which characterised them." [18] The first such Fellow was Daniel Brevint. [18]
Whilst the founding charter did not require the fellows or the students to be Welsh, the college has long had strong associations with Wales. Between 1571 and 1915, only one principal (Francis Howell, 1657–1660) was not from Wales or of Welsh descent. Many of the fellows in the past were also Welsh, since when new fellowships were created by benefactions (often by people of Welsh descent) there was frequently a stipulation that the recipients would be related to the donor or come from a place in Wales specified by the donor. These specific limitations were removed as part of reforms of Oxford University during the 19th century. [19]
Key:
Name | Fellow | Principal | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
David Lewis | — | 1571–72 | First Principal; Fellow of All Souls, former principal of New Inn Hall, Oxford, a judge of the High Court of Admiralty from 1558 | [20] |
Griffith Lloyd | — | 1572–86 | Second Principal, and one of the first benefactors to leave land to the college in his will | [4] |
Francis Bevans | — | 1586–1602 | Chancellor to Herbert Westfaling (Bishop of Hereford), and spent much of his time as principal in Hereford, leaving Griffith Powell to run the college | [4] [21] [22] |
John Williams | 1590–1602 | 1602–13 | Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity (1594–1613) and Dean of Bangor (1605–1613) | [23] |
Griffith Powell (OM) | 1589–1613 | 1613–20 | First Jesus College student to become principal; as principal, he oversaw the building of the hall, buttery and kitchen, but died a year before the chapel was completed. | [24] |
Francis Mansell (OM) | — | 1620–21 1630–48 1660–61 | Altered and enlarged the college buildings during his second term of office | [25] |
Sir Eubule Thelwall | — | 1621–30 | Lawyer and MP for Denbighshire (1624–26 and 1628–29), called the "second founder" of Jesus College for his expenditure on the chapel and hall and for obtaining a new charter and statutes from King James I | [26] |
Michael Roberts | 1625–37 | 1648–57 | Principal during the English Commonwealth | [27] |
Seth Ward | — | 1657 | Elected Principal by the Fellows, but never held the position as Oliver Cromwell installed Francis Howell instead; he later became Bishop of Exeter and Bishop of Salisbury | [3] |
Francis Howell | — | 1657–60 | Principal during the English Commonwealth, and the only non-Welsh Principal between 1571 and 1921 | [19] [27] |
Sir Leoline Jenkins (OM) | 1660–61 | 1661–73 | Lawyer, diplomat and Secretary of State (1680–84) | [28] |
John Lloyd | 1661–73 | 1673–86 | Resigned as principal when appointed Bishop of St David's in October 1686, but died in early 1687 | [29] [30] |
Jonathan Edwards | 1662–86 | 1686–1712 | Theologian and Treasurer of Llandaff Cathedral; first principal to serve as Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University | [31] |
John Wynne (OM) | 1687–1712 | 1712–20 | Bishop of St Asaph (1715–27) and Bishop of Bath and Wells (1727–43) | [32] |
William Jones (OM) | 1699–1707 | 1720–25 | Left his Fellowship when appointed Rector of Longworth, Oxfordshire | [4] [33] [34] |
Eubule Thelwall | 1702–25 | 1725–27 | Succeeded William Jones as both Rector of Longworth and principal, but died just two years after his promotion | [4] [35] [34] |
Thomas Pardo (OM) | 1711–27 | 1727–63 | As Principal, completed the north-west corner of the inner quadrangle and carried out alterations to the hall and front of college | [36] |
Humphrey Owen (OM) | 1725–63 | 1763–68 | Bodley's Librarian (1747–68) | [37] |
Joseph Hoare (OM) | 1734–62 | 1768–1802 | First married principal, who donated £200 whilst principal for restoration of the Old Quadrangle | [4] [33] [38] |
David Hughes (OM) | 1774–1802 | 1802–17 | Donated money to increase the value of scholarships from South Wales and England, to reduce disparity with North Wales scholarships | [4] [33] |
Henry Foulkes (OM) | 1796–1817 | 1817–57 | Longest-serving Principal in the history of the college | [33] [39] |
Charles Williams (OM) | 1829–45 | 1857–77 | Former headmaster of Ruthin School and incumbent of Holyhead parish church | [40] [41] |
