is one of the constituent
Colleges of the
University Of Oxford in the
United Kingdom .
Still situated in its original location on
Turl Street , Exeter College was founded in
1314 by
Walter De Stapeldon of
Devon , Bishop of
Exeter and later treasurer to
Edward III , who intended it as a school to educate clergy. It is Oxford's third oldest college. During its first century, it was known as ''Stapeldon Hall'' and was significantly smaller, with just twelve to fourteen students. The college grew significantly from the
15th Century onward, and began offering rooms to its students. It was at this time that the Chapel - a small-scale replica of the Sainte Chappelle in Paris - was built.
In the
16th Century , donations from
Sir William Petre , a former Exeter graduate, helped to expand and transform the college. As a result, Exeter College became one of the leading colleges in the University. The present Hall was built in the year
1618 with the rest of the college completed by
1710 . In the
18th Century the college experienced declining popularity, as did all of Oxford's other colleges. University reforms in the
1850s helped to end this period of stagnation.
The college expanded again in the
20th Century when it acquired new buildings, thereby enabling it to accommodate more undergraduate students. Until
1978 the college did not allow women students, but in
1993 Exeter College became the first of the former all-male colleges to elect a woman, Judith Butler, as its head (Rector). When Judith Butler's tenure expired in October 2004, the college elected another woman -
Frances Cairncross , former Senior Editor of
The Economist - as Rector.
See also
See also
Exeter College is the real life analog of the fictional
Jordan College, Oxford in
Philip Pullman's trilogy ''
His Dark Materials ''.
The Exeter College quadrangle was used as the location for
Inspector Morse 's death.
