Sir Nathaniel Brent (c. 1573 – 6 November 1652) was an English college head.
84-623: Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford ) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton , chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I , first drew up statutes for an independent academic community and established endowments to support it. An important feature of de Merton's foundation
168-498: A mulberry tree planted in the early 17th century, an armillary sundial , an extensive lawn, a Herma statue, and the old Fellows' Summer House (now used as a music room and rehearsal space). Merton admits both undergraduate and graduate students. It admitted its first female students in 1980 and was the second former male college to elect a female head of house (in 1994). Merton has traditionally had single-sex accommodation for first-year undergraduates, with female students going into
252-539: A collegiate system, all matriculated students are required to maintain an affiliation with a college or hall which is tasked with offering student support, welfare, and accommodation. Although the University of Oxford is already selective, an additional level of selectivity exists depending on different colleges and halls. Colleges and halls differ in their levels of selectivity, as evidenced by their varying offer rates. Except All Souls College which consists principally of research fellows, Nuffield College consistently possesses
336-407: A porter's lodge controlling entry from the outside. The first modern merger of colleges was in 2008, with Green College and Templeton College merging to form Green Templeton College . The number of PPHs also reduced when Greyfriars closed in 2008 and when St Benet's Hall closed in 2022. Reuben College , established in 2019, is the first new Oxbridge college since 1990, when Kellogg College
420-456: A score of 82.9. At the 'Time Ceremony', students dressed in formal academic dress walk backwards around the Fellows' Quad drinking port . Traditionally participants also held candles, but this practice has been abandoned in recent years. Many students have now adopted the habit of linking arms and twirling around at each corner of the quad. The alleged purpose of this tradition is to maintain
504-517: A slightly different version of the Latin text of these verses is painted around Old Hall in Queens' College, Cambridge , and is "commonly in use at other Cambridge colleges". Merton alumni (Mertonians) and fellows have pursued careers in a variety of disciplines. Among the earliest people that have been claimed as Merton fellows are William of Ockham and Duns Scotus , outstanding academic figures from
588-661: A statute to allow private halls which were not run for profit to become permanent private halls and the two halls took their current names. Each college and permanent private hall has its own arms , although in some cases these were assumed rather than granted by the College of Arms . Under King Henry VIII Oxford colleges were granted exemption from having their arms granted by the College of Arms; and some, like Lady Margaret Hall , have chosen to take advantage of this exemption, whilst others, such as Oriel , despite having used
672-556: A troubled existence, and the Secretary noted on 1 November 1900 a motion of censure 'against a person or persons unknown who were responsible for the undoubted blackness which is creeping over the Bodley Club.' Nevertheless, the club has continued in one form or another to the present day. Among the notable papers delivered to the Bodley Club are those by Frederic Harrison , Harold Henry Joachim , Henry Hamilton Fyfe (brother of
756-502: Is a descendant of the original (1221), and is sometimes described as heir to the oldest tradition of teaching in Oxford. As the university took shape, friction between the hundreds of students living where and how they pleased led to a decree that all undergraduates would have to reside in approved halls. What eventually put an end to the medieval halls was the emergence of colleges. Often generously endowed and with permanent teaching staff,
840-512: Is an officer known generically as the Head of House . Their specific title varies from college to college as indicated in the list below. While the Head of House will usually be an academic, it is not uncommon for a person to be appointed who has had a distinguished career outside academic circles. For a list of current Heads of Houses, see Heads of Houses . The dean of Christ Church is head of both
924-432: Is illuminated by a lighting display representing three constellations that were visible on the night of 14 September 1264, the day the college was founded. The garden fills the southeastern corner of the old walled city of Oxford. The walls may be seen from Christ Church Meadows and Merton Field (now used by Magdalen College School, Oxford as a playing field for cricket, rugby, and football). The gardens are notable for
