Henry Symeonis

Henry Symeonis (fl. 1225–1264) was a wealthy Englishman from Oxford, who became the target of a "very strange" 550-year-long grudge at the University of Oxford. Until 1827, Oxford graduates had to swear an oath never to be reconciled with Henry Symeonis—despite Oxford apparently having forgotten by the 17th century who he was or what he did. His identity was only rediscovered in 1912.

Biography

Henry was the son of Henry, son of Symeon, from whom the patronymic surname is derived. Symeon was a witness to royal charters and possibly one of the reeves of Oxford during the reign of King John. Symeon's son, Henry, was one of the richest men in early 13th-century Oxford. Henry, son of Henry and grandson of Symeon, first appears in 1225. He too was rich and owned multiple properties in the city.

Henry Symeonis was among the men who, on 22 May 1242, were fined £80 and ordered to leave Oxford by King Henry III for murdering an Oxford scholar. They were allowed to stay in Northampton or further north, but were not to approach Oxford until the King returned from Aquitaine. The King returned to England later that year and Henry Symeonis was apparently in Oxford in early 1243. He sold an island to the King, who in 1245 granted it to the Order of Friars Minor.

In 1264, many Oxford scholars left Oxford, and King Henry also temporarily suspended the operation of the university on 12 March 1264. On 25 March 1264, King Henry issued letters patent declaring that Henry Symeonis had been forgiven and ordering the university to let him live in Oxford in peace so long as he should show good behaviour. Oxford archivists give differing interpretations of this episode. Reginald Lane Poole argued in the early 20th century that the exodus of the scholars from Oxford was in protest over the return of Henry Symeonis. But archive and records manager Alice Millea noted in 2023 that Henry Symeonis had returned years earlier. According to Millea, King Henry suspended the university because Oxford had become the centre of military operations during the Second Barons' War. Millea concludes that Henry Symeonis bought the King's pardon, but later that year the King was imprisoned as part of his ongoing conflict with the barons, and the Oxford scholars ignored his order to be reconciled.

Oath

The hostility towards Henry Symeonis entered the statutes of the University of Oxford. Until 1827, all Bachelors of Arts (BAs) who sought to become Masters of Arts had to swear an oath never to be reconciled with Henry Symeonis. The statutes did not explain who Henry Symeonis was or what he had done. The archivist Brian Twyne wrote in his 1608 book ''Antiquitatis Academiae Oxon Apologia'' that Henry Symeonis was a Regent in Arts who falsely claimed to be a BA in order to enroll in a foreign monastery. Twyne cited no source, however.

In the 17th century, antiquary Anthony Wood reported that the removal of the oath referring to Henry Symeonis was proposed and rejected, for reasons he does not mention, during the University of Oxford's review of the statutes in 1651–52. Alice Millea of Oxford's Bodleian Library wrote in 2023 that she presumes that by that time the true origin and meaning of the oath had already been forgotten, replaced with legends and myths. The oath was finally abolished in February 1827, possibly . The English bishop Christopher Wordsworth, who described the oath as "quaintly personal", wrote in 1874: "It is thought that the culprit had, to gain some end, dissembled his degree in king John's reign."

Millea cites the university's -year-long grudge against Henry Symeonis as . It has also been cited as an example of why ancient rules should be critically reviewed, and not simply continued because they exist, and nobody remembers why.Underhill, Kevin,
'I Hereby Swear to Hate Henry Symeonis, Whoever That Is.'
''Lowering the Bar'', January 5, 2024; accessed 2025.02.16. The identity of Henry Symeonis was only rediscovered in 1912 by Oxford's keeper of the archives, Reginald Lane Poole.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Symeonis, Henry

13th-century murderers
People from Oxford
People associated with the University of Oxford
History of the University of Oxford
Murder in Oxfordshire
English murderers
Oaths