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Selected biography
Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/1 Elias Ashmole was an antiquarian, collector, politician, and student of astrology and alchemy. He supported the
royalist side during the
English Civil War, and at the
restoration of Charles II he was rewarded with several lucrative offices. Throughout his life he was an avid collector of curiosities and other artifacts. Many of these he acquired from the traveller, botanist, and collector
John Tradescant the elder and
his son. Ashmole donated most of them to the university to create the
Ashmolean Museum. He also donated his library and priceless manuscript collection to Oxford. Apart from his collecting activities, Ashmole illustrates the passing of the pre-scientific world view in the 17th century: while he immersed himself in alchemical, magical and astrological studies and was consulted on astrological questions by Charles II and his court, these studies were essentially backward-looking. Although he was one of the founding members of the
Royal Society, a key institution in the development of experimental science, he never participated actively. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/2
J. R. R. Tolkien was a British writer and university professor, best known as the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. He was
Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford from 1925 to 1945, and
Merton Professor of English Language and Literature, also at Oxford, from 1945 to 1959. Tolkien was a close friend of
C. S. Lewis, with whom he shared membership in the Oxford literary discussion group the "
Inklings". In addition to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien's published fiction includes The Silmarillion and other posthumously published books about what he called a legendarium, a connected body of tales, fictional histories, invented languages, and other literary essays about an imagined world called
Arda, and
Middle-earth. Most of these works were compiled from Tolkien's notes by his son
Christopher Tolkien. The enduring popularity and influence of Tolkien's works have established him as the "father of modern fantasy literature". Tolkien's other published fiction includes stories not directly related to the legendarium, some of them originally told to his children. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/3
Samuel Johnson (1709–1784) often referred to as "Dr Johnson", was a British author who has been described as "arguably the most distinguished man of letters in English history". He is also the subject of "the most famous single work of biographical art in the whole of literature":
James Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson. Johnson attended
Pembroke College, Oxford for just over a year, before his lack of funds forced him to leave. After working as a teacher he moved to London, where he began to write miscellaneous pieces for The Gentleman's Magazine. After nine years of work, Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language was published in 1755; it had a far-reaching effect on
Modern English and has been described as "one of the greatest single achievements of scholarship." In 1763, he befriended James Boswell, with whom he later travelled to Scotland. Boswell's Life, along with
other biographies, documented Johnson's behaviour and mannerisms in such detail that they have informed the
posthumous diagnosis of
Tourette syndrome, a condition not defined in the 18th century. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/4
W. H. Auden (1907–1973) was an Anglo-American poet regarded by many as one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. He grew up in
Birmingham in a professional middle class family and read English literature at
Christ Church, Oxford. His early poems, written in the late 1920s and early 1930s, alternated between telegraphic modern styles and fluent traditional ones, were written in an intense and dramatic tone, and established his reputation as a left-wing political poet and prophet. He became uncomfortable in this role in the later 1930s, and abandoned it after he moved to the United States in 1939, where he became an American citizen in 1946. His poems in the 1940s explored religious and ethical themes in a less dramatic manner than his earlier works, but still combined traditional forms and styles with new forms devised by Auden himself. In the 1950s and 1960s many of his poems focused on the ways in which words revealed and concealed emotions, and he took a particular interest in writing opera librettos. After his death, some of his poems, notably "
Funeral Blues" ("Stop all the clocks") and "
September 1, 1939", became widely known through films, broadcasts and popular media. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/10
Cosmo Gordon Lang (1864–1945) was an Anglican clergyman who served as
Archbishop of York and
Archbishop of Canterbury. He studied at
Balliol College, Oxford from 1882 to 1886, was President of the
Oxford Union and co-founder of the
Oxford University Dramatic Society. As Archbishop of Canterbury during the
abdication crisis of 1936 he took a strong moral stance, and comments he made in a subsequent broadcast were widely condemned as uncharitable towards the departed king. In his early ministry Lang served in slum parishes in
Leeds and
Portsmouth before his appointment in 1901 as
Bishop of Stepney in London. In 1908 Lang was nominated Archbishop of York, despite his relatively junior status as a
suffragan bishop. At the start of World War I, Lang was heavily criticised for a speech in which he spoke sympathetically of
Kaiser Wilhelm II. After the war he supported controversial proposals for the revision of the
Book of Common Prayer, but after acceding to Canterbury he took no practical steps to resolve this issue. As Archbishop of Canterbury he presided over the 1930
Lambeth Conference, which gave limited church approval to the use of contraception. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/11
William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield (1705–1793) was a British
barrister, politician and judge noted for his reform of English law. Born to Scottish nobility, he was educated in
Perth, Scotland and at
Westminster School, London. He entered
Christ Church, Oxford, in May 1723, and graduated four years later. Returning to London from Oxford, he was
called to the Bar by
Lincoln's Inn in 1730, and quickly gained a reputation as an excellent barrister. He became involved in politics in 1742, beginning with his election as MP for
Boroughbridge, and appointment as
Solicitor General. In the absence of a strong
Attorney General, he became the main spokesman for the government in the
House of Commons, and was described as "beyond comparison the best speaker" in the House of Commons. With the promotion of
Sir Dudley Ryder to
Lord Chief Justice in 1754, he became Attorney General, and when Ryder unexpectedly died several months later, he took his place as Chief Justice. He modernised both English law and the English courts system, and has been called the founder of English commercial law. He is perhaps best known for his judgment in
Somersett's Case, where he held that slavery was unlawful in England. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/15
Nigella Lawson (born 1960) is an English food writer, journalist and broadcaster. After graduating from
Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, Lawson worked as a book reviewer and restaurant critic, later becoming the deputy literary editor of The Sunday Times. After working as a freelance journalist, Lawson brought out her first cookery book, How to Eat, which sold 300,000 copies and became a bestseller. For her second book, How to be a Domestic Goddess, she won the
British Book Award for Author of The Year. In 2000, she began to host her own cookery series on
Channel 4, Nigella Bites, which was accompanied with another bestselling cookery book. The series won her a Guild of Food Writers Award; her 2005
ITV daytime chat show was cancelled after attracting low ratings. In the United States in 2006, Lawson hosted the
Food Network's Nigella Feasts, followed by a three-part
BBC Two series, Nigella's Christmas Kitchen, in the United Kingdom. This led to the commissioning of Nigella Express on BBC Two in 2007. She has sold more than three million cookery books worldwide. Renowned for her flirtatious manner of presenting, Lawson has been called the "queen of
food porn". (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/16
Susanna Clarke (born 1959) is a British author best known for her debut novel Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2004), an
alternate history which won the
Hugo Award for Best Novel. After studying at
St Hilda's College, Oxford, Clarke worked in publishing and then taught English in Italy and in Spain. She began Jonathan Strange in 1993 and worked on it during her spare time. For the next decade, she published short stories from the Strange universe, but it was not until 2003 that
Bloomsbury bought her manuscript and began work on its publication. The novel became a bestseller and won several awards. Two years later, she published a collection of her short stories, The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories (2006). Both Clarke's novel and her short stories are set in a magical England and written in a pastiche of the styles of 19th-century writers such as
Jane Austen and
Charles Dickens. While Strange focuses on the relationship of two men, Jonathan Strange and Gilbert Norrell, the stories in Ladies focus on the power women gain through magic. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/20
Sir Wilfrid Kent Hughes (1895–1970) was an Australian soldier, Olympian and
Olympic Games organiser, and politician. Kent Hughes was born in
Melbourne. His studies at
Christ Church, Oxford as a
Rhodes scholar were delayed by service in the army in World War I. He represented Australia in athletics as a hurdler at the
1920 Summer Olympics in
Antwerp. Elected to the
Victorian state parliament in 1927, Kent Hughes rose to the position of Deputy Premier of Victoria. Kent Hughes proved to be a controversial figure in politics, and was never afraid to publicly espouse his personal beliefs, such as an admiration for fascism, of which he had a poor understanding. He re-enlisted in the army at the outbreak of World War II but spent four years as a Japanese prisoner of war. Kent Hughes returned to Victorian state politics until switching to federal politics in 1949. He was appointed a Minister in the federal government led by
Robert Menzies but complained his responsibilities were trifling. More interesting to him was the chairmanship of the
1956 Summer Olympics Organising Committee; his role has led sporting historians to refer to him as "one of the most important figures in Olympic History". (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/21
Robert Hues (1553–1632) was an English mathematician and geographer. He graduated from
St Mary Hall, Oxford, in 1578 before making observations of the
variations of the compass off the coast of
Newfoundland. He later travelled with
Thomas Cavendish on a circumnavigation of the globe, taking the opportunity to measure latitudes. In 1589, Hues went on the
Earl of Cumberland's raiding expedition to the
Azores to capture Spanish
galleons. On a further circumnavigation, Hues made astronomical observations while in the
South Atlantic, and also observed the variation of the compass there and at the
Equator. In 1594, Hues published his discoveries in Tractatus de globis et eorum usu (Treatise on Globes and their Use) which was written to encourage English sailors to use practical astronomical navigation. He became a servant of Thomas Grey, 15th Baron Grey de Wilton, staying with him when Grey was imprisoned in the
Tower of London for participating in the
Bye Plot. Following Grey's death in 1614, Hues attended upon
Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland, when he was confined in the Tower. He died in Oxford in 1632 and was buried in
Christ Church Cathedral. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/22 Edward VIII (1894–1972) was King of Great Britain, Ireland, the
British Dominions beyond the Seas, and
Emperor of India from the death of his father,
George V, on 20 January 1936, until
his abdication on 11 December 1936. As a young man he studied briefly at
Magdalen College, Oxford, served in World War I, undertook several foreign tours on behalf of his father, and was associated with a succession of older married women. Only months into his reign, Edward forced a constitutional crisis by proposing marriage to the American divorcée
Wallis Simpson. Although legally Edward could have married Mrs. Simpson and remained king, his various prime ministers opposed the marriage, arguing that the people would never accept her as queen. Edward knew that the ministry of British Prime Minister
Stanley Baldwin would resign if the marriage went ahead; this could have dragged the King into a general election thus ruining irreparably his status as a politically neutral constitutional monarch. Rather than give up Mrs. Simpson, Edward chose to abdicate. He is one of the shortest-reigning monarchs in British history, and was never
crowned. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/23
John Brooke-Little (1927–2006) was an influential and popular writer on
heraldic subjects and a long-serving
officer of arms at the
College of Arms in
London, England. In 1947, while still a student, Brooke-Little founded the "Society of Heraldic Antiquaries", now known as
The Heraldry Society and recognized as one of the leading learned societies in its field. He served as the society's chairman for 50 years and then as its President from 1997 until his death in 2006. He also refounded the Oxford University Heraldry Society during his time at
New College, Oxford. Brooke-Little was involved in other heraldic groups and societies and worked for many years as an officer of arms, writing at least ten books on heraldry and related topics. After serving on the
Earl Marshall's staff for the coronation of
Elizabeth II in 1953, he started his heraldic career as
Bluemantle Pursuivant, and worked his way up to the second-highest heraldic office in England–
Clarenceux King of Arms. He ended his heraldic career without ever having attained the highest office,
Garter King of Arms, or being honoured with a knighthood. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/24
Edward VII (1841–1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British
Dominions and
Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death on 6 May 1910. He was the first
British monarch of the
House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, later renamed the
House of Windsor. His education included studies at
Christ Church, Oxford and
Trinity College, Cambridge. Before his accession to the throne, Edward held the title of
Prince of Wales and was heir apparent to the throne for longer than anyone else in history. During the long widowhood of his mother,
Queen Victoria, he was largely excluded from political power and came to personify the fashionable, leisured elite. The
Edwardian period of his reign, named after him, heralded significant changes in technology and society, including powered flight and the rise of socialism and the Labour movement. He fostered good relations between Great Britain and other European countries, especially
France, for which he was popularly called "Peacemaker", but his relationship with his nephew,
Wilhelm II of Germany, was poor. Edward presciently suspected that Wilhelm would precipitate a war, and four years after Edward's death, World War I brought an end to the Edwardian way of life. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/25
Philip Larkin (1922–1985) is widely regarded as one of the greatest English poets of the latter half of the 20th century. After graduating from
St John's College, Oxford in 1943, Larkin became a librarian, and it was during the 30 years he spent running the library at the
University of Hull that he produced the greater part of his published work. He came to prominence in 1955 with his second collection of poems, The Less Deceived, followed by The Whitsun Weddings (1964) and High Windows (1974). He declined the position of
poet laureate in 1984, following the death of
John Betjeman; he died in the following year and is buried at
Cottingham near Hull (gravestone pictured). His poems are marked by what
Andrew Motion calls a very English, glum accuracy about emotions, places, and relationships, and what
Donald Davie described as lowered sights and diminished expectations. Larkin's public persona was that of the no-nonsense, solitary Englishman who disliked fame and had no patience for the trappings of the public literary life. The posthumous publication by
Anthony Thwaite in 1992 of
his letters triggered controversy about his personal life and reactionary political views. Despite this, Larkin was chosen in a 2003
Poetry Book Society survey as Britain's best-loved poet of the previous 50 years, and in 2008 The Times named him as the country's greatest post-war writer. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/26
Sir Thomas Beecham (1879–1961) was a British conductor and
impresario. From the early 20th century until his death, Beecham was a major influence on the musical life of Britain and, according to
Neville Cardus, was the first British conductor to have a regular international career. He came from a wealthy industrial family: his grandfather had founded
Beecham's Pills, and Beecham was born in the house adjoining the factory. He studied briefly at
Wadham College, Oxford before leaving to study music privately. He used the money at his disposal to transform the operatic scene in England from the 1910s until the start of World War II, staging seasons at
Covent Garden,
Drury Lane and
His Majesty's Theatre with international stars, his own hand-picked orchestra and a wide range of repertoire. In the concert hall, London still has two orchestras founded by Beecham: the
London Philharmonic and the
Royal Philharmonic. He also maintained close links with the
Liverpool Philharmonic and
Hallé Orchestras in his native county of
Lancashire. His repertoire was eclectic, sometimes favouring lesser-known composers over famous ones. His specialities included composers whose works were rarely played in Britain before Beecham became their advocate, such as
Frederick Delius and
Hector Berlioz. He was known for his wit, and many "Beecham stories" are still told fifty years after his death. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/27 Claud Schuster, 1st Baron Schuster (1869–1956) was a British
barrister and civil servant noted for his long tenure as
Permanent Secretary to the Lord Chancellor's Office. Schuster studied history at
New College, Oxford before joining the
Inner Temple to become a barrister. Practising in Liverpool, Schuster was not particularly successful, and he joined
Her Majesty's Civil Service in 1899 as secretary to the Chief Commissioner of the Local Government Act Commission. After serving as secretary to several more commissions, he was made Permanent Secretary to the Lord Chancellor's Office in 1915. Schuster served in this position for twenty-nine years under ten different Lord Chancellors, and was called "one of the most influential Permanent Secretaries of the 20th century". His influence led to criticism and suspicions that he was a "power behind the throne", which culminated in a verbal attack by the
Lord Chief JusticeLord Hewart in 1934 during a session of the
House of Lords. Schuster retired in 1944 and was made Baron Schuster, of Cerne, in the County of Dorset. Despite being officially retired he continued to work in government circles, such as with the
Allied Commission for Austria and by using his seat in the House of Lords as a way to criticise legislation directly. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/28
David Lewis (1909–1981) was a Russian-born Canadian labour lawyer and
social democratic politician. He was national secretary of the
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) from 1936 to 1950, and was one of the key architects of the
New Democratic Party (NDP) in 1961. He was the NDP's national leader from 1971 to 1975. Lewis's politics were heavily influenced by the
Jewish Labour Bund, which contributed to his support of parliamentary democracy. He was an avowed anti-communist, and while a
Rhodes Scholar at
Lincoln College, Oxford, prevented communist domination of the university's Labour Club. He helped draft the
Winnipeg Declaration, which modernized the CCF's economic policies to include an acceptance of capitalism, though under the eye of government regulators. He had a central role in uniting the labour movement with the creation of the
Canadian Labour Congress in 1956. When his eldest son,
Stephen Lewis, became the NDP's Province of Ontario leader, in 1970, they became one of the first father and son teams to simultaneously head Canadian political parties. In retirement, he was named to the
Order of Canada for his political service. After a lengthy battle with cancer, he died in
Ottawa in 1981. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/29
Sir Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood, 1st Baronet, (1801–1866) was an English
landowner,
developer and
Member of Parliament, who founded the town of
Fleetwood, in
Lancashire, England. He was educated at
Trinity College, Oxford, and enjoyed an active social life in Oxford and London. Predeceased by an older brother, he inherited estates in west Lancashire in 1824. Inspired by the transport developments of the early 19th century, he decided to bring the railway to the Lancashire coast and develop a holiday resort and port. He hired architect
Decimus Burton to design his new town, which he named Fleetwood; construction began in 1836. Hesketh-Fleetwood was instrumental in the creation of a railway line between
Preston and Fleetwood which opened in 1840. His new town flourished, but the expense of building it left him close to bankruptcy and forced him to sell most of his estates including
Rossall Hall, which had been his family home. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/30 Sir Adrian Boult (1889–1983) was an English conductor. Brought up in a prosperous mercantile family he followed musical studies at
Christ Church, Oxford and at
Leipzig, Germany, with early conducting work in London for the
Royal Opera House and
Sergei Diaghilev's ballet company. His first prominent post was conductor of the
City of Birmingham Orchestra in 1924. When the
British Broadcasting Corporation appointed him director of music in 1930, he established the
BBC Symphony Orchestra and became its chief conductor. Forced to leave the BBC in 1950 on reaching retirement age, Boult took on the chief conductorship of the
London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO). The orchestra had declined from its peak of the 1930s, but under his guidance its fortunes were revived. Although in the latter part of his career he worked with other orchestras, including the
London Symphony Orchestra, the
Philharmonia Orchestra, the
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and his former orchestra, the BBC Symphony, it was the LPO with which he was primarily associated, conducting it in concerts and recordings until 1978. Known for his championing of British music, he gave the first performance of Holst's The Planets, and introduced new works by, among others,
Bliss,
Britten,
Delius,
Tippett,
Vaughan Williams and
Walton. In his BBC years he introduced works by foreign composers, including
Bartók,
Berg,
Stravinsky,
Schoenberg and
Webern. As well as a series of recordings that have remained in the catalogue for three or four decades, Boult's legacy includes his influence on prominent conductors of later generations, including
Colin Davis and
Vernon Handley. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/31
Douglas Jardine (1900–1958) was an English
cricketer and
captain of the
England cricket team from 1931 to 1933–34. A right-handed
batsman, he played 22
Test matches for England, captaining the side in 15 of those matches, winning nine, losing one and drawing five. After establishing an early reputation as a prolific schoolboy batsman, Jardine attended
New College, Oxford, and played for the university's
cricket team. Jardine is best known for captaining the English team during the
1932–33 Ashes tour of Australia, in which his team employed
Bodyline tactics against
Donald Bradman and other opposing Australian batsmen. This tactic was considered by many to be intimidatory and physically threatening and Jardine is widely regarded by commentators and writers as the person responsible for the English strategy on that tour. A controversial figure among cricketers, Jardine was well known for his dislike of Australian players and crowds and was unpopular in Australia, particularly for his manner and especially so after the Bodyline tour. On the other hand, many players captained by him regarded him as an excellent captain; not all regarded him as good at managing people. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/32
Robert Catesby (c.1572–1605) was the leader of a group of provincial
English Catholics who planned the failed
Gunpowder Plot of 1605. He was educated at
Gloucester Hall, Oxford, but left without taking his degree, presumably to avoid swearing the
Oath of Supremacy. He married a Protestant in 1593, but when in 1598 his father and wife each died, he may have reverted to Catholicism. Catesby planned to kill
James I by blowing up the
House of Lords with gunpowder, the prelude to a popular revolt during which a Catholic monarch would be restored to the English throne. Early in 1604 he began to recruit friends to his cause, including
Thomas Wintour,
John Wright,
Thomas Percy, and
Guy Fawkes. He helped bring a further eight conspirators into the plot, whose gestation was planned for 5 November 1605. An anonymous letter alerted the authorities, and on the eve of the planned explosion, during a search of Parliament, Fawkes was found guarding the barrels of gunpowder. News of his arrest caused the other plotters to flee London. Catesby made a final stand at
Holbeche House in
Staffordshire, where he was shot, and later found dead. As a warning to others, his body was exhumed and his head exhibited outside Parliament. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/33
William Morris (1834–1896) was an English
textile designer, artist, writer, and
socialist associated with the
Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English
Arts and Crafts Movement. His best-known works include The Defence of Guenevere and Other Poems (1858), The Earthly Paradise (1868–70), A Dream of John Ball and the
utopianNews from Nowhere. He was an important figure in the emergence of
socialism in Britain, founding the
Socialist League in 1884, but breaking with the movement over goals and methods by the end of that decade. Born in
Walthamstow in east London, Morris was educated at
Marlborough and
Exeter College, Oxford. In 1856, he became an apprentice to
Gothic revival architect
G. E. Street. That same year he founded the Oxford and Cambridge Magazine, an outlet for his poetry and a forum for development of his theories of
hand-craftsmanship in the
decorative arts. In 1861, Morris founded a design firm in partnership with the artist
Edward Burne-Jones, and the poet and artist
Dante Gabriel Rossetti which profoundly influenced the decoration of churches and houses into the early 20th century. His chief contribution to the arts was as a designer of repeating patterns for wallpapers and textiles, many based on a close observation of nature. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/37 Robert Winchelsey (
c. 1245– 1313) was an English Christian theologian and
Archbishop of Canterbury. He studied at the universities of
Paris and Oxford, and later taught at both. Influenced by
Thomas Aquinas, he was a
scholastic theologian. Winchelsey held various benefices in England, and was the
Chancellor of Oxford University before being elected to Canterbury in early 1293. Although he initially had the support of
Edward I, Winchelsey later became a forceful opponent of the king. The archbishop was encouraged by the papacy to resist Edward's attempts to tax the clergy. Winchelsey was also an opponent of the king's treasurer
Walter Langton as well as other clergy. On one occasion he rebuked an abbot so sternly that the abbot suffered a fatal heart attack. Following the election of a former royal clerk as
Pope Clement V in 1305, the king was able to secure the archbishop's exile that same year. Upon the succession of Edward's son,
Edward II, Winchelsey was allowed to return to England after the new king petitioned the pope to allow his return. Winchelsey soon joined the king's enemies, however, and was the only bishop to object to the return of the king's favourite,
Piers Gaveston. Winchelsey died in 1313. Although miracles were alleged to have happened at his tomb, an attempt to have him declared a saint was unsuccessful. (Full article...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/38
Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) was an