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#17327810948501008-538: Is intended for "mature students" with a minimum age of 21. The newest college of the University, Reuben College , was established in 2019 as graduate-only, enrolling its first students in 2021 using the premises of the Radcliffe Science Library . Kellogg , Reuben and St Cross are the only Oxford colleges without a royal charter . They are officially societies of the university rather than independent colleges and are considered departments of
1092-511: Is no evidence that they did so, and, in October 1651, Brent retired from the commission. On 27 November, following he resigned his office of Warden, nominally in obedience to an order forbidding pluralities, but his refusal to sign 'the engagement,' a statement of loyalty, was a probable cause of his resignation. Brent afterwards withdrew to his house in London, and died there on 6 November 1652. He
1176-463: Is some dispute over the exact order and precisely when each began teaching. The fourth oldest college is Exeter , founded in 1314, and the fifth is Oriel , founded in 1326. Women entered the university in 1879, with the opening of Lady Margaret Hall and Somerville College , becoming members of the University (and thus eligible to receive degrees) in 1920. Other women's colleges before integration were St Anne's , St Hilda's and St Hugh's . In 1974
1260-422: Is that it was the first college to be provided with statutes , a constitution governing the college set out at its founding. Merton's statutes date back to 1264, whereas neither Balliol nor University College had statutes until the 1280s. Merton has an unbroken line of wardens dating back to 1264. Of these, many had great influence over the development of the college. Henry Savile was one notable leader who led
1344-582: The Church of England (subject to safeguards for religious instruction and worship), which made it possible for Catholics and Non-conformists to open private halls. The first Catholic private halls were Clarke's Hall (now Campion Hall ), opened by the Jesuit Order in 1896 and Hunter Blair's Hall (later St Benet's Hall ) opened by the Benedictine Order in 1899. In 1918 the university passed
1428-538: The Norrington Table , was published annually. As the table only took into account the examination results for the year of publication, college rankings could fluctuate considerably. Beginning in 2005, the University of Oxford started publishing a list of colleges classified by a "Norrington Score", effectively replicating the Norrington Table. The university claims to have published the results "in
1512-664: The Royalists and used to house much of Charles I 's court when Oxford was the Royalists' capital. This included the King's French wife, Queen Henrietta Maria , who was housed in or near what is now the Queen's Room, the room above the arch between Front and Fellows' Quads. A portrait of Charles I hangs near the Queen's Room as a reminder of the role it played in his court. Brent gave evidence against Laud in his trial in 1644. After Laud
1596-609: The Trent , acting for the archbishop in his metropolitical visitation of the province of Canterbury, reporting upon and correcting ecclesiastical abuses. He had a house of his own in Little Britain , London and was often absent from Merton. On 23 August 1629 he was knighted at Woodstock by Charles I of England , who was preparing to pay a state visit to Oxford. In August 1636, Brent presented Prince Charles and Prince Rupert for degrees, when Laud, who had become Chancellor of
1680-722: The 1890s and was Secretary of the Myrmidon Club . Merton has also produced notable alumni and fellows in more recent times. In science, Merton is associated with four Nobel prize winners: chemist Frederick Soddy (1921), zoologist Nikolaas Tinbergen (1973), physicist Anthony Leggett (2003) and physicist Anton Zeilinger (2022). Other Mertonians in science include Canadian neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield , mathematician Andrew Wiles who proved Fermat's Last Theorem , computer scientist Tony Hoare , chemist George Radda , economist Catherine Tucker , geneticist Alec Jeffreys and cryptographer Artur Ekert . Notable Mertonians within
1764-455: The Abbots secured Brent's election in 1622 to the wardenship of Merton College, in succession to Sir Henry Savile . He was afterwards appointed commissary of the diocese of Canterbury , and vicar-general to the archbishop, and on Sir Henry Marten 's death became judge of the prerogative court. During the early years of William Laud 's primacy (1634–7), Brent made a tour through England south of
