St Cuthbert's Society, colloquially known as Cuth's,St Cuthbert's Society JCR
/ref> is a

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offerin ...

Durham University , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills ( Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_cha ...

. It was founded in 1888 for students who were not attached to the existing colleges.History of St Cuthbert's Society
/ref> St Cuthbert's Society is a Bailey college, based on

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...

's peninsula next to the

River Wear The River Wear (, ) in North East England rises in the Pennines and flows eastwards, mostly through County Durham to the North Sea in the City of Sunderland. At long, it is one of the region's longest rivers, wends in a steep valley through ...

, although it also has other accommodation a few minutes' walk away in Old Elvet. St Cuthbert's retains its title of 'society', although its workings have changed since its formation. Its foundation differed from that of Durham's other colleges in that it was established as a common room for, and by, its students. Other Societies followed: St Aidan's Society – now St Aidan's College, and the Graduate Society – now

Ustinov College Ustinov College is the largest college of Durham University, located in Durham, North East England. Founded as the Graduate Society in 1965, it became a college in 2003 and was named after then-chancellor, Sir Peter Ustinov. Formerly at the Howla ...

. It is still home to the highest proportion of local students (very few of whom live in) and traditionally houses a high proportion of mature students. It is the only collegiate body to offer undergraduates catered, self-catered, and part catered accommodation.

History

Origins

To arrest declining numbers of entrants, Durham University began to allow the admission of 'unattached' students from

Michaelmas term Michaelmas term is the first academic term of the academic year in a number of English-speaking universities and schools in the northern hemisphere, especially in the United Kingdom. Michaelmas term derives its name from the Feast of St Micha ...

of 1871. Unlike other undergraduates, the unattached lived in licensed lodgings as opposed to a college or hall. While still expected to follow the normal regulations of the university (such as attending morning prayer at

Durham Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham, commonly known as Durham Cathedral and home of the Shrine of St Cuthbert, is a cathedral in the city of Durham, County Durham, England. It is the seat of t ...

and wearing academic gowns in public), the manner of their living enabled a privacy that was "often the envy" of fellow students. Required to be at least 23 years old, the unattached were often married men who took little part in the social or sporting side of university education. Initially under the supervision of a Junior Proctor, who appointed a Senior Man from one of their number, they did not have anything that could be called an organisation, with no clubs of their own and no common room to provide a permanent meeting place.

1888-1918: Growth and consolidation

After two previous attempts earlier in the decade, the unattached students finally consolidated themselves in October 1888.Tudor, 1888, p. 8 A successful meeting saw the election of a committee made up of a President, Honorary Secretary, and seven other members, with an agreement to hold regular meetings and create a program of events for the unattached, including a debate to be held every other week. One staff member in attendance,

Hastings Rashdall Hastings Rashdall (24 June 1858 – 9 February 1924) was an English philosopher, theologian, historian, and Anglican priest. He expounded a theory known as ideal utilitarianism, and he was a major historian of the universities of the Middle A ...

, then chaplain of

University College In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies ...

, was particularly enthusiastic. He felt the unattached spent too much time reading books, and too little time taking in the social life of the wider university. A few weeks after the meeting, the association took the name of St Cuthbert's Society, referencing the saint of the same name. The society gained a common room in 1893 when the university granted it space in Cosin's Hall, and this was to effectively be its 'home' for the next fifty years. Essentially a private student club, the society had no official existence as far as the university was concerned.Tudor, pp. 12–13 On the other hand, it was developing a distinct collegiate identity through participation in sport, and it was to St Cuthbert's Society (not to the unattached) that the university gave the use of facilities like the common room and boat house. As the decade progressed, St Cuthbert's Society was being spoken of as if it actually were a college. Meanwhile, regulations were changed so that from Michaelmas 1894 prospective members no longer needed to be elected. Instead, all unattached student in residence were regarded as "ipso facto members" of the society. With the

death of Queen Victoria The state funeral of Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress of India, occurred on 2 February 1901, after her death on 22 January. It was one of the largest gatherings of European royalty. Description In 1 ...

and the onset of the

Edwardian era The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Vic ...