Irish writer, poet, and prominent
aesthete, remembered for his many epigrams, his plays, and the tragedy of his imprisonment and early death. Wilde proved himself to be an outstanding classicist, first at
Trinity College, Dublin, then at
Magdalen College, Oxford. After university, Wilde moved to London and into fashionable circles. Known for his biting wit, flamboyant dress, and glittering conversation, Wilde was one of the best known personalities of his day. He produced a series of dialogues and essays that developed his ideas about the supremacy of art. However, it was his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray that brought him more lasting recognition. Wilde produced four society comedies in the early 1890s, culminating in his masterpiece The Importance of Being Earnest in 1895. At the height of his fame, Wilde sued his lover's father for libel. After a series of trials, Wilde was convicted of
gross indecency with other men and imprisoned for two years. In prison he wrote De Profundis, a long letter which discusses his spiritual journey through his trials. Upon his release he left immediately for France. There he wrote his last work, The Ballad of Reading Gaol, a long poem commemorating the harsh rhythms of prison life. He died destitute in Paris at the age of forty-six. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/40
Brian Twyne (1581–1644) was an antiquarian and an academic at Oxford. After being educated at
Corpus Christi College, and becoming a
Fellow of the college in 1606, he published his one main work, a history of the university, in 1608. This was designed to prove that Oxford was older than
Cambridge University, and has been described by a modern writer as a "remarkable achievement for a young scholar of twenty-eight." His main accomplishment was to play a leading role in the revision of the university statutes under
William Laud (
Chancellor of the University of Oxford and
Archbishop of Canterbury). He was rewarded by appointment in 1634 to the new position of Keeper of the Archives. In this role, he obtained a new royal charter for Oxford University to confirm its rights and privileges, and helped the university in its disputes with the city authorities. He also moved the archives into the Tower of the Five Orders (pictured) at the
Bodleian Library, where they are still kept. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/41 Sir William Walton (1902–1983) was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera. His best-known works include Façade – An Entertainment, the
cantataBelshazzar's Feast and his
First Symphony. Born in
Lancashire, the son of a musician, Walton was a chorister and then an undergraduate at
Christ Church, Oxford. On leaving the university (without a degree), he was taken up by the literary Sitwell siblings, who provided him with a home and a cultural education. His earliest work of note was a collaboration with
Edith Sitwell, Façade, which at first brought him notoriety as a
modernist, but later became a popular ballet score. In middle age, Walton left Britain and set up home with his young wife on the Italian island of
Ischia. By this time, he had ceased to be regarded as a modernist, and some of his compositions of the 1950s were criticised as old-fashioned. In his last years, his works came back into critical fashion; his later compositions, dismissed by critics at the time of their premieres, were revalued and regarded alongside his earlier works. His most popular compositions continue to be frequently performed in the 21st century, and by 2010 all his works were recorded for CD. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/42
Bernard Bosanquet (1877–1937) was an English
cricketer. He is best-known for inventing the
googly, a
delivery designed to deceive the
batsman. When bowled, it appears to be a
leg break, but after pitching the ball turns in the opposite direction to that which is expected, behaving as an
off break instead. Bosanquet played cricket for
Eton College and whilst at
Oriel College, Oxford. He played with moderate success as a batsman who bowled at
fast-medium pace for
Oxford University between 1898 and 1900. While playing a tabletop game, Bosanquet devised a new technique for delivering a ball, later christened the "googly", which he steadily practised during his time at Oxford. He then played
first-class cricket for
Middlesex. Having gone on several minor overseas tours, Bosanquet was selected in 1903 for the
Marylebone Cricket Club tour of Australia. During that tour, he made his Test debut for
England and although his batting was unsuccessful, he did well as a bowler and troubled all the opposing batsmen. He appeared in seven
Test matches for England as an
all-rounder. He was chosen as a
Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1905. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/44 Charles Cruttwell (1887–1941) was a British historian and academic who served as
dean and later principal of
Hertford College, Oxford. His field of expertise was modern European history, his most notable work being A History of the Great War, 1914–18. He is mainly remembered, however, for the vendetta pursued against him by the novelist
Evelyn Waugh, in which Waugh showed his distaste for his former tutor by repeatedly using the name "Cruttwell" in his early novels and stories to depict a sequence of unsavoury or ridiculous characters. The prolonged minor humiliation thus inflicted may have contributed to Cruttwell's eventual mental breakdown. After gaining first-class honours at
Queen's College, Cruttwell was elected a Fellow of
All Souls College in 1911, and the following year became a lecturer in history at Hertford. His academic career was interrupted by war service during which he suffered severe wounds; after his return to Oxford in 1919 he became dean of Hertford, and in 1930, principal of the college. It was during his tenure as dean that the feud with Waugh developed while the latter was a history scholar at Hertford, in 1922–24. This hostility was pursued on Waugh's part until shortly before Cruttwell's death. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/45
Thomas Jefferson Hogg (1792–1862) was a British
barrister and writer best known for his friendship with the
Romantic poetPercy Bysshe Shelley. They became friends while studying at
University College, Oxford, and remained close until Shelley's death. They collaborated on several literary projects at Oxford, culminating in their joint expulsion following the publication of one controversial treatise. Hogg became a
barrister and met
Jane Williams, who became his
common law wife; they had two children together. The family settled in London, although Hogg's legal career meant that he often had to travel away from home. While living in London Hogg made the acquaintance of several well-known writers, and he published literary works of his own, including two entries on Greek literature in the Encyclopædia Britannica. His best-known work was The Life of Percy Bysshe Shelley, an unfinished biography of the poet, criticised for portraying him negatively. Hogg received an appointment to a government commission on municipal corporations and became a revising barrister. His legal career was moderately successful, but he was often frustrated by his failure to attain his goal of becoming a professor or judge. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/46 Tom Driberg (1905–1976) was a British journalist and politician. A member of the
British Communist Party for more than 20 years, he was first elected to parliament as an Independent, and joined the
Labour Party in 1945. He never held any ministerial office, but was a popular and influential figure in
left-wing politics for many years. Driberg was educated at
Christ Church, Oxford, but left Oxford without a degree. He joined the Daily Express as a reporter, later becoming a columnist, and wrote several books, including biographies of the press baron
Lord Beaverbrook and the fugitive British diplomat
Guy Burgess. Driberg made no secret of his homosexuality, despite it being a criminal offence in Britain until 1967, and was somehow able to avoid any consequences for his often brazen behaviour. Always in search of bizarre experiences, Driberg befriended at various times the
black magic practitioner
Aleister Crowley and the
Kray twins, along with honoured and respected figures in the worlds of literature and politics. After his death, allegations were published about his role as an
MI5 informant, or a
KGB agent, or both. The extent and nature of Driberg's involvement with these agencies remains uncertain. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/47
Bill Clinton (born 1946) is an American politician who served as the
42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Born and raised in Arkansas, he studied at
Georgetown University before earning a
Rhodes Scholarship to attend
University College, Oxford. He studied
Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford, before leaving for
Yale Law School, where he met his future wife,
Hillary Clinton, who has served as the
United States Secretary of State since 2009. Clinton was
elected president in 1992, and presided over the longest period of peacetime economic expansion in American history. After a failed
health care reform attempt,
Republicanswon control of
Congress in 1994, for the first time in forty years. Two years later, Clinton became the first member of the Democratic Party since
Franklin D. Roosevelt to win a second full term as president. He successfully passed
welfare reform and the
State Children's Health Insurance Program, providing health coverage for millions of children. Later, he was
impeached for perjury and
obstruction of justice in a
scandal involving a White House intern, but was acquitted by the
U.S. Senate and served his complete term of office. Clinton left office with the highest end-of-office
approval rating of any U.S. president since World War II. Since then, he has been involved in public speaking and humanitarian work. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/50 Harold Davidson (1875–1937),
rector of the
Norfolk parish of
Stiffkey, was a
Church of England priest who was convicted in 1932 on charges of immorality and
defrocked by the Church. Ordained in 1903, he worked among London's poor and homeless. Styling himself the "Prostitutes' Padre", his declared mission was to rescue young girls he considered in danger of falling into prostitution. In this role he approached and befriended hundreds of women, and although there was little evidence of improper behaviour, he was often found in compromising situations and his neglect of his parish and family caused difficulties. A formal complaint led to church disciplinary proceedings, in which his defence was damaged beyond repair by a photograph of him with a near-naked teenage girl. Davidson then pursued a career as a showman to raise funds for his reinstatement campaign, performing novelty acts such as exhibiting himself in a barrel on the
Blackpool seafront. He died after being attacked by a lion in whose cage he was appearing. Later commentators have accepted that however inappropriate his behaviour, his motives were genuine and he did not deserve the humiliations he endured. (Full article...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/51
Sir Herbert Hope Risley (1851–1911) was a British
ethnographer and colonial administrator, a member of the
Indian Civil Service who conducted extensive studies on the tribes and
castes of
Bengal. He is notable for the formal application of the caste system to the entire
Hindu population of India in the 1901
census, of which he was in charge. Risley was influential in the 20th century revival of the hierarchical varna system as a structure for social order in India. He was born in
Buckinghamshire and attended
New College, Oxford, prior to joining the Indian Civil Service. He was posted initially to Bengal where his professional duties engaged him in statistical and ethnographic research, and soon developed an interest in
anthropology. His decision to indulge these interests curtailed his initial rapid advancement through the ranks of the Service, although he was later appointed Census Commissioner and, shortly before his death in 1911, became
Permanent Secretary at the
India Office in London. He emphasised the value of fieldwork and
anthropometrical studies, in contrast to the reliance on old texts and folklore that had historically been the methodology of
Indologists and which was still a significant approach in his lifetime. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/55
James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan (1797–1868) was an officer in the
British Army who commanded the Light Brigade during the
Crimean War. He led the
Charge of the Light Brigade at the
Battle of Balaclava. He was educated at
Harrow School and
Christ Church, Oxford, but left Oxford after three years, without taking a degree. He became a Member of Parliament in his last term at Oxford, and spent time in the
House of Commons before inheriting his father's peerage and with it a place in the
House of Lords. Throughout his life in politics and his long military career he characterised the arrogant and extravagant aristocrat of the period. His progression through the Army was marked by many episodes of extraordinary incompetence, but this can be measured against his generosity to the men under his command and genuine bravery. As a member of the
landed aristocracy he had actively and steadfastly opposed any political reform in Britain, but in the last year of his life he relented and came to acknowledge that such reform would bring benefit to all classes of society. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/56
Montague Druitt (1857–1888) was one of the suspects in the
Jack the Ripper murders that took place in London between August and November 1888. He came from an upper-middle class English background, and studied at
Winchester College and
New College, Oxford. After graduating, he took a position at a
boarding school and pursued a parallel career in the law; he qualified as a
barrister in 1885. His main interest outside work was cricket, which he played with many leading players of the time, including
Lord Harris and
Francis Lacey. In November 1888, he lost his post at the school for reasons that remain unclear. One month later his body was found drowned in the
River Thames. His death, which was found to be a suicide, roughly coincided with the end of the murders that were attributed to Jack the Ripper. Private suggestions in the 1890s that he could have committed the crimes became public knowledge in the 1960s, and led to the publication of books that proposed him as the murderer. The evidence against him was entirely