Daniel Harper (OM) | 1845–52 | 1877–95 | Former headmaster of Cowbridge Grammar School and Sherborne School | [42] [43] |
Sir John Rhys (OM/HF) | 1881–95 | 1895–1915 | First Jesus Professor of Celtic (1877–1915), honorary fellow (1877–81) and Bursar (1881–95) | [44] |
Ernest Hardy | 1875–78 1896–1921 | 1921–25 | Classics tutor who wrote a history of the college (1899) and succeeded Rhys as principal after a vacancy of six years – the first non-Welsh Principal since Francis Howell (1657–60) | [45] |
Alfred Hazel (OM) | 1898–1925 | 1925–44 | Former Liberal MP, Fellow in Law and All Souls Reader in English Law (1933) | [46] |
Sir Frederick Ogilvie | — | 1946–49 | Director-General of the BBC (1938–42) before becoming principal | [47] |
John Christie (HF) | — | 1949–67 | Former headmaster of Repton and Westminster Schools | [48] |
Sir John Habakkuk (HF) | — | 1967–84 | Served as Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University (1973–77) whilst principal | [49] |
Sir Peter North (HF) | — | 1984–2005 | Served as Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University (1993–97) whilst principal | [50] [51] |
John Krebs, Baron Krebs | — | 2005–15 | Zoologist, chairman of the Food Standards Agency (2000–05), appointed to the House of Lords as a cross-bencher in 2007 | [50] [52] |
Sir Nigel Shadbolt | — | 2015– | Professor of computer science at University of Oxford; chairman and co-founder of the Open Data Institute | [53] |
Key:
Name | Fellow | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|
David Acheson | 1977 | British applied mathematician and former president of the Mathematical Association | [54] |
Henry Archdall | 1941 | Australian priest and schoolteacher, who was a Welsh Supernumerary Fellow in his capacity as principal of St David's College, Lampeter | [46] [55] |
Andrea Ashworth | 1997–2000 | Junior Research Fellow in English, who won the Somerset Maugham Award from the Society of Authors in 1999 for Once in a House on Fire, her autobiography about her traumatic childhood | [56] [57] |
William Aubrey | 1571–95 | Regius Professor of Civil Law (1553–59), one of the eight original Fellows of the college | [5] |
J. N. L. Baker (OM) | 1939–71 | College Lecturer in Geography (1932–71) and Bursar (1939–62); Lord Mayor of Oxford (1964–65) | [58] |
James Bandinel (OM) | 1754–76 | University Proctor (1776) and Public Orator (1776–84) | [33] |
Peter Beer | 1996–2006 | Retired Air Vice-Marshal who held the college position of Home Bursar | [59] |
Colin Bennetts | 1975–78 | College chaplain for three years, later becoming Bishop of Coventry (1998–2008) | [60] |
Richard Bosworth | 2011–present | Historian of the 20th century, appointed as a senior research fellow | [61] |
Henry Bould (OM) | 1623–38 | Named as one of the founding scholars in the college's third charter (1622) before becoming a Fellow | [62] |
Daniel Brevint | 1637–48 1660–62 | The first holder of the Fellowship for Channel Islanders created by Charles I | [18] [33] [63] |
Thomas Briscoe (OM) | 1834–59 | Vice-Principal (1849–58), vicar of Holyhead (1858–95) | [64] |
Mark Brouard | 1993– | Helen Morag Fellow and former head of Oxford University’s Department of Chemistry | [65] [66] |
Clark L. Brundin (HF) | 1963–85 | Engineer who later became Vice-Chancellor of the University of Warwick (1985–92) | [67] |
John Caldwell | 1999–2005 | Musicologist and composer, who became an emeritus fellow on his retirement | [68] [69] |
Brian Cantor | 1987–95 | Senior Research Fellow in Material Processing, Vice-Chancellor of the University of York since 2002 | [70] |
G. D. Hale Carpenter | 1933–48 | Hope Professor of Entomology (1933–48), succeeding Sir Edward Bagnall Poulton | [71] |
Alan Carrington | 1984–87 | Professor of Chemistry 1984–87; a former Fellow of Downing College, Cambridge; Royal Society Research Professor at Southampton University (1979–84 and 1987–99); awarded the Faraday Lectureship Prize (1985) and Davy Medal (1992) | [53] |
David Chapman (HF) | 1907–44 | Physical chemist who ran the college laboratories (the last college labs in Oxford) | [72] |
