All Souls College (official name: The College of All Souls of the Faithful Departed, of Oxford) is a

constituent college A collegiate university is a university where functions are divided between a central administration and a number of constituent colleges. Historically, the first collegiate university was the University of Paris and its first college was the Col ...

of the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

in England. Unique to All Souls, all of its members automatically become

fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

s (i.e., full members of the college's governing body). It has no student members, but each year, recent graduates are eligible to apply for a small number of examination fellowships through a

competitive examination An examination (exam or evaluation) or test is an educational assessment intended to measure a test-taker's knowledge, skill, aptitude, physical fitness, or classification in many other topics (e.g., beliefs). A test may be administered verba ...

(once described as "the hardest exam in the world") and, for those shortlisted after the examinations, an interview.Is the All Souls College entrance exam easy now?
, ''The Guardian'', 17 May 2010. The college entrance is on the north side of

High Street High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...

, whilst it has a long frontage onto

Radcliffe Square Radcliffe Square is a square in central Oxford, England. It is surrounded by historic Oxford University and college buildings. The square is cobbled, laid to grass surrounded by railings in the centre, and is pedestrianised except for access. T ...

. To its east is The Queen's College, whilst

Hertford College Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main gate to the Bodleian Library. The colle ...

is to the north of All Souls. The current

warden A warden is a custodian, defender, or guardian. Warden is often used in the sense of a watchman or guardian, as in a prison warden. It can also refer to a chief or head official, as in the Warden of the Mint. ''Warden'' is etymologically ident ...

(head of the college) is Sir John Vickers, a graduate of

Oriel College, Oxford Oriel College () is Colleges of the University of Oxford, a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title for ...

History

The college was founded by

Henry VI of England Henry VI (6 December 1421 – 21 May 1471) was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and 1470 to 1471, and English claims to the French throne, disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. The only child of Henry V of England, Henry V, he succeeded ...

and

Henry Chichele Henry Chichele ( ; also Checheley; – 12 April 1443) was Archbishop of Canterbury (1414–1443) and founded All Souls College, Oxford. Early life Chichele was born at Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire, in 1363 or 1364; Chichele told Pope Eu ...

(fellow of New College and

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...

), in 1438, to commemorate the victims of the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...

. The Statutes provided for a warden and 40 fellows; all to take Holy Orders: 24 to study arts and theology; and 16 to study civil or canon law. Today the college is primarily a research institution, with no student members. All Souls did formerly have students:

Robert Hovenden Robert Hovenden D.D. (1544–1614) was an English academic administrator at the University of Oxford. Hovenden was elected Warden (head) of All Souls College, Oxford in 1571, a post he held until 1614. During his time as Warden of All Souls ...

(Warden of the college from 1571 to 1614) introduced undergraduates to provide the fellows with ''servientes'' (household servants), but this was abandoned by the end of the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

. Four Bible Clerks remained on the foundation until 1924. For over five hundred years All Souls College admitted only men; women were first allowed to join the college as fellows in 1979, the same year as many other previously all-male colleges in the university. The American philosopher

Susan Hurley Susan Lynn Hurley (September 16, 1954 – August 16, 2007) was an American philosopher. She was appointed professor in the department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Warwick in 1994, professor of philosophy at Bristol ...

became the first female fellow in 1981. Conservative fellows opposed this change. Once, upon encountering a woman fellow, the geneticist E. B. Ford swung his umbrella at her and shouted "Out of my way, henbird!".

Buildings and architecture

All Souls College Library

The All Souls College Library (formerly known as the Codrington Library) was founded through a 1710 bequest from

Christopher Codrington Lieutenant-Colonel Christopher Codrington ( – 7 April 1710) was an English Army officer, planter and colonial administrator who served as governor of the Leeward Islands from 1699 to 1704. Born on Barbados into the planter class, he inheri ...

(1668–1710), a fellow of the college and a wealthy slave and sugar plantation owner. Codrington was an undergraduate at Oxford and later became colonial governor of the

Leeward Islands The Leeward Islands () are a group of islands situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean. Starting with the Virgin Islands east of Puerto Rico, they extend southeast to Guadeloupe and its dependencies. In Engl ...

. Christopher Codrington was born in Barbados, and amassed a fortune from his sugar plantation in the West Indies. Under the terms of his will Codrington bequeathed books worth £6,000 to the college in addition to £10,000 in currency for the library to be rebuilt and endowed. The new library was completed in 1751 to the designs of

Nicholas Hawksmoor Nicholas Hawksmoor ( – 25 March 1736) was an English architect. He was a leading figure of the English Baroque style of architecture in the late-seventeenth and early-eighteenth centuries. Hawksmoor worked alongside the principal architects ...

and has been in continuous use since then. Today the library comprises some 185,000 items, about a third of which were published before 1800. The collections are particularly strong in law and history (especially military history). Sir

Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren FRS (; – ) was an English architect, astronomer, mathematician and physicist who was one of the most highly acclaimed architects in the history of England. Known for his work in the English Baroque style, he was ac ...