circumstantial, however, and many writers from the 1970s onwards have rejected him as a likely suspect. (Full article...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/58
Reginald Heber (1783–1826) was an English
clergyman,
man of letters and hymn-writer who, after working as a country parson for 16 years, served as the Anglican
Bishop of Calcutta until his sudden death at the age of 42. The son of a wealthy landowner and clergyman, Heber gained an early reputation at
Brasenose College, Oxford, as a poet. He was ordained in 1807 and took over his father's old parish of
Hodnet in Shropshire, before taking office as Bishop of Calcutta in October 1823. During his short episcopate he travelled widely in the
areas of India within his
diocese, and worked hard to improve the spiritual and general living conditions of his flock. However, a combination of arduous duties, hostile climate and indifferent health brought about his collapse and death after less than three years in India. Monuments were erected to his memory in India and in
St Paul's Cathedral, London. A collection of his hymns was published shortly after his death; one of these, "
Holy, Holy, Holy", has survived into the 21st century as a popular and widely known hymn for
Trinity Sunday. Later commentators have asserted that although Heber's example and writings inspired others to devote their lives to the mission fields, the paternalism and imperial assumptions expressed in his hymns are outdated and generally unacceptable in the modern world. (Full article...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/59
Lionel Palairet (1870–1933) was an English
amateurcricketer who played for
Somerset and
Oxford University. A graceful right-handed batsman, he was selected to play
Test cricket for
England twice in 1902; an unwillingness to tour during the English winter limited his Test appearances. For Somerset, he frequently opened the batting with
Herbie Hewett. In 1892,
they shared a partnership of 346 for the first wicket, an opening stand that set a record for the County Championship and remains Somerset's highest first-wicket partnership. In that season, Palairet was named as one of the "
Five Batsmen of the Year" by Wisden. Over the following decade, he was one of the leading amateur batsmen in England. He passed 1,000 first-class runs in a season on seven occasions, and struck two double centuries. After 1904, he appeared infrequently for Somerset, though he played a full season in 1907 when he was chosen to captain the county. He retired from first-class cricket in 1909, having scored over 15,000 runs. Contemporaries judged Palairet to have one of the most attractive batting styles of the period, and his obituary in The Times described him as "the most beautiful batsman of all time". (Full article...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/60
William Beach Thomas (1868–1957) was a British author and journalist known for his work as a
war correspondent and his writings about nature and country life. The son of a rural clergyman, he won an
exhibition to
Christ Church, Oxford, became president of the Oxford University Athletics Club. Finding work as a schoolmaster unpleasant, he turned his attention to writing articles for newspapers and periodicals, and began to write books. During the early part of the First World War Beach Thomas defied military authorities to report news stories from the
Western Front. As a result he was briefly imprisoned before being granted official accreditation as a war correspondent. His reportage for the remainder of the war received national recognition, despite being criticised by some and parodied by soldiers. Beach Thomas's primary interest as an adult was in rural matters. He was conservative in his views, and feared that the post–Second World War socialist governments regarded the countryside only from an economic perspective. He was an advocate for the creation of
national parks in England and Wales, and mourned the decline of traditional village society. (Full article...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/61
Calvert took an interest in the
British colonization of the Americas, at first for commercial reasons and later to create a refuge for English Catholics. He became the proprietor of
Avalon, the first sustained English settlement on the southeastern peninsula on the island of
Newfoundland. Discouraged by its cold climate and the sufferings of the settlers, Sir George looked for a more suitable spot further south and sought a new royal charter to settle the region, which would become the state of
Maryland. Calvert died five weeks before the new Charter was sealed, leaving the settlement of the
Maryland colony to his son
Cecil. (Full article...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/66
John Dundas (1915–1940) was a British
Second World War fighter pilot and
flying ace. The son of an aristocrat, Dundas was an able student and academic. After graduating from
Christ Church, Oxford, with a degree in Modern History, he became a
journalist in his home county of
West Yorkshire. After two years, tired with life as a reporter, he joined the
Royal Auxiliary Air Force in July 1938 and trained as a pilot at his own expense. His pilot training was complete in 1939. In May 1940 his unit,
No. 609 Squadron RAF, took part in the
Battle of France during which Dundas claimed his first two victories. Dundas remained with his Squadron throughout the
Battle of Britain claiming nine German aircraft shot down. On 9 October he was awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross for 10 victories. At the time of his last battle Dundas had been credited with 12 aircraft destroyed, two shared destroyed, four probably destroyed and five damaged. During a battle over the English Channel on 28 November 1940, Dundas is believed to have engaged and shot down
Helmut Wick, the highest scoring ace of the Luftwaffe at that time. Moments later Dundas was also shot down. Both pilots remain
missing in action. (Full article...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/67 Lilian Faithfull (1865–1952) was an English teacher, headmistress, women's rights advocate, magistrate, social worker and humanitarian. She was one of the "
Steamboat ladies" who were part of the struggle for women to gain university education. She obtained a first-class degree in English from
Somerville College, where she was the first captain of the women's hockey team and the college tennis champion. She later suggested that women who had competed for Oxford or Cambridge in intercollegiate sports should be awarded
Blues, like their male counterparts, and this was implemented in 1891. From 1889 until 1894 she was a lecturer at
Royal Holloway College and then joined
King's College London, where she regarded her 13 years as vice-principal of the Ladies Department as the happiest of her career. She was principal of
Cheltenham Ladies' College from 1907 until 1922. In 1920, she became Justice of the Peace for
Cheltenham, becoming one of the first women magistrates in England. Faithfull started the organisation that is now Lilian Faithfull Homes in Cheltenham, and she spent the last few months of her life in the care of one of the homes. (Full article...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/68
Thomas Pennant (1726–1798) was a Welsh
naturalist, traveller, writer and
antiquarian. He was born and lived his whole life at his family estate,
Downing Hall. In 1744 he entered
The Queen's College, Oxford, later moving to
Oriel College. Like many students from a wealthy background, he left Oxford without taking a degree, although in 1771 his work as a zoologist was recognised with an honorary degree. As a naturalist he had a great curiosity, observing the geography, geology, plants, animals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish around him. He wrote acclaimed books including British Zoology, the History of Quadrupeds, Arctic Zoology and Indian Zoology although he never travelled further than continental Europe. He knew many of the scientific figures of his day. His books influenced the writings of
Samuel Johnson. He visited and wrote about Scotland and other parts of Britain. Many of his travels took him to places that were little known to the British public and his travelogues, accompanied by colour plates, were much appreciated. He was an amiable man with a large circle of friends and was still busily following his interests into his sixties. (Full article...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/73 Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 10th Earl of Shaftesbury (1938–2004), was a
British peer from
Wimborne St Giles,
Dorset. His father predeceased him, making him next in line to his grandfather,
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 9th Earl of Shaftesbury. When the 9th Earl died in 1961, Ashley-Cooper became the 10th
Earl of Shaftesbury,
Baron Ashley of Wimborne St Giles and
Baron Cooper of Pawlett. Educated at
Christ Church, Oxford, he was a wealthy landowner of over 9,000 acres (3,600 ha) in
East Dorset, and received honours and awards for his
philanthropic and
conservationist work, which included planting over a million trees. He served as president of the
Shaftesbury Society, pursuing the same goals of the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, who had founded the organization in 1840. He also served as the vice president of Sir
David Attenborough's
British Butterfly Conservation Society. In November 2004, he went missing in France, prompting an international police investigation. His remains were found at the bottom of a remote ravine in the foothills of the
French Alps. His brother-in-law and his wife,
Jamila M'Barek, were convicted of his murder. (Full article...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/74 Ian Smith (1903–1972) was a
rugby unionwing who played 32
Tests for
Scotland and two Tests for the
British Isles. Born in Australia and brought up in New Zealand, he moved to England and was educated at
Winchester College, before studying at
Oxford University and later
Edinburgh University. At Oxford he took up rugby (having only played football at school); he captained the university team to victory against Cambridge in
the 1923 Varsity Match, scoring two tries. He was eventually selected for Scotland, for whom he was eligible because of his Scottish parents. He toured with the British Isles (now known as the British and Irish Lions) to South Africa in 1924, and played all four matches in Scotland's first ever
Five NationsGrand Slam in 1925. He represented Scotland until 1933 when he captained them in their
Triple Crown winning season. His 24 international tries, all scored in the Five Nations or Home Nations, was an international record until 1987 and a record for the Five/Six Nations until 2011. Smith still holds joint possession of the Scottish record. (Full article...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/75
Sir John Stainer (1840–1901) was an English composer and organist whose music, though not generally much performed today (except for The Crucifixion, was very popular during his lifetime. Stainer became a chorister at
St Paul's Cathedral when aged ten and was appointed to the position of organist at
St Michael's College, Tenbury at the age of sixteen. In 1860 he became organist at
Magdalen College, Oxford, studying for his BA degree alongside his duties and later obtaining his doctorate. He improved the Magdalen choir and was highly regarded as an organist. The Vice-Chancellor,
Francis Jeune, appointed Stainer in 1861 to the prestigious post of University Organist at the
University Church of St Mary the Virgin. He had considerable influence on sacred music in Oxford and his reputation spread beyond the confines of the city. In 1872 he was appointed organist at St Paul's Cathedral. When he retired due to his poor eyesight and deteriorating health, he returned to Oxford to become Professor of Music at the university. His work as choir trainer and organist set standards for
Anglican church music that are still influential. (Full article...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/76
William Stoughton (1631–1701) was a colonial magistrate and administrator in the
Province of Massachusetts Bay. He was in charge of what have come to be known as the
Salem Witch Trials, first as the Chief Justice of the Special Court of
Oyer and Terminer in 1692, and then as the Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Judicature in 1693. In these trials he controversially accepted
spectral evidence (based on supposed demonic visions). Unlike other magistrates, he never admitted to the possibility that his acceptance of such evidence was in error. After graduating from
Harvard College in 1650, he continued religious studies at
New College, Oxford, and preached in England. Returning to Massachusetts in 1662, he entered politics instead of the ministry. An adept politician, he served in virtually every government through the period of turmoil in Massachusetts that encompassed the revocation of its first charter in 1684 and the introduction of its second charter in 1692. He was one of the province's major landowners, and served as its lieutenant governor from 1692 until his death. The town of
Stoughton, Massachusetts, was named for him. (Full article...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/77
Davis Tarwater (born 1984) is an American
swimmer who won gold at the
2012 Summer Olympics in
London for his contributions in the heats of the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. He grew up in
Knoxville, Tennessee, and began competitive swimming at age seven. During high school, he set three state swimming records and was named High School Swimmer of the Year in 2002. He attended the
University of Michigan, where he was a three-time NCAA national champion and won a
Big Ten Medal of Honor for being the school's top student-athlete. Tarwater has represented the United States in the World Championships three times, winning a gold medal as part of the 4×200-meter freestyle relay team in 2009. He has won three individual and five relay national titles, and set an
American record in the 200-meter butterfly in 2011. In 2004, 2008 and 2012, he narrowly missed making the Olympic team in the 200-meter butterfly. After failing to make the Olympic team in 2008, he retired from swimming and obtained a Master's degree in Latin American Studies at
St Antony's College, Oxford, returning to swimming full-time in 2010. (Full article...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/78
