OXFORD UNIVERSITY. The stories connecting Oxford University with Brute the Trojan, with king Mempeic (1009 B.c.) and with the Druids, cannot be traced back beyond the i4th century. The town, in fact, is considerably older than the uni versity. (See OxFoRa) Authentic history appears to begin in 1133 with the arrival from Paris of the theologian, Robert Pullen, who lectured here. There is, however, little evidence that Oxford was regarded as a fully equipped university before 1163—allusions to its being a stadium generale (see UNIVERSITIES) only occur after that date and these by some authorities are held to be in conclusive. Subsequent progress must, however, have been rapid as, about zoo years later, the deputies of Oxford, in an appeal to the king, described the university as Schola secunda ecclesiae or second to Paris. The coming of the religious communities, the Dominicans, Franciscans and Carmelites in the 13th century, and the Benedictines a little later on, profoundly affected the ad vancement of learning. The names of Roger Bacon, Duns Scotus and Wycliffe, are sufficient to indicate the prominence of Oxford in the middle ages. The earliest colleges to be founded were University college (1249, the mythical foundation by Alfred in 872 is no longer accepted), Balliol (about 1263), Merton (1264). The last named was established with a view to provide a collegiate discipline for the secular clergy, and its statutes served as a model for subsequent creations, not only at Oxford but at Cambridge. For the others see the list on pp. 996 and 997.
From the 13th century onward a succession of charters from the Crown strengthened the position of the university at the expense of the town. At the Renaissance the new learning found its leading exponents in Erasmus, who lectured here, and in such famous scholars as Grocyn, Dean Colet and Sir Thomas More. The old scholasticism received its death-blow from the royal in junctions of 1535. Oxford, as well as Cambridge, suffered from numerous confiscations of land and revenues during the Reforma tion period. In 1571 the act of Elizabeth incorporated and re organized the two universities. The statutes of the university were codified in 1636 by the chancellor, Archbishop Laud. With certain modifications, they formed the official code of the university till 1858. During the civil war the university sided with the king, while the town sympathized with the parliament, but no open breach between the two occurred. Under Cromwell, who acted
as chancellor from 1651-57, a strong effort was made to restore the standards in work and discipline which had suffered from the civil wars. During the reign of James II., the university acquired great popularity by its successful resistance to James's effort to throw open the university to Catholics, even to the extent of im posing his own Catholic nominee on the fellows of Magdalen. The university, however, soon returned to its Jacobite allegiance, and at the coming of the Georges was definitely anti-Hanoverian, a phase, however, that came to an end after the visit of George III. in 1785. In the latter half of the 18th century the influence of the Wesleys on Oxford was far less than on the country at large; on the other hand the Tractarian movement (see NEWMAN). at the beginning of the 19th century had a most profound effect on the Church of England, which is still potent to-day. There was a general rise in the level of studies towards the end of the i8th century, as written examinations gradually supplemented the old oral examinations, often merely formal, and henceforth the range of studies themselves extended. By the reform of 1858 the professoriate was increased, reorganized and re-endowed, and dissenters were admitted to entrance to the B.A.—the M.A. being thrown open in 1871.
The reforms of 1877 directed a certain proportion of the col lege revenues to the use of the university—especially for the en couragement of natural science, and improved the position of professors and lecturers, thus leading to the growth of a regular resident professoriate. Schools and degrees alike multiplied (see UNIVERSITIES) and the history of the university was one of gen eral progress and expansion. None the less there was a wide spread feeling that a certain amount of reform was advisable if the university was to keep step with the times. In 1909 Lord Curzon, the then chancellor of the university, issued his Principles and Methods of University Reform. Committees of council were formed to prepare definite schemes. Several reforms were pro posed, notably the abolition of compulsory Greek, the reform of the Hebdomadal Council (q.v.), a remodelling of the boards of faculties, and a revision of the financial relation between the university and the colleges. Most of these have since (see below) been realized in one way or another.