was a fellow from 1653. The design of the sundial, produced in 1658 for the south wall of the Chapel, is attributed to Wren. The sundial was moved to the quadrangle (above the central entrance to the Library) in 1877. In 2020, the College decided to cease referring to the Library as 'The Codrington Library' as part of a set of "steps to address the problematic nature of the Codrington legacy", which comes from wealth derived from slave plantations. All Souls College Towers

Chapel

Built between 1438 and 1442, the college chapel remained largely unchanged until the

. Oxford, having been a largely

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gove ...

stronghold, suffered under the

Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...

s' wrath. The 42

misericord A misericord (sometimes named mercy seat, like the biblical object) is a small wooden structure formed on the underside of a folding seat in a church which, when the seat is folded up, is intended to act as a shelf to support a person in a p ...

s date from the Chapel's building, and show a resemblance to the misericords at St Mary's Church, Higham Ferrers. Both may have been carved by Richard Tyllock. During the 1660s a screen was installed in the Chapel, which was based on a design by Wren. However, this screen needed to be rebuilt by 1713. By the mid-19th century the Chapel was in great need of renovation, and so the current structure is heavily influenced by Victorian design ideals. There have been a number of rearrangements and repairs of the stained glass windows, but much of the original medieval glass survives. All services at the chapel are according to the ''

Book of Common Prayer The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the title given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christianity, Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The Book of Common Prayer (1549), fi ...

''; the ''

King James Bible The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version (AV), is an Early Modern English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611, by ...

'' is also used rather than more modern translations.

Wealth

All Souls is one of the wealthiest colleges in Oxford with a

financial endowment A financial endowment is a legal structure for managing, and in many cases indefinitely perpetuating, a pool of Financial instrument, financial, real estate, or other investments for a specific purpose according to Donor intent, the will of its fo ...

of £486.7 million (2023). Approximately 95% of its annual income is derived from its endowment as the College does not receive any income from tuition fees.

Fellowships

Examination fellowships

In the three years following the award of their bachelor's or master's degrees, students graduating from Oxford and current Oxford

postgraduate student Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor' ...

s having graduated elsewhereExamination Fellowships 2010
" All Souls College, Oxford are eligible to apply for examination fellowships (sometimes informally referred to as "prize fellowships") of seven years each. While tutors may advise their students to sit for the All Souls examination fellowship, the examination is open to anybody who fulfils the eligibility criteria and the college does not issue invitations to candidates to sit. Every year in early March, the college hosts an open evening for women, offering women interested in the examination fellowship an opportunity to find out more about the exam process and to meet members of the college. Each year several dozen candidates typically sit the examination. Two examination fellows are usually elected each year, although the college has awarded a single place or three places in some years, and on rare occasions made no award.
''Time'', 19 May 1961. The competition, offered since 1878 and open to women since 1979, is held over two days in late September, with two papers of three hours each per day. It has been described in the past as "the hardest exam in the world". Two papers (the 'specialist papers') are on a single subject of the candidate's choice; the options are

classics Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

, economics, history, law, philosophy, and politics. Two papers (the 'general papers') are on general subjects. For each general examination, candidates choose three questions from a list. Past questions have included: * If a man could say nothing against a character but what he could prove, history could not be written' (

Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson ( – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, sermonist, biographer, editor, and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...

). Discuss." * "Should the

Orange Prize for Fiction The Women's Prize for Fiction (previously with sponsor names Orange Prize for Fiction (1996–2006 and 2009–2012), Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction (2007–08) and Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (2014–2017) is one of the United Kingdom's ...

be open to both men and women?" * "Does the moral character of an orgy change when the participants wear Nazi uniforms?" Before 2010 candidates also faced another examination, a free-form "Essay" on a single, pre-selected word. Four to six finalists are invited to a

viva voce ''Viva voce'' is a Latin phrase literally meaning "with living voice" but most often translated as "by word of mouth." It may refer to: *Word of mouth *A voice vote in a deliberative assembly *An oral exam ** Thesis defence, in academia *Spoken ev ...

or oral examination. Previously, these candidates were then invited to dinner with about 75 members of the college. The dinner did not form part of the assessment, but was intended as a reward for those candidates who had reached the latter stages of the selection process. However, the dinner has been discontinued as the college felt candidates worried too often that it was part of the assessment process. About a dozen examination fellows are at the college at any one time. There are no compulsory teaching or requirements, although examination fellows must pursue a course of study or research at some point within their first two years of fellowship. They can study anything for nothing at Oxford with

room and board Room and board describes an accommodation which, in exchange for money, labour or other recompense, a person is provided with a place to live in addition to meals. It commonly occurs as a fee at higher educational institutions, such as colleges ...

. As "Londoners" they can pursue approved non-academic careers if desired, with a reduced stipend, as long as they pursue academia on a part-time basis and attend weekend dinners at the college during their first academic year. each examination fellow receives a stipend of £14,842 annually for the first two years; the stipend then varies depending on whether the fellow pursues an academic career.