Thomas Charles-Edwards | 1997–2011 | Jesus Professor of Celtic | [11] [61] [73] |
Arthur Church (OM) | 1908–12 | University Reader in Botany (1910–30), elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1921 | [74] |
Patricia Clavin | 2003–2021 | Fellow and Tutor in History; winner of the 2015 British Academy Medal; Professor of Modern History at Worcester College, Oxford from 2021 | [75] [76] |
J. R. Cohu (OM) | 1882–90 | Clergyman, headmaster and writer on biblical topics | [77] |
John Cotterell | 1571–75 | Clergyman and former principal of White Hall and Laurence Hall, and one of the eight original Fellows of the college | [5] [33] |
Keith Cox | 1973–98 | Geologist with a particular interest in flood basalts | [78] |
Patricia Crone | 1979–90 | Historiographer of early Islamic history | [79] |
Leslie Cross | 1927–47 | College chaplain and tutor in theology, Estates Bursar (1941–43) and senior tutor (1945–47); appointed an emeritus fellow in 1960 | [80] [81] |
Patricia Daley | 1991– | Fellow and Tutor in Geography, Vice-Principal (2018-2021) and first Black person to hold a fellowship at Oxford | [82] |
Francis Davies (OM) | – ? | By 1640Bishop of Llandaff (1667–75), who was reputedly a Fellow of the college, although the college's records do not substantiate this | [33] [83] |
Paul Davies | 2009–present | Allen & Overy Professor of Corporate Law since 2009; previously a Fellow of Balliol College then a professor at the London School of Economics | [84] |
Frederic de Winton | 1876–32 | The last Leoline Fellow; Archdeacon of Colombo (1902–25) | [17] [85] |
Percy Dodd (OM) | 1919–31 | Classicist whose substantial bequest to the college is used to support non-academic travel by undergraduates | [86] [87] [88] |
Edward Edwards (OM) | 1747–83 | Welsh cleric and friend of Samuel Johnson, vice-principal (1762–83) | [89] |
Sir Goronwy Edwards (OM/HF) | 1919–48 | Welsh historian who served as senior tutor and vice-principal; left to become director of the Institute of Historical Research and professor of history at the University of London | [90] |
Jonathan Edwards (OM) | 1636–48 | Later Archdeacon of Derry | [33] |
William Edwards | 1874–77 | Later one of H.M. Inspectors of School in Wales for nearly 50 years | [33] |
John Ellis (OM) | 1696–1713 | Welsh cleric and antiquarian | [33] |
John Ellis | 1628–31 | Founder of Dolgellau Grammar School | [33] |
Thomas Ellis (OM) | 1649–73 | Fellow during and after the English Commonwealth, vice-principal under Francis Mansell | [91] |
Thomas Ellis (OM) | 1731–61 | Became Senior Fellow | [92] |
Daniel Silvan Evans | 1897–1900 | Welsh lexicographer, professor of Welsh at University College of Wales, Aberystwyth and chancellor of Bangor Cathedral | [93] [94] |
Daniel Evans | 1817–46 | Welsh poet (known as Daniel Ddu o Geredigion) | [33] [95] |
Ellis Evans (OM/HF) | 1978–96 | Jesus Professor of Celtic (1978–96) | [73] |
Roy Evans | 1998–99 | Civil engineer who was a Welsh Supernumerary Fellow in his capacity as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wales, Bangor | [96] |
Niall Ferguson | 1992–present | Laurence Tisch Professor of History at Harvard University since 2004, senior research fellow since 2002 (having previously been an Official Fellow in History) | [97] |
Edmund Ffoulkes (OM) | 1843–55 | Anglican priest (and nephew of Principal Henry Foulkes) who converted to Roman Catholicism and back to Anglicanism, becoming vicar of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin | [98] |
Sir Idris Foster (HF) | 1947–78 | Jesus Professor of Celtic (1947–78) | [99] |
John Fraser | 1921–45 | Jesus Professor of Celtic (1921–45) | [100] |
Herbert George (OM) | 1919–39 | Chemistry tutor, who also acted as the college's Librarian and Bursar | [101] |
Lewis Gilbertson (OM) | 1840–72 | Served as Junior Bursar for a time, then as vice-principal (1855–72); tried to move the college towards Anglo-Catholicism and involved in the renovation of the chapel in 1864 | [102] [103] |
Charles Godfray | 2006–present | Hope Professor of Entomology since 2006 | [12] |