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#17327810948501848-639: The BBC and later CEO of the New York Times Company Mark Thompson , CEO of Stonewall Ben Summerskill and former CEO of Sony Howard Stringer are alumni. In law, Henry Litton served as one of the first Permanent Judges of the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong ( Hong Kong 's court of last resort ), while Brian Leveson was President of the Queen's Bench Division from 2013 to 2019 and Head of Criminal Justice. Colleges of
1932-630: The Italian text of the History of the Council of Trent which he was to translate. In 1616, he was in the Hague with Dudley Carleton , ambassador there, who wrote about Brent's ambitions to Ralph Winwood . Soon after the close of his foreign tour Brent married Martha, the daughter and heiress of Robert Abbot, Bishop of Salisbury , and niece of George Abbot, Archbishop of Canterbury . The influence of
2016-548: The Latin text are based on verses 15 and 16 of Psalm 145 . Oculi omnium in te respiciunt, Domine. Tu das escam illis tempore opportuno. Aperis manum tuam, et imples omne animal benedictione tua. Benedicas nobis, Deus, omnibus donis quae de tua beneficentia accepturi simus. Per Jesum Christum dominum nostrum, Amen. Roughly translated it means: The eyes of the world look up to thee, O Lord. Thou givest them food in due season. Thou openest thy hand and fillest every creature with thy blessing. Bless us, O God, with all
2100-509: The Library in 1373–1378. But Merton's own Front Quad was probably enclosed earlier, albeit with a less unified design. Other colleges can point to similarly old and unaltered quadrangles, for example Old Court at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge , built c .1353–1377. The grandest quadrangle in Merton is the Fellows' Quadrangle, immediately south of the hall. The quad was the culmination of
2184-623: The River in Summer Eights once; its men's 1st VIII held the headship in 1951. Merton's women have done better in recent years, gaining the headship in Torpids in 2003 and rowing over to defend the title in 2004. The college preprandial grace is amongst the longest in Oxford, and is always recited before formal dinners in Hall, usually by the senior postmaster present. The first two lines of
2268-685: The Rose Lane buildings and most male students going into three houses on Merton Street . This policy was abandoned in 2007, with all accommodation now mixed by sex and course. Undergraduate admission to the college, like other Oxford colleges, is based solely on academic potential. In 2010, it was (incorrectly) reported that Merton had not admitted a black student in the previous five years. A university spokeswoman commented that black students were more likely to apply for particularly oversubscribed subjects. The university also reported that Merton had admitted at least one black undergraduate since 2005. Since
2352-500: The UK stayed one hour ahead of GMT all year round. There are three toasts associated with the ceremony. The first is "to a good old time!"; the second, a joint toast to the sundial and the nearby mulberry tree ( morus nigra ), " o tempora, o more "; and the third, "long live the counter-revolution!". Merton is the only college in Oxford to hold a triennial winter ball , instead of the more common Commemoration ball . The most recent of these
2436-559: The United Kingdom in September and October 2022. Merton is one of the wealthiest colleges in Oxford and held funds totalling £298 million as of July 2020. Merton College was founded in 1264 by Walter de Merton , Lord Chancellor and Bishop of Rochester . It has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford, a claim which is disputed between Merton College, Balliol College and University College . One argument for Merton's claim
2520-399: The University of Oxford The University of Oxford has 36 colleges , three societies, and four permanent private halls (PPHs) of religious foundation. The colleges and PPHs are autonomous self-governing corporations within the university. These colleges are not only houses of residence, but have substantial responsibility for teaching undergraduate students. Generally tutorials (one of
2604-415: The University of Oxford in 1630, was entertaining the royal family. In 1638 Laud held a visitation of Merton College, and insisted on many radical reforms. Laud stayed at the college for many weeks, and found Brent an obstinate opponent. Charges of maladministration were brought against Brent by some of those whom Laud examined, but he took no public proceedings against Brent on these grounds. His letters to
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2688-589: The Warden, Nathaniel Brent , and the Visitor of Merton and Archbishop of Canterbury , William Laud . Brent had been Vicar-General to Laud, who had held a visitation of Merton College in 1638, and insisted on many radical reforms: his letters to Brent were couched in haughty and decisive language. Brent, a parliamentarian, moved to London at the start of the Civil War: the college's buildings were commandeered by