Notable candidates

Until 1979, women were not permitted to put themselves forward for fellowships at All Souls.

=Successful

Leo Amery Leopold Charles Maurice Stennett Amery (22 November 1873 – 16 September 1955), also known as L. S. Amery, was a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician and journalist. During his career, he was known for his interest in ...

(1897), politician *

J. L. Austin John Langshaw Austin (26 March 1911 – 8 February 1960) was an English philosopher of language and leading proponent of ordinary language philosophy, best known for developing the theory of speech acts. Austin pointed out that we use lan ...

(1933), philosopher * Sir Isaiah Berlin (1932), philosopher * George Earle Buckle (1877), journalist *

George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston (11 January 1859 – 20 March 1925), known as Lord Curzon (), was a British statesman, Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician, explorer and writer who served as Viceroy of India ...

(1883),

Viceroy of India The governor-general of India (1833 to 1950, from 1858 to 1947 the viceroy and governor-general of India, commonly shortened to viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom in their capacity as the Emperor of ...

* Geoffrey Dawson (1898), journalist * Matthew d'Ancona (1989), journalist * John Gardner (1986), legal philosopher * Birke Häcker (2001), legal scholar *

Quintin Hogg, Baron Hailsham of St Marylebone Quintin McGarel Hogg, Baron Hailsham of St Marylebone (9 October 1907 – 12 October 2001), known as the 2nd Viscount Hailsham between 1950 and 1963, at which point he disclaimed his hereditary peerage, was a British barrister, philosopher and ...

(1931), politician and philosopher *

Douglas Jay Douglas Patrick Thomas Jay, Baron Jay, PC (23 March 1907 – 6 March 1996) was a British Labour Party politician. Early life and education Educated at Winchester College and New College, Oxford, Jay won the Chancellor's English Essay in 192 ...

, Baron Jay (1930), politician *

Richard Jenkyns Richard Jenkyns (1782 – 16 March 1854) was a British academic administrator at the University of Oxford and Dean (Christianity), Dean at Wells Cathedral. Life Jenkyns was born in Evercreech in Somerset, and was baptised on 21 December 1782. ...

(1972), classical historian and literary critic *

Keith Joseph Keith Sinjohn Joseph, Baron Joseph, (17 January 1918 – 10 December 1994), known as Sir Keith Joseph, 2nd Baronet, for most of his political life, was a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as a minister under f ...

, Baron Joseph (1946), politician *

T. E. Lawrence Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British Army officer, archaeologist, diplomat and writer known for his role during the Arab Revolt and Sinai and Palestine campaign against the Ottoman Empire in the First W ...

(1919), "Lawrence of Arabia", military officer, writer *

M. N. Srinivas Mysore Narasimhachar Srinivas (16 November 1916 – 30 November 1999) was an Indian sociologist and social anthropologist. He is mostly known for his work on caste and caste systems, social stratification, Sanskritisation and Westernisation i ...

, Social anthropologist * Sir Jeremy Morse, banker * Edward Mortimer (1965) journalist, author, international public servant *

Marius Ostrowski Marius Sebastian Ostrowski Royal Historical Society, FRHistS Royal Society of Arts, FRSA (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �maːʁɪʊs zɛˈbastɪan ɔsˈtʁɔvskiː born 12 December 1988) is a Germans in the United Kingdom, German-British ...

(2013), political theorist *

David Pannick, Baron Pannick David Philip Pannick, Baron Pannick, (born 7 March 1956) is a British barrister and a crossbencher in the House of Lords and Blackstone Chambers. He practises primarily in public law and human rights and has argued high profile cases before the ...

(1978), barrister *

Derek Parfit Derek Antony Parfit (; 11 December 1942 – 2 January 2017) was a British philosopher who specialised in personal identity, rationality, and ethics. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential moral philosophers of the lat ...

(1974), philosopher * Sir John Redwood (1972), politician *

A. L. Rowse Alfred Leslie Rowse (4 December 1903 – 3 October 1997) was a British historian and writer, best known for his work on Elizabethan England and books relating to Cornwall. Born in Cornwall and raised in modest circumstances, he was encourag ...

(1925), historian and poet *

Katherine Rundell Katherine Rundell (born 10 July 1987) is an English author and academic. She is the author of ''Impossible Creatures'', named Waterstones Book of the Year for 2023. She is also the author of ''Rooftoppers'', which in 2015 won both the overall ...

(2008), author * Amia Srinivasan (2009), philosopher *

John Simon, 1st Viscount Simon John Allsebrook Simon, 1st Viscount Simon, (28 February 1873 – 11 January 1954) was a British politician who held senior Cabinet posts from the beginning of the First World War to the end of the Second World War. He is one of three people to ...

(1897), politician *

William Waldegrave, Baron Waldegrave of North Hill William Arthur Waldegrave, Baron Waldegrave of North Hill (; born 15 August 1946) is a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician who served as a Cabinet of the United Kingdom, Cabinet minister from 1990 until 1997, and is a ...