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Selected biography
Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/1 Elias Ashmole was an antiquarian, collector, politician, and student of astrology and alchemy. He supported the
royalist side during the
English Civil War, and at the
restoration of Charles II he was rewarded with several lucrative offices. Throughout his life he was an avid collector of curiosities and other artifacts. Many of these he acquired from the traveller, botanist, and collector
John Tradescant the elder and
his son. Ashmole donated most of them to the university to create the
Ashmolean Museum. He also donated his library and priceless manuscript collection to Oxford. Apart from his collecting activities, Ashmole illustrates the passing of the pre-scientific world view in the 17th century: while he immersed himself in alchemical, magical and astrological studies and was consulted on astrological questions by Charles II and his court, these studies were essentially backward-looking. Although he was one of the founding members of the
Royal Society, a key institution in the development of experimental science, he never participated actively. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/2
J. R. R. Tolkien was a British writer and university professor, best known as the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. He was
Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford from 1925 to 1945, and
Merton Professor of English Language and Literature, also at Oxford, from 1945 to 1959. Tolkien was a close friend of
C. S. Lewis, with whom he shared membership in the Oxford literary discussion group the "
Inklings". In addition to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien's published fiction includes The Silmarillion and other posthumously published books about what he called a legendarium, a connected body of tales, fictional histories, invented languages, and other literary essays about an imagined world called
Arda, and
Middle-earth. Most of these works were compiled from Tolkien's notes by his son
Christopher Tolkien. The enduring popularity and influence of Tolkien's works have established him as the "father of modern fantasy literature". Tolkien's other published fiction includes stories not directly related to the legendarium, some of them originally told to his children. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/3
Samuel Johnson (1709–1784) often referred to as "Dr Johnson", was a British author who has been described as "arguably the most distinguished man of letters in English history". He is also the subject of "the most famous single work of biographical art in the whole of literature":
James Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson. Johnson attended
Pembroke College, Oxford for just over a year, before his lack of funds forced him to leave. After working as a teacher he moved to London, where he began to write miscellaneous pieces for The Gentleman's Magazine. After nine years of work, Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language was published in 1755; it had a far-reaching effect on
Modern English and has been described as "one of the greatest single achievements of scholarship." In 1763, he befriended James Boswell, with whom he later travelled to Scotland. Boswell's Life, along with
other biographies, documented Johnson's behaviour and mannerisms in such detail that they have informed the
posthumous diagnosis of
Tourette syndrome, a condition not defined in the 18th century. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/4
W. H. Auden (1907–1973) was an Anglo-American poet regarded by many as one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. He grew up in
Birmingham in a professional middle class family and read English literature at
Christ Church, Oxford. His early poems, written in the late 1920s and early 1930s, alternated between telegraphic modern styles and fluent traditional ones, were written in an intense and dramatic tone, and established his reputation as a left-wing political poet and prophet. He became uncomfortable in this role in the later 1930s, and abandoned it after he moved to the United States in 1939, where he became an American citizen in 1946. His poems in the 1940s explored religious and ethical themes in a less dramatic manner than his earlier works, but still combined traditional forms and styles with new forms devised by Auden himself. In the 1950s and 1960s many of his poems focused on the ways in which words revealed and concealed emotions, and he took a particular interest in writing opera librettos. After his death, some of his poems, notably "
Funeral Blues" ("Stop all the clocks") and "
September 1, 1939", became widely known through films, broadcasts and popular media. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/10
Cosmo Gordon Lang (1864–1945) was an Anglican clergyman who served as
Archbishop of York and
Archbishop of Canterbury. He studied at
Balliol College, Oxford from 1882 to 1886, was President of the
Oxford Union and co-founder of the
Oxford University Dramatic Society. As Archbishop of Canterbury during the
abdication crisis of 1936 he took a strong moral stance, and comments he made in a subsequent broadcast were widely condemned as uncharitable towards the departed king. In his early ministry Lang served in slum parishes in
Leeds and
Portsmouth before his appointment in 1901 as
Bishop of Stepney in London. In 1908 Lang was nominated Archbishop of York, despite his relatively junior status as a
suffragan bishop. At the start of World War I, Lang was heavily criticised for a speech in which he spoke sympathetically of
Kaiser Wilhelm II. After the war he supported controversial proposals for the revision of the
Book of Common Prayer, but after acceding to Canterbury he took no practical steps to resolve this issue. As Archbishop of Canterbury he presided over the 1930
Lambeth Conference, which gave limited church approval to the use of contraception. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/11
William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield (1705–1793) was a British
barrister, politician and judge noted for his reform of English law. Born to Scottish nobility, he was educated in
Perth, Scotland and at
Westminster School, London. He entered
Christ Church, Oxford, in May 1723, and graduated four years later. Returning to London from Oxford, he was
called to the Bar by
Lincoln's Inn in 1730, and quickly gained a reputation as an excellent barrister. He became involved in politics in 1742, beginning with his election as MP for
Boroughbridge, and appointment as
Solicitor General. In the absence of a strong
Attorney General, he became the main spokesman for the government in the
House of Commons, and was described as "beyond comparison the best speaker" in the House of Commons. With the promotion of
Sir Dudley Ryder to
Lord Chief Justice in 1754, he became Attorney General, and when Ryder unexpectedly died several months later, he took his place as Chief Justice. He modernised both English law and the English courts system, and has been called the founder of English commercial law. He is perhaps best known for his judgment in
Somersett's Case, where he held that slavery was unlawful in England. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/15
Nigella Lawson (born 1960) is an English food writer, journalist and broadcaster. After graduating from
Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, Lawson worked as a book reviewer and restaurant critic, later becoming the deputy literary editor of The Sunday Times. After working as a freelance journalist, Lawson brought out her first cookery book, How to Eat, which sold 300,000 copies and became a bestseller. For her second book, How to be a Domestic Goddess, she won the
British Book Award for Author of The Year. In 2000, she began to host her own cookery series on
Channel 4, Nigella Bites, which was accompanied with another bestselling cookery book. The series won her a Guild of Food Writers Award; her 2005
ITV daytime chat show was cancelled after attracting low ratings. In the United States in 2006, Lawson hosted the
Food Network's Nigella Feasts, followed by a three-part
BBC Two series, Nigella's Christmas Kitchen, in the United Kingdom. This led to the commissioning of Nigella Express on BBC Two in 2007. She has sold more than three million cookery books worldwide. Renowned for her flirtatious manner of presenting, Lawson has been called the "queen of
food porn". (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/16
Susanna Clarke (born 1959) is a British author best known for her debut novel Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2004), an
alternate history which won the
Hugo Award for Best Novel. After studying at
St Hilda's College, Oxford, Clarke worked in publishing and then taught English in Italy and in Spain. She began Jonathan Strange in 1993 and worked on it during her spare time. For the next decade, she published short stories from the Strange universe, but it was not until 2003 that
Bloomsbury bought her manuscript and began work on its publication. The novel became a bestseller and won several awards. Two years later, she published a collection of her short stories, The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories (2006). Both Clarke's novel and her short stories are set in a magical England and written in a pastiche of the styles of 19th-century writers such as
Jane Austen and
Charles Dickens. While Strange focuses on the relationship of two men, Jonathan Strange and Gilbert Norrell, the stories in Ladies focus on the power women gain through magic. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/20
Sir Wilfrid Kent Hughes (1895–1970) was an Australian soldier, Olympian and
Olympic Games organiser, and politician. Kent Hughes was born in
Melbourne. His studies at
Christ Church, Oxford as a
Rhodes scholar were delayed by service in the army in World War I. He represented Australia in athletics as a hurdler at the
1920 Summer Olympics in
Antwerp. Elected to the
Victorian state parliament in 1927, Kent Hughes rose to the position of Deputy Premier of Victoria. Kent Hughes proved to be a controversial figure in politics, and was never afraid to publicly espouse his personal beliefs, such as an admiration for fascism, of which he had a poor understanding. He re-enlisted in the army at the outbreak of World War II but spent four years as a Japanese prisoner of war. Kent Hughes returned to Victorian state politics until switching to federal politics in 1949. He was appointed a Minister in the federal government led by
Robert Menzies but complained his responsibilities were trifling. More interesting to him was the chairmanship of the
1956 Summer Olympics Organising Committee; his role has led sporting historians to refer to him as "one of the most important figures in Olympic History". (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/21
Robert Hues (1553–1632) was an English mathematician and geographer. He graduated from
St Mary Hall, Oxford, in 1578 before making observations of the
variations of the compass off the coast of
Newfoundland. He later travelled with
Thomas Cavendish on a circumnavigation of the globe, taking the opportunity to measure latitudes. In 1589, Hues went on the
Earl of Cumberland's raiding expedition to the
Azores to capture Spanish
galleons. On a further circumnavigation, Hues made astronomical observations while in the
South Atlantic, and also observed the variation of the compass there and at the
Equator. In 1594, Hues published his discoveries in Tractatus de globis et eorum usu (Treatise on Globes and their Use) which was written to encourage English sailors to use practical astronomical navigation. He became a servant of Thomas Grey, 15th Baron Grey de Wilton, staying with him when Grey was imprisoned in the
Tower of London for participating in the
Bye Plot. Following Grey's death in 1614, Hues attended upon
Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland, when he was confined in the Tower. He died in Oxford in 1632 and was buried in
Christ Church Cathedral. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/22 Edward VIII (1894–1972) was King of Great Britain, Ireland, the
British Dominions beyond the Seas, and
Emperor of India from the death of his father,
George V, on 20 January 1936, until
his abdication on 11 December 1936. As a young man he studied briefly at
Magdalen College, Oxford, served in World War I, undertook several foreign tours on behalf of his father, and was associated with a succession of older married women. Only months into his reign, Edward forced a constitutional crisis by proposing marriage to the American divorcée
Wallis Simpson. Although legally Edward could have married Mrs. Simpson and remained king, his various prime ministers opposed the marriage, arguing that the people would never accept her as queen. Edward knew that the ministry of British Prime Minister
Stanley Baldwin would resign if the marriage went ahead; this could have dragged the King into a general election thus ruining irreparably his status as a politically neutral constitutional monarch. Rather than give up Mrs. Simpson, Edward chose to abdicate. He is one of the shortest-reigning monarchs in British history, and was never
crowned. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/23
John Brooke-Little (1927–2006) was an influential and popular writer on
heraldic subjects and a long-serving
officer of arms at the
College of Arms in
London, England. In 1947, while still a student, Brooke-Little founded the "Society of Heraldic Antiquaries", now known as
The Heraldry Society and recognized as one of the leading learned societies in its field. He served as the society's chairman for 50 years and then as its President from 1997 until his death in 2006. He also refounded the Oxford University Heraldry Society during his time at
New College, Oxford. Brooke-Little was involved in other heraldic groups and societies and worked for many years as an officer of arms, writing at least ten books on heraldry and related topics. After serving on the
Earl Marshall's staff for the coronation of
Elizabeth II in 1953, he started his heraldic career as
Bluemantle Pursuivant, and worked his way up to the second-highest heraldic office in England–
Clarenceux King of Arms. He ended his heraldic career without ever having attained the highest office,
Garter King of Arms, or being honoured with a knighthood. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/24
Edward VII (1841–1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British
Dominions and
Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death on 6 May 1910. He was the first