, there was a gradual shift in the political positions taken by Cuthbert's men. Whereas before they had tended to exemplify traditional values, like support for the Empire and a belief that "the working classes should be kept firmly in their place", reformist opinion now occasionally surfaced. In time the "prevailing mood" reflected that of the country at large — "Cuthbert's men were, on the whole, Liberals". St Cuthbert's Society, University of Durham

St Cuthbert's Society, University of Durham

In December 1910 the university decided that unattached students resident in Durham should henceforth be called "non-collegiate" students, in order to distinguish them from other unattached students taking qualifications on an external basis. This meant the non-collegiate body effectively became identical in membership to St Cuthbert's Society. The outbreak of the Great War made little impact at first, with the society resolving not to mention the ongoing conflict during formal meetings.Tudor, "War, Decline, and Resurrection", pp. 59–63 This "tacit agreement to ignore the war" was discarded in January 1916 when the Military Service Act was passed, which conscripted all unmarried men between 18 and 41. By March the ''Durham University Journal'' was able to list 13 society members now in active service, two of whom would later be killed in action. Compared to other academic institutions, St Cuthbert's Society suffered relatively few deaths during the war, as many of its members had been regimental chaplains. Consequently, the "dreadful casualties" experienced by nearby

Bede College Bede Sixth Form College is a further education sixth-form college, based in Billingham, County Durham, England. The college provides A-Level, vocational courses, apprenticeship training, and higher education courses. It is a TASS accredited col ...

were avoided. The Society grew in size until the Second World War when numbers of students in the University dropped sharply and the Society was effectively in abeyance until 'refounded' in 1945 by veterans returning from combat who wished to complete their degrees. When the Society moved to the South Bailey in 1951, it began to offer accommodation to a small number of students and created the position of Principal to replace that of Censor. The first Principal, Clifford Leech, a distinguished academic and widely acknowledged expert on Jacobean literature, served for several years in this role before going on to become Professor of English at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

. His portrait, by Thomas William Pattison (1894–1983), hangs in the college hall. The Principal is now responsible for managing all aspects of the Society. The Society includes a dedicated team of University staff, a junior common room, a senior room, an alumni association and a group of fellows. Over the years the Society has expanded a great deal and now has a large body of accommodation on the Bailey as well as elsewhere in Durham. In 2006 'Brooks House' was built and this allowed all first year undergraduates to live-in for the first time, as well as a number of returners and postgraduate students.

Traditions

The patron of the Society,

St. Cuthbert Cuthbert of Lindisfarne ( – 20 March 687) was an Anglo-Saxon saint of the early Northumbrian church in the Celtic tradition. He was a monk, bishop and hermit, associated with the monasteries of Melrose and Lindisfarne in the Kingdom of Nor ...

, continues to be remembered annually, if somewhat incongruously for an ascetic, in The Feast, a traditional banquet held on or near St. Cuthbert's

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context do ...

of 20 March each year. Another annual event is Cuths Day, a day of entertainment conducted on, off and in the

, which curls around the foot of the bailey where the Society is based. The surviving ‘Refounders’ of the Society hold a reunion weekend every September in college. The same weekend also hosts the Annual General Meeting of St Cuthbert's Association, the alumni organisation of the Society. In addition to this, the Founders of the Society are remembered at the annual Founders' Formal and past Presidents attend the President's Formal. Although the Bailey colleges are generally considered to be more traditional, St Cuthbert's Society generally employs a more informal approach; for example, unlike the other Bailey colleges its students no longer wear gowns except for congregation. St Cuthbert's also has a strong historical rivalry with nearby

Hatfield College , motto_English = Either the first or with the first , scarf = , named_for = Thomas Hatfield , established = , senior_tutor = , master = Ann MacLarnon (2017–) , undergraduates = 1010 (2017/18) , postgrad ...

, which manifests itself in sports and other activities as well as singing songs (of varying degrees of offensiveness). There is a story that, in the 1960s, a group of Cuths students stole a lion statue from Hatfield and painted it to look like a tiger, to avoid arousing suspicion. Durham - St Cuthberts arms

Coat of arms

The original seventh-century

pectoral cross A pectoral cross or pectorale (from the Latin ''pectoralis'', "of the chest") is a cross that is worn on the chest, usually suspended from the neck by a cord or chain. In ancient and medieval times pectoral crosses were worn by both clergy and ...

of St. Cuthbert was discovered when his grave was opened in 1827, and is now preserved in the cathedral treasury. The motto, ''gratia gratiam parit'', appears in the Adagia of

Erasmus Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (; ; English: Erasmus of Rotterdam or Erasmus;''Erasmus'' was his baptismal name, given after St. Erasmus of Formiae. ''Desiderius'' was an adopted additional name, which he used from 1496. The ''Roterodamus'' w ...