Albert Goodwin (OM) | 1933–53 | History Lecturer (1931) then Fellow; later professor of history at the University of Manchester | [87] [104] |
David Grant | 2005–06 | Engineer who was a Welsh Supernumerary Fellow in his capacity as Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff University | [105] |
John Gray | 1976–97 | Political philosopher, who became School Professor of European Thought at the London School of Economics | [60] |
Ernest Howard Griffiths | 1905, 1909, 1913, 1917 | Physicist and principal of the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire, and a Welsh Supernumerary Fellow | [106] |
John Griffiths (OM) | 1863–16 | Mathematician with a particular interest in analytical geometry | [107] |
Sir John Rigby Hale (OM/HF) | 1949–64 | Historian of the Renaissance | [108] |
David Hargreaves | 1979–84 | University Reader in Education; later became professor of education at the University of Cambridge (1988–2000) | [53] |
Paul Harvey | 1997–present | Professor of Zoology | [73] |
1980-2011 | Historian of early modern Britain; Fellow in History and first woman Fellow of Jesus College; now Emeritus Fellow; editor of the 2021 Jesus College history | [109] [110] | |
1970–86 | Professor of Sociology at Oxford (1999–2010) | [53] | |
Raymond Hide (HF) | 1983–96 | Geophysicist, working in meteorology, oceanography and geomagnetism | [111] [112] |
John Higginson | – after 1622 | 1571A Leicestershire priest who was one of the eight original Fellows of the college, and was still alive in 1622 when the college's third charter was granted by King James I | [5] [62] [113] |
Sir John Houghton (OM/HF) | 1960–83 | Professor of Atmospheric Physics (1976–83) and chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change | [53] [114] [115] |
James Howell | 1623 | Elected to a Fellowship, but never formally admitted before his place was taken by another in 1626 | [116] |
Thomas Huet | 1571–91 | Precentor of St David's Cathedral (1562–88), one of the eight original Fellows of the college | [5] |
Humphrey Humphreys (OM) | 1673–80 | Bishop of Bangor (1689–1701), Bishop of Hereford (1701–12) | [33] [117] |
Thomas Huyck | 1571–75 | Chancellor of the Diocese of London, one of the eight original Fellows of the college | [5] [118] |
Edward James (OM) | 1589 or 1590 – about 1596 | Welsh cleric who translated the first Book of Homilies into Welsh in 1606 | [119] |
Francis Jayne | 1868–73 | Lecturer in modern history (1871–79), later Bishop of Chester | [120] |
John David Jenkins (OM) | 1852–76 | Leoline Fellow and Canon of Pietermaritzburg, later called the "Rail men's Apostle" for his ministry to railway workers in Oxford | [33] |
Robert Johnson | 1571–1625 | One of the eight original Fellows of the college, later Archdeacon of Leicester and founder of Oakham and Uppingham Schools | [5] [121] |
Hugh Jones (OM) | 1839–44 | Welsh cleric, later Archdeacon of St Asaph | [122] |
John Viriamu Jones | 1897–98 | Scientist who was first principal of the University of Wales, Cardiff, first Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wales and the college's first Welsh Supernumerary Fellow | [33] [123] |
John Jones (OM) | 1667–68 | Welsh cleric, physician, inventor and chancellor of Llandaff Cathedral | [33] |
Maurice Jones (OM/HF) | 1923–? | Welsh Supernumerary Fellow (the length of his tenure of the Fellowship is unclear), principal of St David's College, Lampeter (1923–38) | [124] [125] |
Merfyn Jones | 2004–05 | Historian who was a Welsh Supernumerary Fellow in his capacity as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wales, Bangor | [126] |
Samuel Jones (OM) | 1653–56 | Non-conformist clergyman who established an academy in Wales for dissenting ministers | [127] |
Joseph Keble | 1648–? | Lawyer and writer; said to have been appointed by the Parliamentary commissioners during the English Civil War, but not included in Hardy's list of Fellows | [33] [128] |
Paulina Kewes (OM) | 2003– | Helen Morag Fellow and Tutor in English Literature | [129] |
Sir Malcolm Knox | 1931–36 | Philosopher who became professor of Moral Philosophy at St Andrews University (later becoming its principal) | [130] |