2772-513: The ancient structure has survived the successive reconstruction efforts; first by James Wyatt in the 1790s and then again by Gilbert Scott in 1874, whose work included the “handsome oak roof”. The hall is still used daily for meals in term time. It is not usually open to visitors. Front quad itself is probably the earliest collegiate quadrangle , but its informal, almost haphazard, pattern cannot be said to have influenced designers elsewhere. A reminder of its original domestic nature can be seen in
2856-529: The arms for many centuries, have recently elected to have the arms granted officially. The blazons below are taken from the Oxford University Calendar unless otherwise indicated. Shields are emblazoned as commonly drawn, and notable inconsistencies between blazons and emblazons (the shields as drawn) are indicated. Each college also has its own colours used on items such as scarves and rowing blades . The senior member of each college
2940-499: The club has changed form over the years, and was reformed in the 1980s as a speaker society. All members of the college, and usually members of the university as a whole, are invited to their events. The club began on 19 May 1894 (though it was not christened 'The Bodley Club' until June). The initial constitution contained a rule (Rule 7) which stated that 'a written paper is preferred, but any member may speak on any literary subject instead or may propose that any literary work be read at
3024-501: The college and the cathedral. The president of Kellogg College is also the director of the Department for Continuing Education. As of 2019 the accounts of the Oxford colleges included total assets of £6.6 billion. This figure does not reflect all the assets held by the colleges as their accounts do not include the cost or value of many of their main sites or heritage assets such as works of art or libraries. The total endowments of
3108-417: The college to flourish in the early 17th century by extending its buildings and recruiting new fellows. In 1333, masters from Merton were among those who left Oxford in an attempt to found a new university at Stamford . The leader of the rebels was reported to be one William de Barnby , a Yorkshireman who had been fellow and bursar of Merton College. St Alban Hall was an independent academic hall owned by
3192-442: The college. TS Eliot Lecture Theatre is a new lecture theatre named after T. S. Eliot , a former member of the college, opened in 2010. It has a bust of the writer by Jacob Epstein , presented by Frank Brenchley , a former member and Fellow of the college. Brenchley presented his collection of Eliot first editions and ephemera to the college, which is believed to be the second largest collection of such material worldwide. The foyer
3276-421: The colleges were originally the preserve of graduate students. However, once they began accepting fee-paying undergraduates in the 14th century, the halls' days were numbered. Of the hundreds of Aularian houses (from the Latin for "hall") that sprang up, only St Edmund Hall (c. 1225) remains. The oldest colleges are University College , Balliol , and Merton , established between 1249 and 1264, although there
3360-416: The colleges were £5.1 billion as of 2019. Individual college endowments ranged from £1.2m (Green Templeton) to £577.6 million (Christ Church). In contrast to undergraduate programmes where the constituent college or hall handles both admissions and teaching, postgraduate students are admitted through a department, which is responsible for postgraduate education and supervision. As the university operates on
3444-401: The commission with rigour. But Brent grew dissatisfied with its proceedings. The visitors claimed to rule Merton College as they pleased, and, without consulting the Warden, they admitted fellows, Masters, and Bachelors of Arts. On 13 February 1651, he sent a petition of protest against the conduct of the visitors to parliament. The commissioners were ordered to answer Brent's complaint, but there
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3528-486: The convent of Littlemore until it was purchased by Merton College in 1548 following the dissolution of the convent . It continued as a separate institution until it was finally annexed by the college in 1881, on the resignation of its last principal, William Charles Salter . During the English Civil War , Merton was the only Oxford college to side with Parliament . This was due to an earlier dispute between
3612-585: The early 14th century (however, these claims are disputed). Other early fellows include the Oxford Calculators , a group of 14th-century thinkers associated with Merton who took a logico-mathematical approach to philosophical problems. Theologian and philosopher John Wycliffe was another early fellow of the college. Founder of the Bodleian Library , Thomas Bodley , was admitted as fellow in 1564. Another significant figure, Henry Savile ,