, a collection of Greek and Latin adages, and can be loosely translated as ‘friendship begets friendship’ or ‘kindness begets kindness’. The full

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

includes an eider duck as the crest. This is because, while resident in the

Farne Islands The Farne Islands are a group of islands off the coast of Northumberland, England. The group has between 15 and 20 islands depending on the level of the tide.

, St Cuthbert instituted special laws to protect these and other seabirds nesting there, creating what may have been the first bird protection laws anywhere in the world. Consequently, eider ducks have long been known as 'cuddy ducks' (Cuthbert's ducks) in the

Pitmatic __NOTOC__ Pitmatic (originally: "Pitmatical", colloquially known as "Yakka") is a group of traditional Northern English dialects spoken in rural areas of the Northumberland and Durham Coalfield in England. The separating dialectal developmen ...

dialect as spoken in

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land ...

Buildings and Accommodation

Bailey

The headquarters of St Cuthbert's Society is situated at the end of

the Bailey The Bailey, or The Peninsula, is a historic area in the centre of Durham, England. It is a peninsula within a sharp meander in the River Wear, formed by isostatic adjustment of the land. The name 'The Bailey' derives from it being the ' out ...

, an ancient street with other

Colleges A college ( Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offerin ...

, and it is therefore a Bailey College. The Bailey consists of five historic buildings, lots of which have shared room accommodation. These consists of House 12 (headquarters), House 8 (the largest), House 13 and Wendy House (which share a large garden), and Houses 26 and 27 on North Bailey. Of the many characteristics include the rivalry with nearby

, and nextdoor (House 8) St John's College and close proximity to the

Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...

, allowing the sound of their bells to be heard by all living in College here.

House 12

House 12 contains the headquarters to the Society, the Bailey Bar, the JCR, the dining room - seating 150 hosting many dinners and formals, and a garden. It also contains a small amount of accommodation reserved for undergraduates, and houses some returning students such as the bar steward - as they are therefore living above the bar. The building dates from the 17th century and is

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

House 8

House 8 consists of most of the accommodation of undergraduates on the Bailey. It also supports a library - with a computer room and conference room, for all members of the Society, a gym, a study room, and two large gardens (adjoining with the River) with a Grade I listed wall. The building was constructed in the late 18th century and is

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

. The JCR president has the right to occupy a flat inside House 8 every year, as it is a sabbatical role. This flat is inside the House and is directly above an internal entry to the Society's library.

House 13 and Wendy House

House 13 makes some of the remaining (undergraduate) accommodation on the Bailey. It contains no shared amenities with those not living in College, and is an early 18th century

building. Wendy House is in the garden of House 13 and contains accommodation for, in most cases, five undergraduate students. The garden overlooks the Society's headquarters, is adjacent to one of the Cathedral's gardens, and adjoins The Chorister School.

Houses 26 and 27

Houses 26 and 27 contain the remaining accommodation, and are on North Bailey. They are purely residential and, also, contain no shared amenities. These buildings hail from mid 18th century and enjoy a favourable location further up the Bailey, whilst being very close to the headquarters still.

Parsons Field

The majority of the Society's accommodation is at Parsons Field, in Old Elvet. The site consists of four buildings, with one (Brooks House) including en-suite facilities, and the others (Refounders House, Parsons Field Court and Fonteyn Court) consisting of standard single rooms. Returning students typically live in Brooks House, with other buildings at Parsons Field being primarily for first year undergraduates. By having catered, part catered and self-catered accommodation, St Cuthbert's Society offers a choice of meal packages to students. Parsons Field has another bar, another gym, another computer room, and a music room.

Student life

The Society has over 40 sports and societies, including a rugby team, a boat club, a running club, a drama society, an art society, a big band and a choir.Societies
/ref>

Boat Club

Launched in the summer of 1893, five years after the foundation of the Society itself, the Boat Club offers training and facilities for rowers of all levels and commitment. It is one of the oldest and most distinguished student societies in the university.

Running Club

Founded in 2016, the running club is currently one of the most successful sports teams in the college. The club also offers personalised coaching plans and very popular socials that regularly attract upwards of 50 members.