David Lewis | 1839–46 | Vice-Principal (1845–46) who resigned his Fellowship on conversion to Catholicism under influence of the Oxford Movement | [131] |
Wallace Lindsay (HF) | 1880–99 | Classicist who became professor of humanity at St Andrews University | [132] [133] |
Hugh Lloyd | 1614–? | Bishop of Llandaff (1660–67) who was reputedly a Fellow of the college, although the college's records do not substantiate this | [134] [135] |
John Lloyd (OM) | 1765–73 | Welsh cleric | [136] |
John Lloyd | 1571–1607 | Former Dean of St Asaph, judge of the High Court of Admiralty, and one of the eight original Fellows of the college | [5] [137] |
William Lloyd (OM) | 1641–48 1660–85 | Bishop of St Asaph (1680–92), Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry (1692–99) and Bishop of Worcester (1699–1717), whose fellowship was interrupted by English Civil War | [33] [138] |
Robert Lougher | 1571–85 | Principal of New Inn Hall, Oxford (1564–70 and 1575–80), Regius Professor of Civil Law and one of the eight original Fellows of the college | [5] [139] |
Richard Lucas (OM) | 1671–84 | Later prebend of Westminster Abbey and President of Sion College | [33] |
Henry Maurice (OM) | 1670–85 | Chaplain to Leoline Jenkins on diplomatic missions abroad; elected Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity at Oxford shortly before his death in 1691 | [33] |
Edmund Meyrick (OM) | 1662–63 | Benefactor of Jesus College who married shortly after his appointment as a probationary Fellow, making him ineligible for a full Fellowship | [140] |
Maurice Meyricke | 1622–? | Named as one of the founding Fellows in the college's third charter (1622); college records do not give the end-date of his Fellowship | [33] [62] |
Kenneth Morgan (OM) | 1991–92 | Welsh historian, who was a Welsh Supernumerary Fellow in his capacity as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wales | [141] |
Sir John Morris-Jones (OM) | 1904–? | Professor of Welsh at the University College of North Wales from 1895, who held a research fellowship (for an unclear length of time) at Jesus College as well | [142] |
Robert Owen (OM) | 1845–64 | Theologian and antiquarian, who was forced to resign his Fellowship after an allegation of immorality | [143] |
Christopher Page | 1977–80 | Junior Research Fellow, now a Fellow of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge specialising in medieval music | [53] |
Tim Palmer | 2010–present | Physicist, who has held the post at Oxford of Royal Society 2010 Anniversary Research Professor of Atmospheric Oceanic and Planetary Physics since 2010 | [53] |
John Parry | 1711–? | Bishop of Ossory (1672–77); college records do not give the end-date of his Fellowship | [33] [144] |
William Parry (OM) | 1714–27 | Clergyman and antiquarian | [33] |
Robert Pearce | 2007–08 | Lawyer who was a Welsh Supernumerary Fellow in his capacity as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wales, Lampeter | [145] |
Sir Edward Bagnall Poulton (OM) | 1898–1943 | Hope Professor of Zoology (1893–1933); succeeded by G. D. Hale Carpenter | [123] [146] |
Theodore Price (OM) | 1621–? | Principal of Hart Hall, Oxford and Prebend of Westminster Abbey, who was appointed to a Fellowship when he was made one of the commissioners for settling the college statutes in 1621 (although college records do not give the end-date of his Fellowship) | [33] [147] |
Thomas Prichard (OM) | 1615–? | Appointed as a Fellow in 1615, then named as one of the founding Fellows in the college's third charter (1622); college records do not give the end-date of his Fellowship | [33] [62] |
William Prichard (OM) | 1615–? | Named as one of the founding Fellows in the college's third charter (1622); college records do not give the end-date of his Fellowship | [33] [62] |
Brinley Rees | 1975–76 | Welsh Supernumerary Fellow in his capacity as principal of St David's College, Lampeter (1975–80) | [46] |
Rice Rees (OM) | 1828–39 | Welsh cleric and historian; Hardy gives his election year as 1830 | [33] [148] |
David George Ritchie | 1878–94 | Scottish philosopher, who was later professor of Logic and Metaphysics at the University of St Andrews | [149] |