3696-407: The east of the church which now form the north range of Front Quad. Walter also obtained permission from the king to extend from these properties south to the old city wall to form an approximately square site. The college continued to acquire other properties as they became available on both sides of Merton Street. At one time, the college owned all the land from the site that is now Christ Church to
3780-965: The field of literature include poet T. S. Eliot , who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1948, and author J. R. R. Tolkien who was Merton Professor of English Language and Literature and Fellow of Merton from 1945 to 1959. Jamaican-British Professor of Sociology Stuart Hall was a pioneer in the academic field of cultural studies and director of the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies . Former students with careers as politicians include British politicians Reginald Maudling , Airey Neave , Jesse Norman , Ed Vaizey , Denis MacShane , Liz Truss and Peter Tapsell , while international alumni include Bob Krueger , former U.S. Senator from Texas , and Arthur Mutambara , former Deputy Prime Minister of Zimbabwe . In business, former Director-General of
3864-417: The fields of interest of the fellows of the college. A typical college consists of a hall for dining, a chapel, a library, a college bar, senior , middle (postgraduate), and junior common rooms , rooms for 200–400 undergraduates, and lodgings for the head of the college and other dons . College buildings range from medieval to modern, but most are made up of interlinked quadrangles or courtyards, with
3948-602: The first men's colleges to admit women were Brasenose , Hertford , Jesus , St Catherine's and Wadham . By 2008 all colleges had become co-residential, although one of the Permanent Private Halls, St Benet's Hall , did not start to admit postgraduate women until Michaelmas term 2014 and women undergraduates until Michaelmas 2016. Some colleges, such as Kellogg , Linacre , Nuffield , St Antony's , St Cross and Wolfson only admit postgraduate students. All Souls admits only fellows. Harris Manchester
4032-621: The front quad were complete before the end of the 13th century. Mob Quad , one of Merton's quadrangles , was constructed between 1288 and 1378, and is claimed to be the oldest quadrangle in Oxford, while Merton College Library , located in Mob Quad and dating from 1373, is the oldest continuously functioning library for university academics and students in the world. Like many of Oxford's colleges, Merton admitted its first mixed-sex cohort in 1979, after over seven centuries as an institution for men only. Merton's second female warden, Irene Tracey ,
4116-544: The gifts which by thy good works we are about to receive. Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord, Amen. For the relevant verses of the Psalm, the Authorized Version has: In contrast, Merton's post-prandial grace is brief: Benedictus benedicat ("Let him who has been blessed, give blessing"). The latter grace is spoken by the senior Fellow present at the end of dinner on High Table. At the University of Cambridge ,
4200-415: The integrity of the space–time continuum during the transition from British Summer Time to Greenwich Mean Time , which occurs in the early hours of the last Sunday in October. However, the ceremony (invented by two undergraduates in 1971) mostly serves as a spoof of other Oxford ceremonies, and historically as a celebration of the end of the experimental period of British Standard Time from 1968 to 1971 when
4284-608: The interests of openness". Although the university says that the college listings are "not very significant", the 2005 table was the first Norrington Table with official data and also probably the first to be accurate. Dame Fiona Caldicott , the Chairman of the Conference of Colleges, said that in previous years some students had used the Data Protection Act 1998 to ensure their results were not published, rendering
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#17327810948504368-423: The introduction of an official Norrington Table published by the university in 2004, Merton occupied one of the top three positions every year (often coming in 1st), until 2012 when it dropped to 14th. In 2014, it regained the first position, preserving its status as one of the most academically successful colleges of the last twenty years. In 2021, Merton was ranked Oxford's top college in the Norrington Table, with