List of principals

* Clifford Leech (1948–52) * E. de Groot, (1952–54) * W. A. Whitehouse, (1954–61) * J. J. Grant, (1961–63) * J. L. Brooks, (1963–85) * J. D. Norton, (1985–90) * S. Stoker, (1990–2000) * B. Robertson, (2000–01) * D. Robson, (2001–03) * Roy Boyne, (2003–08) * Graham Towl, (2008-2011) * Amanda Broderick, (2011) * Sharon Richardson, (2011–12) * Elizabeth Archibald, (2012–2021) * Tammi Walker, (2021-present)

Notable alumni

File:RodClements1991.jpg,

Rod Clements Roderick Parry Clements (born 17 November 1947 in North Shields, Northumberland) is a British guitarist, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He formed the folk-rock band Lindisfarne with Alan Hull in 1970, and wrote "Meet Me on the Cor ...

, guitarist, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from the band

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John Pugh John David Pugh (born 28 June 1948, Liverpool) is a Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom. He was the Member of Parliament for Southport from 2001 to 2017. He stood down at the 2017 snap election. In November 2017, he was elected ...

, Liberal Democrat politician and MP for

Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Iris ...

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Michael Knighton Michael Knighton (born 4 October 1951) is an English businessman, best known for his involvement in Manchester United and Carlisle United football clubs. Knighton first came to prominence in 1989 for his aborted £20 million bid to buy Manc ...

, English businessman

Academia

Michael Aris Michael Vaillancourt Aris (27 March 1946 – 27 March 1999) was an English historian who wrote and lectured on Bhutanese, Tibetan and Himalayan culture and history. He was the husband of Aung San Suu Kyi, who would later become State Counsellor ...

, leading Western author on Bhutanese, Tibetan and Himalayan culture and Buddhism. Husband of Burmese politician

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. *

Leo Blair Leo Charles Lynton Blair (born Charles Leonard Augustus Parsons; 4 August 192316 November 2012) was a British barrister and law lecturer at Durham University. He was the author of the book ''The Commonwealth Public Service''. He was the fath ...

, barrister, law lecturer and father of former UK Prime Minister,

Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of t ...

* John Joseph Wilkes FSA, FBA, Yates Professor of Greek and Roman Archaeology, University College, London

Arts and literature

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, author *

Andrew Buchan Andrew Buchan (born 19 February 1979) is an English stage and television actor known for his roles as Mark Latimer in the ITV drama ''Broadchurch'' (2013–17), as Scott Foster in the BBC political drama '' Party Animals'' (2007), as John Merc ...

, actor *

, musician in folk-rock band

* Justin Hill, author *

Anthony Payne Anthony Edward Payne (2 August 1936 – 30 April 2021) was an English composer, music critic and musicologist. He is best known for his acclaimed completion of Edward Elgar's third symphony, which subsequently gained wide acceptance into Elga ...

, composer and

Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...

specialist *

Charlotte Riley Charlotte Frances Riley (born 29 December 1981) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Sarah Hurst in '' Easy Virtue'' (2008) and as Catherine Earnshaw in ITV's adaptation of '' Wuthering Heights'' (2009). Early life and educat ...

, actress * Dan van der Vat, journalist, author * Matt Barber, actor * Tom Rosenthal, musician

Broadcasting

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, TV Producer for Blue Planet series *

Nina Hossain Nina Hossain is a British journalist and presenter employed by ITN as the lead presenter of the ''ITV Lunchtime News''. Background Hossain was born in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England to a Bangladeshi father and an English mother. Her fa ...

, Broadcast Journalist *

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, Broadcast Journalist

Religion

* David Williams Bentley, Bishop of Barbados * William Nigel Stock,

Bishop at Lambeth The Bishop to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York is a position within the hierarchy of the Church of England. It is a non-diocesan appointment in which a bishop acts as head of staff or general assistant to the Archbishop of Canterbury and to ...

Business

* Nick Scheele, President and Chief Operating Officer,

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, a marketing executives studied here. She was also murdered in 2021

Politics

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, Governor of the

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, Labour MP for

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MP for

* Peter Wilkinson, Attorney-General of New Zealand

Sport

, Chairman of

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, footballer for Manchester United Football Club – Reserve Team Player of the Year 2011

References

External links

St Cuthbert's SocietySt Cuthbert's Society JCRSt Cuthbert's Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Cuthbert's Society Colleges of Durham University Educational institutions established in 1888 1888 establishments in England Grade II* listed buildings in County Durham Grade II* listed educational buildings