is one of the
Constituent Colleges of the
University Of Oxford in
England . The main entrance is on the east side of
Turl Street .
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 II , who intended it as a school to educate clergy. 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. The College motto is "Floreat Exon", meaning "Let Exeter Flourish".
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 , with the exception of the old gatehouse, Palmer's Tower, which dates from 1432. 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 saw much building work during the : Oxfordshire'', 1974 pp. 136-7.
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,
Marilyn Butler , as its
Rector . When Butler's tenure expired in October 2004, the college elected another woman –
Frances Cairncross , former Senior Editor of
The Economist – as Rector.
As one of the smaller Oxford Colleges, Exeter has a reputation for having a close-knit student body, and
Common Rooms that are noted for their friendliness and openness to new students. First year undergraduates are housed on-site in the College’s Turl St. site, and there is dedicated Graduate accommodation for the college on Iffley Road.
As the University’s fourth oldest college, a certain emphasis is placed on tradition, especially during special occasions such as the annual ‘Burns’ Night,’ a dinner in honour of the great
Scottish Poet Robert Burns , where a traditional meal of
Haggis is always served. The College’s ties with
Williams College in the
United States , as well as the generally international composition of the MCR makes the annual
Thanksgiving dinner a popular occasion as well. The MCR hosts a large number of married students, and non-studying spouses are encouraged to actively participate in the life of college.
The MCR hosts a large number of specialists in
Law and
Byzantine studies, and the JCR has a high concentration of students reading the popular Modern History and PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics)
Degrees . However, like most other Oxford colleges no single discipline can be said to dominate either common room, and the atmosphere is one of a great deal of interdisciplinary mingling.
Like all Oxford Colleges Exeter prides itself on its athletic achievements as well as its academic: in 2005/2006 Exeter students competed at a University level on the varsity
Lacrosse ,
Football ,
Golf ,
Fencing ,
Rugby ,
Powerlifting ,
Gymnastics ,
Darts ,
Ice Hockey and
Wine Tasting teams. It also fields several teams on an intra-university college level, particularly in
Rowing .
The college also places an emphasis on preparing students for their future careers once they leave the university. Unusually for an Oxford college, Exeter boasts a dedicated Careers Office and
Internship programme, with links to a wide range of companies around the globe. The college’s Development Office works not only to help fund the college but also to provide
Networking opportunities for students through its alumni contacts, and through its annual ‘City Drinks.’
See also
- Tariq Ali , writer and filmmaker
- Martin Amis , novelist
- Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st Earl Of Shaftesbury , politician
- Roger Bannister , first man to run the mile in less than 4 minutes
- Correlli Barnett , military historian
- Alan Bennett , author and actor
- R. D. Blackmore , author of '' Lorna Doone ''
- The Revd E. E. Bradford , priest
- The Revd Dr Thomas Bradley , priest
- Sydney Brenner , 2002 Nobel Laureate in the category "physiology or medicine"
- Edward Burne-Jones , artist
- Richard Burton , actor
- Reeta Chakrabarti , BBC Political Correspondent
- Edgar F. Codd , inventor of the Relational Database
- Harold Davidson , "The Prostitute's Padre"
- Sir John Eliot , statesman
- John Ford , dramatist
- John Gardner , composer
- John Gray , philosopher
- Russell Harty , television presenter
- Liaquat Ali Khan , politician who became the first prime minister of Pakistan
- Charles Lyell , geologist
- Lady Flora McDonnell , children's author
- William Morris , pioneer of eco-socialism
- Alfred Noyes , poet
- Joseph Nye (as a Rhodes Scholar), political scientist and former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
- Francis Turner Palgrave
- Hubert Parry , composer
- E. E. Evans-Pritchard , social anthropologist
- Phillip Pullman , author of '' His Dark Materials ''
- Qian Zhongshu , Chinese literary scholar
- Paul William Roberts , novelist, journalist, travel writer, Middle East expert
- Robert Robinson , television presenter
- Will Self , novelist
- Ned Sherrin , broadcaster, author and stage director
- Imogen Stubbs , actress
- Sir Thomas Butterfield , proctologist
- J. R. R. Tolkien , author of '' The Lord Of The Rings ''
- Wynford Vaughan-Thomas , broadcaster
- Tom Wright , Bishop Of Durham , Church Of England
See also
Exeter College is the real life basis for the fictional
Jordan College, Oxford in
Philip Pullman's trilogy ''
His Dark Materials ''.
In the 1997 novel
''Great Apes'' by
Will Self , an old Exonian, the author imagines an Earth where chimpanzees have evolved as the dominant, sentient species. One scene is set in Exeter College Hall, where the chimpanzee dons rampage around the High Table, showing in their conversation the very high intelligence to be expected of Oxford academics, but all the while exhibiting in their behaviour the manners and habits of chimpanzees.
In the final ''Morse'' episode, "The Remorseful Day",
Inspector Morse collapses from a heart attack in the front quadrangle as
Fauré's ''
In Paradisum '' is being sung in chapel.Leonard, Bill, ''The Oxford of Inspector Morse'' Location Guides, Oxford (2004) pp. 77 and 79. ISBN 0-9547671-1-X.
The 2007 film '''' used the college for the location of the fictional
Jordan College .
1 The film is based on alumnus
Philip Pullman's first novel of his ''
His Dark Materials '' trilogy, ''
Northern Lights ''.
There has been a close relationship with
Williams College in the
United States for many years, the
Williams-Exeter Programme . Twenty six to thirty undergraduates from Williams spend their junior year at Exeter with full undergraduate privileges, but live together with a Williams faculty proctor in special housing in
North Oxford . Courses taken at Exeter College count for full credit at Williams.