(1971), politician *

Richard Wilberforce, Baron Wilberforce Richard Orme Wilberforce, Baron Wilberforce, (11 March 1907 – 15 February 2003) was a British judge. He was a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary from 1964 to 1982. Early life and career Born in Jalandhar, India, Richard Wilberforce was the son of ...

(1932), jurist * Sir Bernard Williams (1951), philosopher *

Crispin Wright Crispin James Garth Wright (; born 21 December 1942) is a British philosopher, who has written on neo-Fregean (neo-logicist) philosophy of mathematics, Wittgenstein's later philosophy, and on issues related to truth, realism, cognitivism, ske ...

(1969), philosopher * Sir John Vickers (1979), economist

=Unsuccessful

= *

Hilaire Belloc Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc ( ; ; 27 July 187016 July 1953) was a French-English writer, politician, and historian. Belloc was also an orator, poet, sailor, satirist, writer of letters, soldier, and political activist. His Catholic fait ...

(1895), author *

John Buchan John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir (; 26 August 1875 – 11 February 1940) was a Scottish novelist, historian, British Army officer, and Unionist politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 15th since Canadian Confederation. As a ...

, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir (1899),Godine, David R. and Andrew Lownie.
John Buchan: the Presbyterian cavalier
' (1995), pp. 60–61. author and

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada () is the federal representative of the . The monarch of Canada is also sovereign and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and resides in the United Kingdom. The monarch, on the Advice (constitutional la ...

Lord David Cecil Lord Edward Christian David Gascoyne-Cecil, CH (9 April 1902 – 1 January 1986) was a British biographer, historian, and scholar. He held the style of "Lord" by courtesy as a younger son of a marquess. Early life and studies David Cecil was ...

, author *

H. L. A. Hart Herbert Lionel Adolphus Hart (; 18 July 190719 December 1992) was a British legal philosopher. One of the most influential legal theorists of the 20th century, he was instrumental in the development of the theory of legal positivism, which wa ...

(1929, 1930), philosopher * Sir William Holdsworth (1897), legal historian *

Cosmo Gordon Lang William Cosmo Gordon Lang, 1st Baron Lang of Lambeth, (31 October 1864 – 5 December 1945) was a Scottish Anglican prelate who served as Archbishop of York (1908–1928) and Archbishop of Canterbury (1928–1942). His elevation to Archbishop ...

, 1st Baron Lang of Lambeth (1888),Sir William Anson
"

Harry Mount Henry Francis Mount (born 1971) is a British author and journalist, who is the editor of ''The Oldie'' magazine, and a frequent contributor to the ''Daily Mail'' and ''The Daily Telegraph''. Early life Harry Mount was born in 1971. His father, ...

(1994), journalist *

Ramsay Muir John Ramsay Bryce Muir (30 September 1872 – 4 May 1941) was a British historian, Liberal Party politician and thinker who made a significant contribution to the development of liberal political philosophy in the 1920s and 1930s through his ...

(1897), politician *

Tom Denning, Baron Denning Alfred Thompson Denning, Baron Denning, (23 January 1899 – 5 March 1999), was an English barrister and judge. He was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1923 and became a King's Counsel in 1938. Denning became a judge in 1944 when he w ...

(1923), jurist *

Hugh Trevor-Roper Hugh Redwald Trevor-Roper, Baron Dacre of Glanton, (15 January 1914 – 26 January 2003) was an English historian. He was Regius Professor of Modern History (Oxford), Regius Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford. Trevor-Rope ...

, Baron Dacre of Glanton, historian *

Eric Williams Eric Eustace Williams (25 September 1911 – 29 March 1981) was a Trinidad and Tobago politician. He has been dubbed as the " Father of the Nation", having led the then-British Colony of Trinidad and Tobago to majority rule on 28 October 1956, ...

, historian and politician *

Harold Wilson James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx (11 March 1916 – 23 May 1995) was a British statesman and Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, from 1964 to 1970 and again from 197 ...

, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx,

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister Advice (constitutional law), advises the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign on the exercise of much of the Royal prerogative ...

Tom Bingham, Baron Bingham of Cornhill Thomas Henry Bingham, Baron Bingham of Cornhill (13 October 193311 September 2010) was a British judge who was successively Master of the Rolls, Lord Chief Justice and Senior Law Lord. On his death in 2010, he was described as the greatest j ...

, jurist

Subjects of the "Essay"

* "bias" * "censorship" * "chaos" * "charity" * "comedy" * "conversion" (1979) * "corruption" * "culture" (1914) * "diversity" (2001) * "error" (1993) * "harmony" (2007) * "innocence" (1964) * "integrity" (2004) * "mercy" * "miracles" (1994) * "morality" * "novelty" (2008) * "originality" * "possessions" (1925) * "reproduction" (2009) * "style" (2005)Sample Fellowship Exam, Oxford University's All Souls College
''The New York Times'', 27 May 2010. * "water" (2006)

Other fellowships

Other categories of fellowship include: * Senior research fellows (a renewable seven-year appointment) * Extraordinary research fellows (elected to conduct research into the college's history) * Visiting fellows (academics from other universities, usually elected for a period of one term to one year) * Post-doctoral research fellows (a non-renewable five-year post open to those who have recently completed doctoral study at a recognised university) * Fifty-pound fellows (open only to former fellows no longer holding posts in Oxford) * Official fellows (consisting of holders of college posts, such as the Domestic Bursar, Estates Bursar, Chaplain, and Fellow Librarian) * Distinguished fellows There are also a number of professorial fellows who hold their fellowships by virtue of their University post.