4452-502: The late nineteenth century. Nathaniel Brent He was the son of Anchor Brent of Little Wolford , Warwickshire, where he was born about 1573. He became 'portionist,' or postmaster, of Merton College, Oxford , in 1589; proceeded B.A. on 20 June 1593; was admitted probationer fellow there in 1594, and took the degree of M.A. on 31 October 1598. He was proctor of the university in 1607, and admitted bachelor of law on 11 October 1623. In 1613 and 1614 he travelled abroad, securing
4536-540: The lowest offer rate and is thus considered the most selective college. On the other hand, Kellogg College and St Antony College are among the least selective colleges, typically characterised by higher offer rates. The table below exhibits the offer rates for postgraduate applications across each college over multiple academic years. For some years, an unofficial ranking of undergraduate colleges by performance in Final Honour Schools examinations, known as
4620-682: The main methods of teaching in Oxford) and classes are the responsibility of colleges, while lectures, examinations, laboratories, and the central library are run by the university. Students normally have most of their tutorials in their own college, but often have a couple of modules taught at other colleges or even at faculties and departments. Most colleges take both graduates and undergraduates, but several are for graduates only. Undergraduate and graduate students may name preferred colleges in their applications. For undergraduate students, an increasing number of departments practise reallocation to ensure that
4704-413: The meeting.' It was not long before this provision was required, as the minute-book reveals in its entry for 19 October 1894: 'Owing to unpardonable slackness on the part of members, the four months of vacation proved insufficient to collect coherent ideas on any particular subject...However an agreeable and instructive evening was passed in reading Tennyson's 'Maud'.' From early years the club has maintained
4788-712: The most notable being the Halsbury Society (Law) and the Chalcenterics (Classics). Other academic societies include the Neave Society, which aims to discuss and debate political issues, and the Bodley Club , founded in 1894 as a forum for undergraduate papers on literature but now a speaker society. The Bodley Club is a speaker society at Merton College, Oxford. Founded in 1894 as a forum in which undergraduates delivered academic papers on literature,
4872-436: The north east corner where one of the flagstones is marked "Well". The quad is formed of what would have been the back gardens of the three original houses that Walter acquired in the 1260s. Visitors to Merton are often told that Mob Quad is the oldest quadrangle of any Oxford or Cambridge college and set the pattern for future collegiate architecture. It was built in three phases: 1288–1291, 1304–1311, and finally completed with
4956-607: The office of judge-marshal in their ranks. He had also signed the Solemn League and Covenant . The petition for the formal removal of Brent, to which the king's letter was an answer, was drawn up by John Greaves , Savilian professor of geometry . On 9 April, William Harvey was elected to fill Brent's place: but as soon as Oxford fell into the hands of Thomas Fairfax , the parliamentary general (24 June 1646), Brent returned to Merton, and apparently resumed his post there without any opposition being offered him. In 1647, Brent
5040-489: The outbreak of the First English Civil War Brent sided with Parliament. Before Charles I entered Oxford (29 October 1642), he had abandoned Oxford for London. On 27 January 1645 Charles I wrote to the remaining Fellows at Merton that Brent was deposed from his office on the grounds of his having absented himself for three years from the college, of having adhered to the rebels, and of having accepted
5124-413: The parish church as well as the chapel until 1891. It is for this reason that it is generally referred to as Merton Church in older documents, and that there is a north door into the street as well as doors into the college. This dual role also probably explains the enormous scale of the chapel, which in its original design was to have a nave and two aisles extending to the west. A new choral foundation
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#17327810948505208-587: The part that faces onto Merton Street); the Grove building, built in 1864 by William Butterfield but "chastened" in the 1930s by T.H. Hughes ; the buildings beyond the Fellows' Garden called "Rose Lane"; several buildings north of Merton Street, including a real tennis court , and the Old Warden's Lodgings (designed by Champneys in 1903); and a new quadrangle in Holywell Street , some distance away from
5292-561: The ratios between potential students and subject places available at each college are as uniform as possible. For the Department of Physics, reallocation is done on a random basis after a shortlist of candidates is drawn upon and before candidates are invited for interviews at the university. For graduate students, many colleges express a preference for candidates who plan to undertake research in an area of interest of one of its fellows. St Hugh's College , for example, states that it accepts graduate students in most subjects, principally those in