British monarch of the
House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, later renamed the
House of Windsor. His education included studies at
Christ Church, Oxford and
Trinity College, Cambridge. Before his accession to the throne, Edward held the title of
Prince of Wales and was heir apparent to the throne for longer than anyone else in history. During the long widowhood of his mother,
Queen Victoria, he was largely excluded from political power and came to personify the fashionable, leisured elite. The
Edwardian period of his reign, named after him, heralded significant changes in technology and society, including powered flight and the rise of socialism and the Labour movement. He fostered good relations between Great Britain and other European countries, especially
France, for which he was popularly called "Peacemaker", but his relationship with his nephew,
Wilhelm II of Germany, was poor. Edward presciently suspected that Wilhelm would precipitate a war, and four years after Edward's death, World War I brought an end to the Edwardian way of life. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/25
Philip Larkin (1922–1985) is widely regarded as one of the greatest English poets of the latter half of the 20th century. After graduating from
St John's College, Oxford in 1943, Larkin became a librarian, and it was during the 30 years he spent running the library at the
University of Hull that he produced the greater part of his published work. He came to prominence in 1955 with his second collection of poems, The Less Deceived, followed by The Whitsun Weddings (1964) and High Windows (1974). He declined the position of
poet laureate in 1984, following the death of
John Betjeman; he died in the following year and is buried at
Cottingham near Hull (gravestone pictured). His poems are marked by what
Andrew Motion calls a very English, glum accuracy about emotions, places, and relationships, and what
Donald Davie described as lowered sights and diminished expectations. Larkin's public persona was that of the no-nonsense, solitary Englishman who disliked fame and had no patience for the trappings of the public literary life. The posthumous publication by
Anthony Thwaite in 1992 of
his letters triggered controversy about his personal life and reactionary political views. Despite this, Larkin was chosen in a 2003
Poetry Book Society survey as Britain's best-loved poet of the previous 50 years, and in 2008 The Times named him as the country's greatest post-war writer. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/26
Sir Thomas Beecham (1879–1961) was a British conductor and
impresario. From the early 20th century until his death, Beecham was a major influence on the musical life of Britain and, according to
Neville Cardus, was the first British conductor to have a regular international career. He came from a wealthy industrial family: his grandfather had founded
Beecham's Pills, and Beecham was born in the house adjoining the factory. He studied briefly at
Wadham College, Oxford before leaving to study music privately. He used the money at his disposal to transform the operatic scene in England from the 1910s until the start of World War II, staging seasons at
Covent Garden,
Drury Lane and
His Majesty's Theatre with international stars, his own hand-picked orchestra and a wide range of repertoire. In the concert hall, London still has two orchestras founded by Beecham: the
London Philharmonic and the
Royal Philharmonic. He also maintained close links with the
Liverpool Philharmonic and
Hallé Orchestras in his native county of
Lancashire. His repertoire was eclectic, sometimes favouring lesser-known composers over famous ones. His specialities included composers whose works were rarely played in Britain before Beecham became their advocate, such as
Frederick Delius and
Hector Berlioz. He was known for his wit, and many "Beecham stories" are still told fifty years after his death. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/27 Claud Schuster, 1st Baron Schuster (1869–1956) was a British
barrister and civil servant noted for his long tenure as
Permanent Secretary to the Lord Chancellor's Office. Schuster studied history at
New College, Oxford before joining the
Inner Temple to become a barrister. Practising in Liverpool, Schuster was not particularly successful, and he joined
Her Majesty's Civil Service in 1899 as secretary to the Chief Commissioner of the Local Government Act Commission. After serving as secretary to several more commissions, he was made Permanent Secretary to the Lord Chancellor's Office in 1915. Schuster served in this position for twenty-nine years under ten different Lord Chancellors, and was called "one of the most influential Permanent Secretaries of the 20th century". His influence led to criticism and suspicions that he was a "power behind the throne", which culminated in a verbal attack by the
Lord Chief JusticeLord Hewart in 1934 during a session of the
House of Lords. Schuster retired in 1944 and was made Baron Schuster, of Cerne, in the County of Dorset. Despite being officially retired he continued to work in government circles, such as with the
Allied Commission for Austria and by using his seat in the House of Lords as a way to criticise legislation directly. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/28
David Lewis (1909–1981) was a Russian-born Canadian labour lawyer and
social democratic politician. He was national secretary of the
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) from 1936 to 1950, and was one of the key architects of the
New Democratic Party (NDP) in 1961. He was the NDP's national leader from 1971 to 1975. Lewis's politics were heavily influenced by the
Jewish Labour Bund, which contributed to his support of parliamentary democracy. He was an avowed anti-communist, and while a
Rhodes Scholar at
Lincoln College, Oxford, prevented communist domination of the university's Labour Club. He helped draft the
Winnipeg Declaration, which modernized the CCF's economic policies to include an acceptance of capitalism, though under the eye of government regulators. He had a central role in uniting the labour movement with the creation of the
Canadian Labour Congress in 1956. When his eldest son,
Stephen Lewis, became the NDP's Province of Ontario leader, in 1970, they became one of the first father and son teams to simultaneously head Canadian political parties. In retirement, he was named to the
Order of Canada for his political service. After a lengthy battle with cancer, he died in
Ottawa in 1981. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/29
Sir Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood, 1st Baronet, (1801–1866) was an English
landowner,
developer and
Member of Parliament, who founded the town of
Fleetwood, in
Lancashire, England. He was educated at
Trinity College, Oxford, and enjoyed an active social life in Oxford and London. Predeceased by an older brother, he inherited estates in west Lancashire in 1824. Inspired by the transport developments of the early 19th century, he decided to bring the railway to the Lancashire coast and develop a holiday resort and port. He hired architect
Decimus Burton to design his new town, which he named Fleetwood; construction began in 1836. Hesketh-Fleetwood was instrumental in the creation of a railway line between
Preston and Fleetwood which opened in 1840. His new town flourished, but the expense of building it left him close to bankruptcy and forced him to sell most of his estates including
Rossall Hall, which had been his family home. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/30 Sir Adrian Boult (1889–1983) was an English conductor. Brought up in a prosperous mercantile family he followed musical studies at
Christ Church, Oxford and at
Leipzig, Germany, with early conducting work in London for the
Royal Opera House and
Sergei Diaghilev's ballet company. His first prominent post was conductor of the
City of Birmingham Orchestra in 1924. When the
British Broadcasting Corporation appointed him director of music in 1930, he established the
BBC Symphony Orchestra and became its chief conductor. Forced to leave the BBC in 1950 on reaching retirement age, Boult took on the chief conductorship of the
London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO). The orchestra had declined from its peak of the 1930s, but under his guidance its fortunes were revived. Although in the latter part of his career he worked with other orchestras, including the
London Symphony Orchestra, the
Philharmonia Orchestra, the
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and his former orchestra, the BBC Symphony, it was the LPO with which he was primarily associated, conducting it in concerts and recordings until 1978. Known for his championing of British music, he gave the first performance of Holst's The Planets, and introduced new works by, among others,
Bliss,
Britten,
Delius,
Tippett,
Vaughan Williams and
Walton. In his BBC years he introduced works by foreign composers, including
Bartók,
Berg,
Stravinsky,
Schoenberg and
Webern. As well as a series of recordings that have remained in the catalogue for three or four decades, Boult's legacy includes his influence on prominent conductors of later generations, including
Colin Davis and
Vernon Handley. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/31
Douglas Jardine (1900–1958) was an English
cricketer and
captain of the
England cricket team from 1931 to 1933–34. A right-handed
batsman, he played 22
Test matches for England, captaining the side in 15 of those matches, winning nine, losing one and drawing five. After establishing an early reputation as a prolific schoolboy batsman, Jardine attended
New College, Oxford, and played for the university's
cricket team. Jardine is best known for captaining the English team during the
1932–33 Ashes tour of Australia, in which his team employed
Bodyline tactics against
Donald Bradman and other opposing Australian batsmen. This tactic was considered by many to be intimidatory and physically threatening and Jardine is widely regarded by commentators and writers as the person responsible for the English strategy on that tour. A controversial figure among cricketers, Jardine was well known for his dislike of Australian players and crowds and was unpopular in Australia, particularly for his manner and especially so after the Bodyline tour. On the other hand, many players captained by him regarded him as an excellent captain; not all regarded him as good at managing people. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/32
Robert Catesby (c.1572–1605) was the leader of a group of provincial
English Catholics who planned the failed
Gunpowder Plot of 1605. He was educated at
Gloucester Hall, Oxford, but left without taking his degree, presumably to avoid swearing the
Oath of Supremacy. He married a Protestant in 1593, but when in 1598 his father and wife each died, he may have reverted to Catholicism. Catesby planned to kill
James I by blowing up the
House of Lords with gunpowder, the prelude to a popular revolt during which a Catholic monarch would be restored to the English throne. Early in 1604 he began to recruit friends to his cause, including
Thomas Wintour,
John Wright,
Thomas Percy, and
Guy Fawkes. He helped bring a further eight conspirators into the plot, whose gestation was planned for 5 November 1605. An anonymous letter alerted the authorities, and on the eve of the planned explosion, during a search of Parliament, Fawkes was found guarding the barrels of gunpowder. News of his arrest caused the other plotters to flee London. Catesby made a final stand at
Holbeche House in
Staffordshire, where he was shot, and later found dead. As a warning to others, his body was exhumed and his head exhibited outside Parliament. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/33
William Morris (1834–1896) was an English
textile designer, artist, writer, and
socialist associated with the
Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English
Arts and Crafts Movement. His best-known works include The Defence of Guenevere and Other Poems (1858), The Earthly Paradise (1868–70), A Dream of John Ball and the
utopianNews from Nowhere. He was an important figure in the emergence of
socialism in Britain, founding the
Socialist League in 1884, but breaking with the movement over goals and methods by the end of that decade. Born in
Walthamstow in east London, Morris was educated at
Marlborough and
Exeter College, Oxford. In 1856, he became an apprentice to
Gothic revival architect
G. E. Street. That same year he founded the Oxford and Cambridge Magazine, an outlet for his poetry and a forum for development of his theories of
hand-craftsmanship in the
decorative arts. In 1861, Morris founded a design firm in partnership with the artist
Edward Burne-Jones, and the poet and artist
Dante Gabriel Rossetti which profoundly influenced the decoration of churches and houses into the early 20th century. His chief contribution to the arts was as a designer of repeating patterns for wallpapers and textiles, many based on a close observation of nature. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/37 Robert Winchelsey (
c. 1245– 1313) was an English Christian theologian and
Archbishop of Canterbury. He studied at the universities of
Paris and Oxford, and later taught at both. Influenced by
Thomas Aquinas, he was a
scholastic theologian. Winchelsey held various benefices in England, and was the
Chancellor of Oxford University before being elected to Canterbury in early 1293. Although he initially had the support of
Edward I, Winchelsey later became a forceful opponent of the king. The archbishop was encouraged by the papacy to resist Edward's attempts to tax the clergy. Winchelsey was also an opponent of the king's treasurer
Walter Langton as well as other clergy. On one occasion he rebuked an abbot so sternly that the abbot suffered a fatal heart attack. Following the election of a former royal clerk as
Pope Clement V in 1305, the king was able to secure the archbishop's exile that same year. Upon the succession of Edward's son,
Edward II, Winchelsey was allowed to return to England after the new king petitioned the pope to allow his return. Winchelsey soon joined the king's enemies, however, and was the only bishop to object to the return of the king's favourite,
Piers Gaveston. Winchelsey died in 1313. Although miracles were alleged to have happened at his tomb, an attempt to have him declared a saint was unsuccessful. (Full article...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/38
Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) was an