Chichele professorships

Fellows of the college include the Chichele professors, who hold

statutory A statute is a law or formal written enactment of a legislature. Statutes typically declare, command or prohibit something. Statutes are distinguished from court law and unwritten law (also known as common law) in that they are the expressed wil ...

professorship Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a 'person who professes'. Professors ...

s at the

named in honour of

, a founder of the college.

Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

ship of the college has accompanied the award of a Chichele

chair A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. It may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vario ...

since 1870. Following the work of the 1850 Commission to examine the organisation of the university, the college suppressed ten of its fellowships to create the funds to establish the first two Chichele professorships: The Chichele Professor of International Law and Diplomacy, established in 1859 and first held by

Mountague Bernard Mountague Bernard (28 January 1820 – 1882) was an English international lawyer. Life He was the third son of Charles Bernard of Jamaica, the descendant of a Huguenot family, and was born at Tibberton Court, Gloucestershire. He was educated ...

, and the

Chichele Professor of Modern History The Chichele Professorships are statutory professorships at the University of Oxford named in honour of Henry Chichele (also spelt Chicheley or Checheley, although the spelling of the academic position is consistently "Chichele"), an Archbishop of ...

, first held by

Montagu Burrows Montagu Burrows (27 October 1819 – 10 July 1905) was a British historian. Following a career as an officer in the Royal Navy, he was the first Chichele Professor of Modern History at Oxford University, holding the Chair from 1862 until his de ...

. There are currently Chichele Professorships in five different subjects: * Chichele Professor of Economic History: Kevin O'Rourke; * Chichele Professor of the History of War: Peter H. Wilson appointed 2015; * Chichele Professor of Public International Law: Catherine Redgwell appointed 2012; * Chichele Professor of Social and Political Theory: Amia Srinivasan appointed 2019; and * Chichele Professor of Medieval History: Julia M. H. Smith, appointed September 2016. Probably the best known former Chichele Professor is Sir Isaiah Berlin. Perhaps the best known former Professor of the History of War was

Cyril Falls Cyril Bentham Falls CBE (2 March 1888 – 23 April 1971) was a British military historian, journalist, and academic, noted for his works on the First World War. He was born in Ireland and spent most of his life in England. Early life Falls was ...

Chichele Lectures

The Chichele Lectures are a prestigious series of lectures formally established in 1912 and sponsored by All Souls College. The lectures were initially restricted to foreign history, but have since been expanded to include law, political theory, economic theory, as well as foreign and British history. Traditionally the lectures were delivered by a single speaker, but it is now common for several speakers to deliver lectures on a common theme.

Coat of Arms

The college's

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

was entered at the Visitation of 1574 for The College of the Souls of Faithfull People Deceased with the following blazoning:

Customs

Every hundred years, and generally on 14 January, there is a commemorative feast after which the fellows parade around the college with flaming torches, singing the ''

Mallard Song The Mallard Song is an ancient tradition of All Souls' College, Oxford. It is sung every year at the Bursar's Dinner in March and the college's Gaudy in November and also sung in a separate special ceremony once a century. The ceremony In the ...

'' and led by a "Lord Mallard" who is carried in a chair, in search of a legendary mallard that supposedly flew out of the foundations of the college when it was being built. During the hunt the Lord Mallard is preceded by a man bearing a pole to which a mallard is tied – originally a live bird, latterly either dead (1901) or carved from wood (2001). The last mallard ceremony was in 2001 and the next is due in 2101. The precise origin of the custom is not known, but it dates from at least 1632.HOLE, Christina, ''English Custom and Usage'', London, Batsford, 1941, p.28: "...we know that the custom existed at least as early as 1632, for in that year Archbishop Abbot censured the college for a riot "in pretence of a foolish Mallard". "Mallard" has since become a colloquialism at the college, generally meaning "rubbish". A benign parody of this custom has been portrayed as the

Unseen University The Unseen University (UU) is a school of wizardry in Terry Pratchett's '' Discworld'' series of fantasy novels. Located in the fictional city of Ankh-Morpork, the UU is staffed by mostly indolent and inept old wizards. The university's name i ...

's "Megapode chase" in Sir

Terry Pratchett Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English author, humorist, and Satire, satirist, best known for the ''Discworld'' series of 41 comic fantasy novels published between 1983 and 2015, and for the Apocalyp ...

's 2009 novel '' Unseen Academicals''.

