St Mary Hall, Oxford
Encyclopedia
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
associated with Oriel College since 1326, but which functioned independently from 1545 to 1902.
History
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In 1320, Adam de Brome
Adam de Brome
Adam de Brome was an almoner to King Edward II and founder of Oriel College in Oxford, England.De Brome was probably the son of Thomas de Brome, taking his name from Brome near Eye in Suffolk; an inquisition held after the death of Edmund, 2nd Earl of Cornwall, in 1300, noted de Brome holding an...
was appointed rector of St Mary the Virgin
University Church of St Mary the Virgin
The University Church of St Mary the Virgin is the largest of Oxford's parish churches and the centre from which the University of Oxford grew...
. Along with the appointment, he was given the rectory house, St Mary Hall, on the High Street
High Street, Oxford
The High Street in Oxford, England runs between Carfax, generally recognized as the centre of the city, and Magdalen Bridge to the east. Locally the street is often known as The High. It forms a gentle curve and is the subject of many prints, paintings, photographs, etc...
.
St Mary Hall was acquired by Oriel College in 1326. Bedel Hall, adjoining St Mary's to the south, was given by Bishop Carpenter of Worcester
John Carpenter (bishop)
John Carpenter was an English Bishop, Provost and University Chancellor.-Early life:Bishop Carpenter's father was John Carpenter the elder, born c. 1362 to Richard or Renaud Carpenter of Cambrai and his wife Christina of London. John Carpenter the bishop was also known as John Carpenter the elder....
in 1455. These two halls, along with St Martin's Hall, served as annexes for Oriel College. In the early 16th century, the St Dudley and Dudley exhibitioners were lodged in St Mary Hall and Bedel Hall, and around this time the two halls were united. St Mary Hall steadily developed into an independent entity, and in 1545, on the order the Visitor
Visitor
A Visitor, in United Kingdom law and history, is an overseer of an autonomous ecclesiastical or eleemosynary institution , who can intervene in the internal affairs of that institution...
, Bishop Longland of Lincoln
John Longland
John Longland was the English Dean of Salisbury from 1514 to 1521 and bishop of Lincoln from 1521 to his death in 1547.He was King Henry VIII's confessor and was said to have been one of those who first persuaded the King that he should annul his marriage to Katherine of Aragon.During the English...
, the door between St Mary Hall and Oriel was blocked up. The Hall took on its own lecturer
Lecturer
Lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, lecturer is a position at a university or similar institution, often held by academics in their early career stages, who lead research groups and supervise research students, as well as teach...
s, and for a time, the numbers of St Mary's exceeded those of Oriel. In 1552, there were 18 members excluding the principal. The Principals of St Mary Hall continued to be Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
s of Oriel until 1656. By 1875 its undergraduate body had risen to 60, a large number at that time. In 1902, the Hall was incorporated into Oriel College, though some remnants of the relationship still exist: the post of Vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
of St. Mary's Church carries dining rights at Oriel.
The Principal's house was demolished in the construction of the Rhodes Building, designed by Basil Champneys
Basil Champneys
Basil Champneys was an architect and author whose more notable buildings include Newnham College, Cambridge, Manchester's John Rylands Library, Mansfield College, Oxford and Oriel College, Oxford's Rhodes Building.- Life :...
, completed in 1911.
Notable former students
- John Ball (Puritan)John Ball (Puritan)John Ball was an English puritan divine.-Life:He was born in Cassington, Oxfordshire.After taking his BA degree from St Mary Hall, Oxford, in 1608, he went into Cheshire to act as tutor to the children of Lady Cholmondeley...
, BA 1608 - Edward Craggs-Eliot, 1st Baron EliotEdward Craggs-Eliot, 1st Baron EliotEdward Craggs-Eliot, 1st Baron Eliot was born to Richard Eliot and Harriot Craggs , the illegitimate daughter of the Privy Counsellor and Secretary of State, James Craggs and Hester Santlow, the noted...
, matriculated 1742 - Brajendranath DeBrajendranath De-In Calcutta and Lucknow:He was born at his maternal grandfather's home at 123, Manicktala Street, Calcutta. His father's family, originally from Uttar Rarh in Bengal, belonged to the newly emerging middle class of Calcutta. He describes them as Kayastha bhadraloks in his unpublished memoir...
, of the Indian Civil Service, matriculated 1875 - Thomas ElyotThomas ElyotSir Thomas Elyot was an English diplomat and scholar.-Early Life:Thomas was the child of Sir Richard Elyot's first marriage with Alice De la Mare, but neither the date nor place of his birth is accurately known...
(alleged) - Thomas HarriotThomas HarriotThomas Harriot was an English astronomer, mathematician, ethnographer, and translator. Some sources give his surname as Harriott or Hariot or Heriot. He is sometimes credited with the introduction of the potato to Great Britain and Ireland...
, 16th C., astronomer, mathematician, ethnographer, and translator - Theodore Hook, matriculated but did not come into residence; author
- Robert HuesRobert HuesRobert Hues was an English mathematician and geographer. He attended St. Mary Hall at Oxford, and graduated in 1578. Hues became interested in geography and mathematics, and studied navigation at a school set up by Walter Raleigh. During a trip to Newfoundland, he made observations which caused...
, B.A. 1578 - John HunterJohn Hunter (surgeon)John Hunter FRS was a Scottish surgeon regarded as one of the most distinguished scientists and surgeons of his day. He was an early advocate of careful observation and scientific method in medicine. The Hunterian Society of London was named in his honour...
, matriculated 1755 - Sir Christopher HattonChristopher HattonSir Christopher Hatton was an English politician, Lord Chancellor of England and a favourite of Elizabeth I of England.-Early days:...
, lord chancellor of England - Robert Parsons, leading Jesuit priest
- George SandysGeorge SandysGeorge Sandys was an English traveller, colonist and poet.-Life:He was born in Bishopsthorpe, the seventh and youngest son of Edwin Sandys, archbishop of York. He studied at St Mary Hall, Oxford, but took no degree...
(did not graduate)