Irish writer, poet, and prominent
aesthete, remembered for his many epigrams, his plays, and the tragedy of his imprisonment and early death. Wilde proved himself to be an outstanding classicist, first at
Trinity College, Dublin, then at
Magdalen College, Oxford. After university, Wilde moved to London and into fashionable circles. Known for his biting wit, flamboyant dress, and glittering conversation, Wilde was one of the best known personalities of his day. He produced a series of dialogues and essays that developed his ideas about the supremacy of art. However, it was his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray that brought him more lasting recognition. Wilde produced four society comedies in the early 1890s, culminating in his masterpiece The Importance of Being Earnest in 1895. At the height of his fame, Wilde sued his lover's father for libel. After a series of trials, Wilde was convicted of
gross indecency with other men and imprisoned for two years. In prison he wrote De Profundis, a long letter which discusses his spiritual journey through his trials. Upon his release he left immediately for France. There he wrote his last work, The Ballad of Reading Gaol, a long poem commemorating the harsh rhythms of prison life. He died destitute in Paris at the age of forty-six. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/40
Brian Twyne (1581–1644) was an antiquarian and an academic at Oxford. After being educated at
Corpus Christi College, and becoming a
Fellow of the college in 1606, he published his one main work, a history of the university, in 1608. This was designed to prove that Oxford was older than
Cambridge University, and has been described by a modern writer as a "remarkable achievement for a young scholar of twenty-eight." His main accomplishment was to play a leading role in the revision of the university statutes under
William Laud (
Chancellor of the University of Oxford and
Archbishop of Canterbury). He was rewarded by appointment in 1634 to the new position of Keeper of the Archives. In this role, he obtained a new royal charter for Oxford University to confirm its rights and privileges, and helped the university in its disputes with the city authorities. He also moved the archives into the Tower of the Five Orders (pictured) at the
Bodleian Library, where they are still kept. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/41 Sir William Walton (1902–1983) was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera. His best-known works include Façade – An Entertainment, the
cantataBelshazzar's Feast and his
First Symphony. Born in
Lancashire, the son of a musician, Walton was a chorister and then an undergraduate at
Christ Church, Oxford. On leaving the university (without a degree), he was taken up by the literary Sitwell siblings, who provided him with a home and a cultural education. His earliest work of note was a collaboration with
Edith Sitwell, Façade, which at first brought him notoriety as a
modernist, but later became a popular ballet score. In middle age, Walton left Britain and set up home with his young wife on the Italian island of
Ischia. By this time, he had ceased to be regarded as a modernist, and some of his compositions of the 1950s were criticised as old-fashioned. In his last years, his works came back into critical fashion; his later compositions, dismissed by critics at the time of their premieres, were revalued and regarded alongside his earlier works. His most popular compositions continue to be frequently performed in the 21st century, and by 2010 all his works were recorded for CD. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/42
Bernard Bosanquet (1877–1937) was an English
cricketer. He is best-known for inventing the
googly, a
delivery designed to deceive the
batsman. When bowled, it appears to be a
leg break, but after pitching the ball turns in the opposite direction to that which is expected, behaving as an
off break instead. Bosanquet played cricket for
Eton College and whilst at
Oriel College, Oxford. He played with moderate success as a batsman who bowled at
fast-medium pace for
Oxford University between 1898 and 1900. While playing a tabletop game, Bosanquet devised a new technique for delivering a ball, later christened the "googly", which he steadily practised during his time at Oxford. He then played
first-class cricket for
Middlesex. Having gone on several minor overseas tours, Bosanquet was selected in 1903 for the
Marylebone Cricket Club tour of Australia. During that tour, he made his Test debut for
England and although his batting was unsuccessful, he did well as a bowler and troubled all the opposing batsmen. He appeared in seven
Test matches for England as an
all-rounder. He was chosen as a
Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1905. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/44 Charles Cruttwell (1887–1941) was a British historian and academic who served as
dean and later principal of
Hertford College, Oxford. His field of expertise was modern European history, his most notable work being A History of the Great War, 1914–18. He is mainly remembered, however, for the vendetta pursued against him by the novelist
Evelyn Waugh, in which Waugh showed his distaste for his former tutor by repeatedly using the name "Cruttwell" in his early novels and stories to depict a sequence of unsavoury or ridiculous characters. The prolonged minor humiliation thus inflicted may have contributed to Cruttwell's eventual mental breakdown. After gaining first-class honours at
Queen's College, Cruttwell was elected a Fellow of
All Souls College in 1911, and the following year became a lecturer in history at Hertford. His academic career was interrupted by war service during which he suffered severe wounds; after his return to Oxford in 1919 he became dean of Hertford, and in 1930, principal of the college. It was during his tenure as dean that the feud with Waugh developed while the latter was a history scholar at Hertford, in 1922–24. This hostility was pursued on Waugh's part until shortly before Cruttwell's death. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/45
Thomas Jefferson Hogg (1792–1862) was a British
barrister and writer best known for his friendship with the
Romantic poetPercy Bysshe Shelley. They became friends while studying at
University College, Oxford, and remained close until Shelley's death. They collaborated on several literary projects at Oxford, culminating in their joint expulsion following the publication of one controversial treatise. Hogg became a
barrister and met
Jane Williams, who became his
common law wife; they had two children together. The family settled in London, although Hogg's legal career meant that he often had to travel away from home. While living in London Hogg made the acquaintance of several well-known writers, and he published literary works of his own, including two entries on Greek literature in the Encyclopædia Britannica. His best-known work was The Life of Percy Bysshe Shelley, an unfinished biography of the poet, criticised for portraying him negatively. Hogg received an appointment to a government commission on municipal corporations and became a revising barrister. His legal career was moderately successful, but he was often frustrated by his failure to attain his goal of becoming a professor or judge. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/46 Tom Driberg (1905–1976) was a British journalist and politician. A member of the
British Communist Party for more than 20 years, he was first elected to parliament as an Independent, and joined the
Labour Party in 1945. He never held any ministerial office, but was a popular and influential figure in
left-wing politics for many years. Driberg was educated at
Christ Church, Oxford, but left Oxford without a degree. He joined the Daily Express as a reporter, later becoming a columnist, and wrote several books, including biographies of the press baron
Lord Beaverbrook and the fugitive British diplomat
Guy Burgess. Driberg made no secret of his homosexuality, despite it being a criminal offence in Britain until 1967, and was somehow able to avoid any consequences for his often brazen behaviour. Always in search of bizarre experiences, Driberg befriended at various times the
black magic practitioner
Aleister Crowley and the
Kray twins, along with honoured and respected figures in the worlds of literature and politics. After his death, allegations were published about his role as an
MI5 informant, or a
KGB agent, or both. The extent and nature of Driberg's involvement with these agencies remains uncertain. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/47
Bill Clinton (born 1946) is an American politician who served as the
42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Born and raised in Arkansas, he studied at
Georgetown University before earning a
Rhodes Scholarship to attend
University College, Oxford. He studied
Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford, before leaving for
Yale Law School, where he met his future wife,
Hillary Clinton, who has served as the
United States Secretary of State since 2009. Clinton was
elected president in 1992, and presided over the longest period of peacetime economic expansion in American history. After a failed
health care reform attempt,
Republicanswon control of
Congress in 1994, for the first time in forty years. Two years later, Clinton became the first member of the Democratic Party since
Franklin D. Roosevelt to win a second full term as president. He successfully passed
welfare reform and the
State Children's Health Insurance Program, providing health coverage for millions of children. Later, he was
impeached for perjury and
obstruction of justice in a
scandal involving a White House intern, but was acquitted by the
U.S. Senate and served his complete term of office. Clinton left office with the highest end-of-office
approval rating of any U.S. president since World War II. Since then, he has been involved in public speaking and humanitarian work. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/50 Harold Davidson (1875–1937),
rector of the
Norfolk parish of
Stiffkey, was a
Church of England priest who was convicted in 1932 on charges of immorality and
defrocked by the Church. Ordained in 1903, he worked among London's poor and homeless. Styling himself the "Prostitutes' Padre", his declared mission was to rescue young girls he considered in danger of falling into prostitution. In this role he approached and befriended hundreds of women, and although there was little evidence of improper behaviour, he was often found in compromising situations and his neglect of his parish and family caused difficulties. A formal complaint led to church disciplinary proceedings, in which his defence was damaged beyond repair by a photograph of him with a near-naked teenage girl. Davidson then pursued a career as a showman to raise funds for his reinstatement campaign, performing novelty acts such as exhibiting himself in a barrel on the
Blackpool seafront. He died after being attacked by a lion in whose cage he was appearing. Later commentators have accepted that however inappropriate his behaviour, his motives were genuine and he did not deserve the humiliations he endured. (Full article...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/51
Sir Herbert Hope Risley (1851–1911) was a British
ethnographer and colonial administrator, a member of the
Indian Civil Service who conducted extensive studies on the tribes and
castes of
Bengal. He is notable for the formal application of the caste system to the entire
Hindu population of India in the 1901
census, of which he was in charge. Risley was influential in the 20th century revival of the hierarchical varna system as a structure for social order in India. He was born in
Buckinghamshire and attended
New College, Oxford, prior to joining the Indian Civil Service. He was posted initially to Bengal where his professional duties engaged him in statistical and ethnographic research, and soon developed an interest in
anthropology. His decision to indulge these interests curtailed his initial rapid advancement through the ranks of the Service, although he was later appointed Census Commissioner and, shortly before his death in 1911, became
Permanent Secretary at the
India Office in London. He emphasised the value of fieldwork and
anthropometrical studies, in contrast to the reliance on old texts and folklore that had historically been the methodology of
Indologists and which was still a significant approach in his lifetime. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/55
James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan (1797–1868) was an officer in the
British Army who commanded the Light Brigade during the
Crimean War. He led the
Charge of the Light Brigade at the
Battle of Balaclava. He was educated at
Harrow School and
Christ Church, Oxford, but left Oxford after three years, without taking a degree. He became a Member of Parliament in his last term at Oxford, and spent time in the
House of Commons before inheriting his father's peerage and with it a place in the
House of Lords. Throughout his life in politics and his long military career he characterised the arrogant and extravagant aristocrat of the period. His progression through the Army was marked by many episodes of extraordinary incompetence, but this can be measured against his generosity to the men under his command and genuine bravery. As a member of the
landed aristocracy he had actively and steadfastly opposed any political reform in Britain, but in the last year of his life he relented and came to acknowledge that such reform would bring benefit to all classes of society. (more...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/56
Montague Druitt (1857–1888) was one of the suspects in the
Jack the Ripper murders that took place in London between August and November 1888. He came from an upper-middle class English background, and studied at
Winchester College and
New College, Oxford. After graduating, he took a position at a
boarding school and pursued a parallel career in the law; he qualified as a
barrister in 1885. His main interest outside work was cricket, which he played with many leading players of the time, including
Lord Harris and
Francis Lacey. In November 1888, he lost his post at the school for reasons that remain unclear. One month later his body was found drowned in the
River Thames. His death, which was found to be a suicide, roughly coincided with the end of the murders that were attributed to Jack the Ripper. Private suggestions in the 1890s that he could have committed the crimes became public knowledge in the 1960s, and led to the publication of books that proposed him as the murderer. The evidence against him was entirely