People associated with All Souls

Fellows

Past and current fellows of the college have included: Robert recorde

* William Emmanuel Abraham * Diwakar Acharya *

* William Reynell Anson *

Andrew Ashworth Andrew John Ashworth, CBE, KC (Hon), FBA (born 11 October 1947) was the Vinerian Professor of English Law at the University of Oxford from 1997 to 2013, a Fellow of All Souls College, and was formerly Chairman of the Sentencing Advisory Pan ...

* F. W. Bain * Max Beloff *

Isaiah Berlin Sir Isaiah Berlin (6 June 1909 – 5 November 1997) was a Russian-British social and political theorist, philosopher, and historian of ideas. Although he became increasingly averse to writing for publication, his improvised lectures and talks ...

Margaret Bent Margaret Bent CBE , (born Margaret Hilda Bassington; 23 December 1940) is an English musicologist who specialises in music of the late medieval and Renaissance eras. In particular, she has written extensively on the Old Hall Manuscript, Engli ...

* Tim Besley *

Peter Birks Peter Brian Herrenden Birks (3 October 1941 – 6 July 2004) was the Regius Professor of Civil Law (Oxford), Regius Professor of Civil Law at the University of Oxford from 1989 until his death. He also became a Fellow of the British Academy in 1 ...

Susanne Bobzien Susanne Bobzien (born 1960) is a German-born philosopherWho'sWho in America 2012, 64th Edition whose research interests focus on philosophy of logic and language, determinism and freedom, and ancient philosophy. She is currently a visiting rese ...

William Blackstone Sir William Blackstone (10 July 1723 – 14 February 1780) was an English jurist, Justice (title), justice, and Tory (British political party), Tory politician most noted for his ''Commentaries on the Laws of England'', which became the best-k ...

Malcolm Bowie Malcolm McNaughtan Bowie Fellow of the British Academy, FBA (; 5 May 1943 – 28 January 2007) was a British academic, and List of Masters of Christ's College, Cambridge, Master of Christ's College, Cambridge from 2002 to 2006. An acclaimed scho ...

* Peter Brown * Julian Bullard *

Myles Burnyeat Myles Fredric Burnyeat (; 1 January 1939 – 20 September 2019) was an English scholar of ancient philosophy. Early life and education Myles Burnyeat was born on 1 January 1939 to Peter James Anthony Burnyeat and Cynthia Cherry Warburg. He re ...

* Lionel Butler * Raymond Carr * David Caute *

Alasdair Clayre Alasdair George Stuart Clayre (9 October 1935 – 10 January 1984) was a British author, broadcaster, singer-songwriter, and academic. Early life and career Clayre was born in Southampton, Hampshire on 9 October 1935. He won a scholarship to ...

Gerald Cohen Gerald Allan Cohen ( ; 14 April 1941 – 5 August 2009) was a Canadian political philosopher who held the positions of Quain Professor of Jurisprudence, University College London and Chichele Professor of Social and Political Theory, All Sou ...

* Peter Conrad * George Nathaniel Curzon * Matthew d'Ancona *

David Daube David Daube (8 February 1909, in Freiburg, Germany – 24 February 1999, in Berkeley, California) was the twentieth century's preeminent scholar of ancient law. He combined a familiarity with many legal systems, particularly Roman law and biblic ...

* David Dilks *

Michael Dummett Sir Michael Anthony Eardley Dummett (; 27 June 1925 – 27 December 2011) was an English academic described as "among the most significant British philosophers of the last century and a leading campaigner for racial tolerance and equality." H ...

* Edward Evan Evans-Pritchard *

Cécile Fabre Cécile Fabre (born 1971) is a French philosopher, serving as professor of philosophy at the University of Oxford. Since 2014 she has been a senior research fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. Her research focuses on political philosophy, the ...

Sheppard Frere Sheppard Sunderland Frere, CBE, FSA, FBA (23 August 1916 – 26 February 2015) was a British historian and archaeologist who studied the Roman Empire. He was a fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. Biography The son of Noel Gray Frere, of the ...

Diego Gambetta Diego Gambetta (; born 1952) is an Italian-born social scientist. He is a Carlo Alberto Chair at the Collegio Carlo Alberto in Turin. He is well known for his vivid and unconventional applications of economic theory and a rational choice theor ...

* John Gardner *

Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (; 3 February 183022 August 1903), known as Lord Salisbury, was a British statesman and Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom three times for ...

* Robert Gentilis *

Gabriel Gorodetsky Gabriel Gorodetsky (; born 13 May 1945) is an Israeli academic who is the Quondam Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, and emeritus professor of history at Tel Aviv University. Gorodetsky studied History and Russian Studies at the Hebrew Univer ...

* Birke Häcker * Ruth Harris * Andrew Harvey *

Reginald Heber Reginald Heber (21 April 1783 – 3 April 1826) was an English Anglicanism, Anglican bishop, a man of letters, and hymn-writer. After 16 years as a country parson, he served as Anglican Diocese of Calcutta, Bishop of Calcutta until his de ...