Keith Robbins | 1996–97 2002–03 | Historian who was a Welsh Supernumerary Fellow in his capacity as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wales, Lampeter | [73] [150] |
Percy Seymour (OM) | 1924–43 | Australian classicist, Bursar (1930–35) | [151] |
Robert Steel (OM/HF) | 1954–56 1974–75 1979–80 | Geographer who left his fellowship to become professor of geography at Liverpool University; a Welsh Supernumerary Fellow on two occasions in his capacity as principal of the University College of Swansea (1974–82) | [46] |
George Stradling | 1641–42 | Dean of Chichester Cathedral (1672–88) | [33] |
Henry Stuart Jones | 1928–29, 1932–33 | Former Camden Professor of Ancient History at Oxford, who was later a Welsh Supernumerary Fellow in his capacity as principal of the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth | [46] [152] |
Fredric William Taylor (OM) | 1980— | Halley Professor of Physics at Oxford University); Head of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics (1980-2001) | [53] |
Thomas Llewellyn Thomas (OM) | 1872–97 | Welsh-language scholar who served as senior tutor and vice-principal (acting as principal 1887–95 during Daniel Harper's illness), but lost the 1895 election to become principal | [153] |
William Thomas (OM) | 1635–? | Later Bishop of St David's and Bishop of Worcester; college records do not show when his Fellowship terminated | [33] [154] |
Sir James Thursfield (HF) | 1864–81 | Naval historian and journalist, who became first editor of the Times Literary Supplement | [155] |
Sir Peter Tizard (HF) | 1972–83 | First Professor of Paediatrics at Oxford University | [156] |
Graham Tomlin | 1989–94 | Chaplain, later vice-principal of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford | [157] |
James Vincent (OM) | 1816–24 | Later Dean of Bangor | [33] |
Colin Webb | 1973–2005 | Professor of Physics at Oxford (1992–2002) | [53] |
James Williams (OM) | 1813–22 | Later Chancellor of Bangor Cathedral | [158] |
John Williams (OM) | 1783–? | Welsh cleric, and Master of the free school at Llanrwst; college records do not give the end-date of his fellowship | [33] |
Leonard Woodward | 1939–70 | Chemist who was an authority on Raman spectroscopy | [159] |
Edward Wynne (OM) | 1703–11 | Chancellor of the Diocese of Hereford (1707–54) and an Anglesey landowner | [33] |
Robert Wynne (OM) | 1681–91 | Chancellor of St Asaph (1690–1743); the elder brother of William | [33] |
William Wynne (OM) | 1692–1704 | Welsh cleric and historian; the younger brother of Robert | [33] |
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The British Poet Laureate is an honorary position appointed by the monarch of the United Kingdom, currently on the advice of the prime minister. The role does not entail any specific duties, but there is an expectation that the holder will write verse for significant national occasions. The origins of the laureateship date back to 1616 when a pension was provided to Ben Jonson, but the first official holder of the position was John Dryden, appointed in 1668 by Charles II. On the death of Alfred, Lord Tennyson, who held the post between November 1850 and October 1892, there was a break of four years as a mark of respect; Tennyson's laureate poems "Ode on the Death of the Duke of Wellington" and "The Charge of the Light Brigade" were particularly cherished by the Victorian public. Four poets, Thomas Gray, Samuel Rogers, Walter Scott and Philip Larkin turned down the laureateship. Historically appointed for an unfixed term and typically held for life, since 1999 the position has been for a term of ten years. The holder of the position as at 2024 is Simon Armitage who succeeded Carol Ann Duffy in May 2019 after 10 years in office.
The Lieutenant of the Tower of London serves directly under the Constable of the Tower. The office has been appointed at least since the 13th century. There were formerly many privileges, immunities and perquisites attached to the office. Like the Constable, the Lieutenant was usually appointed by letters patent, either for life or during the King's pleasure.