5376-442: The secretary, William), Northrop Frye , Alister Clavering Hardy , and Ronald Knox . Several of the club's first members went on to become significant figures, including Herbert George Flaxman Spurrell and William Hamilton Fyfe . Merton has a long-standing sporting relationship with Mansfield College , with the colleges fielding amalgamated sports teams for many major sports. In rowing, Merton College Boat Club has been Head of
5460-532: The south-eastern corner of the city. The land to the east eventually became the current Fellows' garden, while the western end was leased by Warden Richard Rawlins in 1515 for the foundation of Corpus Christi (at an annual rent of just over £4). By the late 1280s, the old church of St John the Baptist had fallen into "a ruinous condition", and the college accounts show that work on a new church began in about 1290. The present choir , with its enormous east window,
5544-406: The university for accounting purposes. The Oxford University Act 1854 and the university statute De aulis privatis (On private Halls) of 1855, allowed any Master of Arts aged at least 28 years to open a private hall after obtaining a licence to do so. One such was Charsley's Hall . The Universities Tests Act 1871 opened all university degrees and positions to men who were not members of
5628-544: The unofficial tables inaccurate. A tradition of the university is a friendly rivalry between colleges . Often, two neighbouring colleges will be rivals, and each college will pride itself in its athletic victories over the other one. Examples include: The Oxford and Cambridge colleges have served as an architectural inspiration for Collegiate Gothic Architecture, used by a number of American universities including Princeton University and Washington University in St. Louis since
5712-463: The visitors for the degree of M.A. Early in May of the same year Brent spoke for Anthony à Wood 's retention of his postmastership in spite of his avowed royalism. Wood wrote that he owed this favour to the intercession of his mother, whom Brent had known from a girl. On 17 May 1649, Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell paid the university a threatening visit, and malcontents were thenceforth proceeded against by
5796-447: The warden are, however, couched in very haughty and decisive language. The tenth charge in the indictment drawn up Laud in 1641 treats of the unlawful authority exercised by him at Merton in 1638. Brent came forward as a hostile witness at Laud's trial . His testimony as to Laud's intimacy with papists and the like was damaging to the archbishop, but it did not add to his own reputation. Laud replied in writing to Brent's accusations. On
5880-487: The work undertaken by Henry Savile at the beginning of the 17th century. The foundation stone was laid shortly after breakfast on 13 September 1608 (as recorded in the college Register), and work was complete by September 1610 (although the battlements were added later). The southern gateway is surmounted by a tower of the four Orders , probably inspired by Italian examples that Warden Savile would have seen on his European travels. The main contractors were from Yorkshire (as
5964-434: Was Savile); John Ackroyd and John Bentley of Halifax supervised the stonework, and Thomas Holt the timber. This group were also later employed to work on the Bodleian Library and Wadham College . Most of the other buildings are Victorian or later and include: St. Alban's Quad (or "Stubbins"), designed by Basil Champneys , built on the site of the medieval St Alban Hall (elements of the older façade are incorporated into
6048-616: Was appointed Warden some years later in 1585 (held the position until 1621) and had great influence of the development of the college. William Harvey , who was the first to describe in detail the systemic circulation , was warden from 1645 to 1646. Lord Randolph Churchill , Chancellor of the Exchequer and Leader of the House of Commons (and father of Winston Churchill ), matriculated in October 1867, while Max Beerbohm , an English essayist, parodist , and caricaturist studied at Merton in
6132-411: Was appointed as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford in 2022, and Professor Jennifer Payne was subsequently elected as acting warden in 2022 and as warden in 2023. Alumni and academics past and present include five Nobel laureates , the writer J. R. R. Tolkien , who was Merton Professor of English Language and Literature from 1945 to 1959, and Liz Truss , who served as Prime Minister of