Hensley Henson Herbert Hensley Henson (8 November 1863 – 27 September 1947) was an English Anglican cleric, scholar and polemicist. He was Bishop of Hereford from 1918 to 1920 and Bishop of Durham from 1920 to 1939. Henson's father was a devout follo ...

Cecilia Heyes Cecilia Heyes (born 6 March 1960) is a British psychologist who studies the evolution of the human mind. She is a Senior Research Fellow in Theoretical Life Sciences at All Souls College, and a Professor of Psychology at the University of Oxford ...

* Rosemary Hill *

Christopher Hood Christopher Cropper Hood (1947 – 3 January 2025) was a visiting professor of the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford, and an Emeritus Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford. Hood was Gladstone Professor of Government at ...

* John Hood (university administrator) * Roger Hood *

Michael Howard Michael Howard, Baron Howard of Lympne (born Michael Hecht; 7 July 1941) is a British politician who was Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom), Leader of the Opposi ...

* E. F. Jacob *

* Colin Kidd *

Leszek Kołakowski Leszek Kołakowski (; ; 23 October 1927 – 17 July 2009) was a Polish philosopher and historian of ideas. He is best known for his critical analysis of Marxism, Marxist thought, as in his three-volume history of Marxist philosophy ''Main Current ...

* Edward Chandos Leigh *

Thomas Linacre Thomas Linacre or Lynaker ( ; 20 October 1524) was an English humanist scholar, Catholic priest, and physician, after whom Linacre College, Oxford, and Linacre House, a boys' boarding house at The King's School, Canterbury, were named. Linacre ...

Vaughan Lowe Alan Vaughan Lowe (born 1952) is a barrister and academic specialising in the field of international law. Chichele Professor of Public International Law in the University of Oxford, and a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, 1999–2012; Emeri ...

* Stephen Lushington *

Robert Gwyn Macfarlane Robert Gwyn Macfarlane (26 June 1907 – 26 March 1987) was an English hematologist. Life Born in Worthing, Sussex, Gwyn Macfarlane left Cheltenham College in 1924 and a year later entered the Medical School of St Bartholomew's Hospital, Lond ...

* James Rochfort Maguire * Noel Malcolm * John Mason * Angela McLean * Catherine Morgan * Edward Mortimer *

Max Müller Friedrich Max Müller (; 6 December 1823 – 28 October 1900) was a German-born British comparative philologist and oriental studies, Orientalist. He was one of the founders of the Western academic disciplines of Indology and religious s ...

Patrick Neill, Baron Neill of Bladen Francis Patrick Neill, Baron Neill of Bladen, (8 August 1926 – 28 May 2016) was a British barrister and a crossbench member of the House of Lords. Early life and education A son of Sir Thomas Neill, Patrick Neill was born in Hampstead i ...

Brownlow North Brownlow North (17 July 1741 – 12 July 1820) was a bishop of the Church of England. Early life, family and education Brownlow North was born on 17 July 1741 in Chelsea, Middlesex, Great Britain, the only son of Francis North, 1st Earl of ...

* Avner Offer *

David Pannick David Philip Pannick, Baron Pannick, (born 7 March 1956) is a British barrister and a crossbencher in the House of Lords and Blackstone Chambers. He practises primarily in public law and human rights and has argued high profile cases before the ...

Anthony Quinton Anthony Meredith Quinton, Baron Quinton, FBA (25 March 192519 June 2010) was an English political and moral philosopher, metaphysician, and materialist philosopher of mind. He served as President of Trinity College, Oxford from 1978 to 1987; ...

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (; 5 September 188817 April 1975; natively Radhakrishna) was an Indian academician, philosopher and statesman who served as the President of India from 1962 to 1967. He previously served as the vice president of ...

Robert Recorde Robert Recorde () was a Welsh physician and mathematician. He invented the equals sign (=) and also introduced the pre-existing plus (+) and minus (−) signs to English speakers in 1557. Biography Born around 1510, Robert Recorde was the sec ...

* Catherine Redgwell *

John Redwood Sir John Alan Redwood (born 15 June 1951) is a British politician and academic who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wokingham in Berkshire from 1987 to 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, he was Secretary of State for Wales in the ...

* Peter Salway * Andrew Scott * Graeme Segal *

Amartya Sen Amartya Kumar Sen (; born 3 November 1933) is an Indian economist and philosopher. Sen has taught and worked in England and the United States since 1972. In 1998, Sen received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions ...

* Catriona Seth * Alpa Shah *

Patrick Shaw-Stewart Patrick Houston Shaw-Stewart (17 August 1888 – 30 December 1917) was a British scholar and poet of the Edwardian era who died on active service as a battalion commander in the Royal Naval Division during the First World War. He is best remembe ...

Gilbert Sheldon Gilbert Sheldon (19 June 1598 – 9 November 1677) was an English religious leader who served as the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1663 until his death. Early life Sheldon was born in Stanton, Staffordshire in the parish of Ellastone, on 19 J ...

* Boudewijn Sirks * Margareta Steinby * Alfred C. Stepan *

Joseph E. Stiglitz Joseph Eugene Stiglitz (; born February 9, 1943) is an American New Keynesian economist, a public policy analyst, political activist, and a professor at Columbia University. He is a recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (2 ...