circumstantial, however, and many writers from the 1970s onwards have rejected him as a likely suspect. (Full article...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/58
Reginald Heber (1783–1826) was an English
clergyman,
man of letters and hymn-writer who, after working as a country parson for 16 years, served as the Anglican
Bishop of Calcutta until his sudden death at the age of 42. The son of a wealthy landowner and clergyman, Heber gained an early reputation at
Brasenose College, Oxford, as a poet. He was ordained in 1807 and took over his father's old parish of
Hodnet in Shropshire, before taking office as Bishop of Calcutta in October 1823. During his short episcopate he travelled widely in the
areas of India within his
diocese, and worked hard to improve the spiritual and general living conditions of his flock. However, a combination of arduous duties, hostile climate and indifferent health brought about his collapse and death after less than three years in India. Monuments were erected to his memory in India and in
St Paul's Cathedral, London. A collection of his hymns was published shortly after his death; one of these, "
Holy, Holy, Holy", has survived into the 21st century as a popular and widely known hymn for
Trinity Sunday. Later commentators have asserted that although Heber's example and writings inspired others to devote their lives to the mission fields, the paternalism and imperial assumptions expressed in his hymns are outdated and generally unacceptable in the modern world. (Full article...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/59
Lionel Palairet (1870–1933) was an English
amateurcricketer who played for
Somerset and
Oxford University. A graceful right-handed batsman, he was selected to play
Test cricket for
England twice in 1902; an unwillingness to tour during the English winter limited his Test appearances. For Somerset, he frequently opened the batting with
Herbie Hewett. In 1892,
they shared a partnership of 346 for the first wicket, an opening stand that set a record for the County Championship and remains Somerset's highest first-wicket partnership. In that season, Palairet was named as one of the "
Five Batsmen of the Year" by Wisden. Over the following decade, he was one of the leading amateur batsmen in England. He passed 1,000 first-class runs in a season on seven occasions, and struck two double centuries. After 1904, he appeared infrequently for Somerset, though he played a full season in 1907 when he was chosen to captain the county. He retired from first-class cricket in 1909, having scored over 15,000 runs. Contemporaries judged Palairet to have one of the most attractive batting styles of the period, and his obituary in The Times described him as "the most beautiful batsman of all time". (Full article...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/60
William Beach Thomas (1868–1957) was a British author and journalist known for his work as a
war correspondent and his writings about nature and country life. The son of a rural clergyman, he won an
exhibition to
Christ Church, Oxford, became president of the Oxford University Athletics Club. Finding work as a schoolmaster unpleasant, he turned his attention to writing articles for newspapers and periodicals, and began to write books. During the early part of the First World War Beach Thomas defied military authorities to report news stories from the
Western Front. As a result he was briefly imprisoned before being granted official accreditation as a war correspondent. His reportage for the remainder of the war received national recognition, despite being criticised by some and parodied by soldiers. Beach Thomas's primary interest as an adult was in rural matters. He was conservative in his views, and feared that the post–Second World War socialist governments regarded the countryside only from an economic perspective. He was an advocate for the creation of
national parks in England and Wales, and mourned the decline of traditional village society. (Full article...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/61
Calvert took an interest in the
British colonization of the Americas, at first for commercial reasons and later to create a refuge for English Catholics. He became the proprietor of
Avalon, the first sustained English settlement on the southeastern peninsula on the island of
Newfoundland. Discouraged by its cold climate and the sufferings of the settlers, Sir George looked for a more suitable spot further south and sought a new royal charter to settle the region, which would become the state of
Maryland. Calvert died five weeks before the new Charter was sealed, leaving the settlement of the
Maryland colony to his son
Cecil. (Full article...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/66
John Dundas (1915–1940) was a British
Second World War fighter pilot and
flying ace. The son of an aristocrat, Dundas was an able student and academic. After graduating from
Christ Church, Oxford, with a degree in Modern History, he became a
journalist in his home county of
West Yorkshire. After two years, tired with life as a reporter, he joined the
Royal Auxiliary Air Force in July 1938 and trained as a pilot at his own expense. His pilot training was complete in 1939. In May 1940 his unit,
No. 609 Squadron RAF, took part in the
Battle of France during which Dundas claimed his first two victories. Dundas remained with his Squadron throughout the
Battle of Britain claiming nine German aircraft shot down. On 9 October he was awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross for 10 victories. At the time of his last battle Dundas had been credited with 12 aircraft destroyed, two shared destroyed, four probably destroyed and five damaged. During a battle over the English Channel on 28 November 1940, Dundas is believed to have engaged and shot down
Helmut Wick, the highest scoring ace of the Luftwaffe at that time. Moments later Dundas was also shot down. Both pilots remain
missing in action. (Full article...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/67 Lilian Faithfull (1865–1952) was an English teacher, headmistress, women's rights advocate, magistrate, social worker and humanitarian. She was one of the "
Steamboat ladies" who were part of the struggle for women to gain university education. She obtained a first-class degree in English from
Somerville College, where she was the first captain of the women's hockey team and the college tennis champion. She later suggested that women who had competed for Oxford or Cambridge in intercollegiate sports should be awarded
Blues, like their male counterparts, and this was implemented in 1891. From 1889 until 1894 she was a lecturer at
Royal Holloway College and then joined
King's College London, where she regarded her 13 years as vice-principal of the Ladies Department as the happiest of her career. She was principal of
Cheltenham Ladies' College from 1907 until 1922. In 1920, she became Justice of the Peace for
Cheltenham, becoming one of the first women magistrates in England. Faithfull started the organisation that is now Lilian Faithfull Homes in Cheltenham, and she spent the last few months of her life in the care of one of the homes. (Full article...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/68
Thomas Pennant (1726–1798) was a Welsh
naturalist, traveller, writer and
antiquarian. He was born and lived his whole life at his family estate,
Downing Hall. In 1744 he entered
The Queen's College, Oxford, later moving to
Oriel College. Like many students from a wealthy background, he left Oxford without taking a degree, although in 1771 his work as a zoologist was recognised with an honorary degree. As a naturalist he had a great curiosity, observing the geography, geology, plants, animals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish around him. He wrote acclaimed books including British Zoology, the History of Quadrupeds, Arctic Zoology and Indian Zoology although he never travelled further than continental Europe. He knew many of the scientific figures of his day. His books influenced the writings of
Samuel Johnson. He visited and wrote about Scotland and other parts of Britain. Many of his travels took him to places that were little known to the British public and his travelogues, accompanied by colour plates, were much appreciated. He was an amiable man with a large circle of friends and was still busily following his interests into his sixties. (Full article...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/73 Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 10th Earl of Shaftesbury (1938–2004), was a
British peer from
Wimborne St Giles,
Dorset. His father predeceased him, making him next in line to his grandfather,
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 9th Earl of Shaftesbury. When the 9th Earl died in 1961, Ashley-Cooper became the 10th
Earl of Shaftesbury,
Baron Ashley of Wimborne St Giles and
Baron Cooper of Pawlett. Educated at
Christ Church, Oxford, he was a wealthy landowner of over 9,000 acres (3,600 ha) in
East Dorset, and received honours and awards for his
philanthropic and
conservationist work, which included planting over a million trees. He served as president of the
Shaftesbury Society, pursuing the same goals of the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, who had founded the organization in 1840. He also served as the vice president of Sir
David Attenborough's
British Butterfly Conservation Society. In November 2004, he went missing in France, prompting an international police investigation. His remains were found at the bottom of a remote ravine in the foothills of the
French Alps. His brother-in-law and his wife,
Jamila M'Barek, were convicted of his murder. (Full article...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/74 Ian Smith (1903–1972) was a
rugby unionwing who played 32
Tests for
Scotland and two Tests for the
British Isles. Born in Australia and brought up in New Zealand, he moved to England and was educated at
Winchester College, before studying at
Oxford University and later
Edinburgh University. At Oxford he took up rugby (having only played football at school); he captained the university team to victory against Cambridge in
the 1923 Varsity Match, scoring two tries. He was eventually selected for Scotland, for whom he was eligible because of his Scottish parents. He toured with the British Isles (now known as the British and Irish Lions) to South Africa in 1924, and played all four matches in Scotland's first ever
Five NationsGrand Slam in 1925. He represented Scotland until 1933 when he captained them in their
Triple Crown winning season. His 24 international tries, all scored in the Five Nations or Home Nations, was an international record until 1987 and a record for the Five/Six Nations until 2011. Smith still holds joint possession of the Scottish record. (Full article...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/75
Sir John Stainer (1840–1901) was an English composer and organist whose music, though not generally much performed today (except for The Crucifixion, was very popular during his lifetime. Stainer became a chorister at
St Paul's Cathedral when aged ten and was appointed to the position of organist at
St Michael's College, Tenbury at the age of sixteen. In 1860 he became organist at
Magdalen College, Oxford, studying for his BA degree alongside his duties and later obtaining his doctorate. He improved the Magdalen choir and was highly regarded as an organist. The Vice-Chancellor,
Francis Jeune, appointed Stainer in 1861 to the prestigious post of University Organist at the
University Church of St Mary the Virgin. He had considerable influence on sacred music in Oxford and his reputation spread beyond the confines of the city. In 1872 he was appointed organist at St Paul's Cathedral. When he retired due to his poor eyesight and deteriorating health, he returned to Oxford to become Professor of Music at the university. His work as choir trainer and organist set standards for
Anglican church music that are still influential. (Full article...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/76
William Stoughton (1631–1701) was a colonial magistrate and administrator in the
Province of Massachusetts Bay. He was in charge of what have come to be known as the
Salem Witch Trials, first as the Chief Justice of the Special Court of
Oyer and Terminer in 1692, and then as the Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Judicature in 1693. In these trials he controversially accepted
spectral evidence (based on supposed demonic visions). Unlike other magistrates, he never admitted to the possibility that his acceptance of such evidence was in error. After graduating from
Harvard College in 1650, he continued religious studies at
New College, Oxford, and preached in England. Returning to Massachusetts in 1662, he entered politics instead of the ministry. An adept politician, he served in virtually every government through the period of turmoil in Massachusetts that encompassed the revocation of its first charter in 1684 and the introduction of its second charter in 1692. He was one of the province's major landowners, and served as its lieutenant governor from 1692 until his death. The town of
Stoughton, Massachusetts, was named for him. (Full article...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/77
Davis Tarwater (born 1984) is an American
swimmer who won gold at the
2012 Summer Olympics in
London for his contributions in the heats of the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. He grew up in
Knoxville, Tennessee, and began competitive swimming at age seven. During high school, he set three state swimming records and was named High School Swimmer of the Year in 2002. He attended the
University of Michigan, where he was a three-time NCAA national champion and won a
Big Ten Medal of Honor for being the school's top student-athlete. Tarwater has represented the United States in the World Championships three times, winning a gold medal as part of the 4×200-meter freestyle relay team in 2009. He has won three individual and five relay national titles, and set an
American record in the 200-meter butterfly in 2011. In 2004, 2008 and 2012, he narrowly missed making the Olympic team in the 200-meter butterfly. After failing to make the Olympic team in 2008, he retired from swimming and obtained a Master's degree in Latin American Studies at
St Antony's College, Oxford, returning to swimming full-time in 2010. (Full article...) Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/78