Justice of the Common Pleas was a puisne judicial position within the Court of Common Pleas of England and Wales, under the Chief Justice. The Common Pleas was the primary court of common law within England and Wales, dealing with "common" pleas. It was created out of the common law jurisdiction of the Exchequer of Pleas, with splits forming during the 1190s and the division becoming formal by the beginning of the 13th century. The court became a key part of the Westminster courts, along with the Exchequer of Pleas and the Court of King's Bench, but with the Writ of Quominus and the Statute of Westminster, both tried to extend their jurisdiction into the realm of common pleas. As a result, the courts jockeyed for power. In 1828 Henry Brougham, a Member of Parliament, complained in Parliament that as long as there were three courts unevenness was inevitable, saying that "It is not in the power of the courts, even if all were monopolies and other restrictions done away, to distribute business equally, as long as suitors are left free to choose their own tribunal", and that there would always be a favourite court, which would therefore attract the best lawyers and judges and entrench its position. The outcome was the Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1873, under which all the central courts were made part of a single Supreme Court of Judicature. Eventually the government created a High Court of Justice under Lord Coleridge by an Order in Council of 16 December 1880. At this point, the Common Pleas formally ceased to exist.
The head of the Bodleian Library, the main library at the University of Oxford, is known as Bodley's Librarian: Sir Thomas Bodley, as founder, gave his name to both the institution and the position. Although there had been a university library at Oxford since about 1320, it had declined by the end of the 16th century. It was "denuded" of its books in 1550 in the time of King Edward VI when "superstitious books and images" that did not comply with the prevailing Anglican view were removed. Poor management and inadequate financial resources have also been blamed for the state of the library. In the words of one history of the university, "as a public institution, the Library had ceased to function." Bodley volunteered in 1598 to restore it; the university accepted the offer, and work began soon afterwards. The first librarian, Thomas James, was selected by Bodley in 1599. The Bodleian opened in 1602, and the university confirmed James in his post. Bodley wanted the librarian to be "some one that is noted and known for a diligent student, and in all his conversation to be trusty, active, and discrete, a graduate also and a linguist, not encumbered with marriage, nor with a benefice of Cure". James, however, was able to persuade Bodley to let him marry and become Rector of St Aldate's Church, Oxford.
The position of Dean Ireland's Professor of the Exegesis of Holy Scripture was established at the University of Oxford in 1847. This professorship in the critical interpretation or explanation of biblical texts, a field known as exegesis, was instituted by John Ireland, who was Dean of Westminster from 1816 until his death in 1842. He founded scholarships in his lifetime at the University of Oxford, which are still awarded after an examination to undergraduates "for the promotion of classical learning and taste". In his will, he left £10,000 to the university, with the interest arising to be applied to the professorship. The first professor, Edward Hawkins, was appointed in 1847. The second Dean Ireland's Professor, Robert Scott, had won an Ireland scholarship in 1833 while studying at Christ Church.
The position of Savilian Professor of Geometry was established at the University of Oxford in 1619. It was founded by Sir Henry Savile, a mathematician and classical scholar who was Warden of Merton College, Oxford, and Provost of Eton College, reacting to what has been described by one 20th-century mathematician as "the wretched state of mathematical studies in England" at that time. He appointed Henry Briggs as the first professor. Edward Titchmarsh said when applying that he was not prepared to lecture on geometry, and the requirement was removed from the duties of the post to enable his appointment, although the title of the chair was not changed. The two Savilian chairs have been linked with professorial fellowships at New College, Oxford, since the late 19th century. Before then, for over 175 years until the middle of the 19th century, the geometry professors had an official residence adjoining the college in New College Lane.
The position of Keeper of the Archives at the University of Oxford in England dates from 1634, when it was established by new statutes for the university brought in by William Laud. The first holder of the post was Brian Twyne, who prepared an index of the archives in 1631 as part of the preparatory work for the statutes: he was appointed Keeper of the Archives as a reward for his work. The archives were moved from the University Church of St Mary the Virgin into the Tower of the Five Orders in the Bodleian Library under Twyne and his successor, and some of the storage cupboards built at that time are still in use. The archives include charters, title deeds, university registers and records, and other official documentation from the university. Most of the material dates from the 19th and 20th centuries, with few photographs and no sound or video recordings.
The parliamentary visitation of the University of Oxford was a political and religious purge taking place from 1647, for a number of years. Many Masters and Fellows of Colleges lost their positions.