6216-433: Was appointed president of the parliamentary commission, or visitation, ordered by Parliament "for the correction of offences, abuses, and disorders" in the University of Oxford . The proceedings began on 3 June, but it was not until 30 September that the colleges were directed to forward to Merton their statutes, registers, and accounts to enable Brent and his colleagues to set to work. On 12 April 1648, Brent presented four of
6300-655: Was buried in St Bartholomew-the-Less . In 1620 he translated into English the History of the Council of Trent by Pietro Soave Polano (i.e. Paolo Sarpi ). A second edition appeared in 1629, and another in 1676, Archbishop Abbot had caused the Latin original to be published for the first time in 1619 in London. In 1625, asked by George Abbot, he republished the defence of the church of England Vindiciae Ecclesiae Anglicanae , first published in 1613 by Francis Mason , archdeacon of Norfolk . Brent's daughter Margaret married Edward Corbet of Merton College,
6384-523: Was complete by 1294. The window is an important example (because it is so well dated) of how the strict geometrical conventions of the Early English Period of architecture were beginning to be relaxed at the end of the 13th century. The south transept was built in the 14th century, the north transept in the early years of the 15th. The great tower was complete by 1450. The chapel replaced the parish church of St. John and continued to serve as
6468-468: Was completed. The chapel is known for its acoustics. A spire from the chapel has resided in Pavilion Garden VI of the University of Virginia since 1928, when "it was given to the University to honor Jefferson 's educational ideals." The hall is the oldest surviving college building, originally completed before 1277, but apart from the fine medieval ironwork on the door, almost no trace of
6552-521: Was established in 2007, providing for a choir of sixteen undergraduate and graduate choral scholars singing from October 2008. The choir was formerly directed by Peter Phillips , director of the Tallis Scholars , and is now directed by Benjamin Nicholas, a former director of music at Tewkesbury Abbey . In 2013, the installation of a new organ, designed and built by Dobson Pipe Organ Builders ,
6636-518: Was established. The collegiate system arose because Oxford University came into existence through the gradual agglomeration of numerous independent institutions. Over the centuries several different types of college have emerged and disappeared. The first academic houses were monastic halls. Of the dozens established during the 12th–15th centuries, none survived the Reformation . The modern Dominican permanent private hall of Blackfriars (1921)
6720-504: Was executed on 10 January 1645, John Greaves , one of the subwardens of Merton and Savilian Professor of Astronomy , drew up a petition for Brent's removal from office; Brent was deposed by Charles I on 27 January 1646 and replaced by William Harvey . Thomas Fairfax captured Oxford for the Parliamentarians after its third siege in 1646 and Brent returned from London. However, in 1647, a parliamentary commission (visitation)
6804-400: Was held on 26 November 2022. Merton has a number of drinking and dining societies, along the lines of other colleges. These include the all-male Myrmidons , the female-equivalent Myrmaids and L'Ancien Régime. The Myrmidon club is open to all members of the college in the present day, male or female, and hosts termly black tie events. Merton is host to a number of subject-specific societies,
6888-410: Was not until the mid-1260s that Walter de Merton acquired the core of the present site in Oxford, along the south side of what was then St John's Street (now Merton Street ). The college was consolidated on this site by 1274, when Walter made his final revisions to the college statutes. The initial acquisition included the parish church of St John (which was superseded by the chapel) and three houses to
6972-569: Was set up by Parliament "for the correction of offences, abuses, and disorders" in the University of Oxford. Nathaniel Brent was the president of the visitors. Greaves was accused of sequestrating the college's plate and funds for King Charles I . Despite a deposition from his brother Thomas , Greaves had lost both his Merton fellowship and his Savilian chair by 9 November 1648. The "House of Scholars of Merton" originally had properties in Surrey (in present-day Old Malden ) as well as in Oxford, but it
7056-407: Was that this "college" was to be self-governing and the endowments were directly vested in the Warden and Fellows. By 1274, when Walter retired from royal service and made his final revisions to the college statutes, the community was consolidated at its present site in the south east corner of the city of Oxford , and a rapid programme of building commenced. The hall and the chapel and the rest of
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