* Charles Taylor * Adam Thirlwell *

Guenter Treitel Sir Guenter Heinz Treitel (26 October 1928 – 14 June 2019) was a German-born English academic and Vinerian Professor of English Law. Treitel was born in Berlin into a Jewish family, the son of a prominent lawyer, Theodor Treitel, and his ...

* Cecilia Trifogli *

John Vickers Sir John Stuart Vickers (born 7 July 1958) is a British economist and the Warden of All Souls College, Oxford. Education Vickers studied at Eastbourne Grammar School and Oriel College, Oxford. He graduated with a DPhil from the University of ...

* Kate Warner *

Marina Warner Dame Marina Sarah Warner (born 9 November 1946) is an English historian, mythographer, art critic, novelist and short story writer. She is known for her many non-fiction books relating to feminism and myth. She has written for many publication ...

Martin Litchfield West Martin Litchfield West, (23 September 1937 – 13 July 2015) was a British philologist and classical scholar. In recognition of his contribution to scholarship, he was appointed to the Order of Merit in 2014. West wrote on ancient Greek music ...

* Charles Algernon Whitmore *

Richard Wilberforce Richard Orme Wilberforce, Baron Wilberforce, (11 March 1907 – 15 February 2003) was a British judge. He was a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary from 1964 to 1982. Early life and career Born in Jalandhar, India, Richard Wilberforce was the son of ...

Bernard Williams Sir Bernard Arthur Owen Williams (21 September 1929 – 10 June 2003) was an English Ethics, moral philosopher. His publications include ''Problems of the Self'' (1973), ''Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy'' (1985), ''Shame and Necessit ...

* E. F. L. Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax *

Llewellyn Woodward Sir Ernest Llewellyn Woodward, FBA (1890–1971) was a British historian. He was educated at Merchant Taylors' School and Corpus Christi College, Oxford, and after the First World War became a lecturer in Modern History and fellow of All Souls C ...

Patrick Wormald Charles Patrick Wormald (9 July 1947 – 29 September 2004) was a British historian born in Neston, Cheshire, son of historian Brian Wormald. Biography His father converted to Roman Catholicism in 1955, in the year the son turned eight.'Bria ...

Edward Young Edward Young ( – 5 April 1765) was an English poet, best remembered for ''Night-Thoughts'', a series of philosophical writings in blank verse, reflecting his state of mind following several bereavements. It was one of the most popular poem ...

* R. C. Zaehner * Lucia Zedner

Wardens

In fiction

In the 2011 historical fantasy novel ''

A Discovery of Witches ''A Discovery of Witches'' is a 2011 historical-fantasy novel and the debut novel by American scholar Deborah Harkness. It follows Diana Bishop, a history of science professor at Yale University, as she embraces her magical blood after finding ...

'' by

Deborah Harkness Deborah Harkness (born 1965) is an American scholar and novelist, best known as a historian and as the author of the All Souls Trilogy, which consists of ''The New York Times'' best-selling novel '' A Discovery of Witches'' and its sequels '' ...

, main character and

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...

Matthew Clairmont is a Fellow of All Souls College, having passed the examination in 1989 after writing an essay on the topic of "desire".

Gallery

File:All Souls College Radcliffe Square gate.jpg, The gates on

File:1 all souls college oxford 2012.jpg, A view of All Souls from the

gate, showing

's 'gothicised classical' elevation. File:The south east corner of Radcliffe Square from above.jpg, The south eastern corner of All Souls College, abutting Radcliffe Square File:High Street Oxford looking east in landscape view.jpg, All Souls Quad abutting

File:All souls from new college lane.jpg, All Souls College as viewed from

New College Lane New College Lane is a historic street in central Oxford, England, named after New College, one of the older Oxford colleges, adjacent to the north. In 2010, New College Lane was named Britain's fourth most picturesque street, as part of G ...

File:The spires of All Souls College - geograph.org.uk - 1420243.jpg, The spires of All Souls File:All souls.jpg, All Souls College at twilight File:Panorama St Mary the Virgin tower.jpg, View from St Mary the Virgin's tower (with All Souls on the right) File:All-Souls-Oxford.jpg, All Souls College Chapel - the stone altar reredos seen through the later classical screen File:All-Souls3-Oxford.jpg, All Souls College File:All-Souls2-Oxford.jpg, All Souls College File:All-Souls-College-Oxford.jpg, All Souls College. Though gothic externally, this range designed by

is completely classical inside.

References

External links

*
Current Examination Fellows

Virtual Tour of All Souls College
* This has a detailed account of Chichele's actions in founding the college. {{Authority control 1438 establishments in England Colleges of the University of Oxford Educational institutions established in the 15th century Grade I listed buildings in Oxford Grade I listed educational buildings Nicholas Hawksmoor buildings Buildings and structures of the University of Oxford Charities based in England University of Oxford examinations Postgraduate colleges in British universities