OXFORD UNIVERSITY is said to have been founded by king Alfred. Without claiming for it an origin quite so ancient, it is certain that from very early times students resorted to Oxford in order to attend lectures there delivered by learned men, and that they lived in the houses of the townspeople. In sonic cases they combined together, so as to secure the service of a common teacher, with whom they lived in a large tenement called an inn, hostel, or hall. For a long time, however, the great majority of the students lodged in rooms hired from the citizens; and as late as the year 1512, regulations were made for the governance of such students. As their numbers increased, the halls were multiplied. Anthony Wood states that he could show the names and places of more than a hundred. A great diminution in the numbers of the students took place about the middle of the 15th century. This, among other causes, led to the gradual disappearance of the halls, which were bought up by the wealthier Only five of the halls now exist, which differ from the colleges only in that they are unincorporated, and have little or no endowments. Residence in private lodg ings had also fallen into disuse; and by the time of queen Elizabeth it had become a compulsory rule that all undergraduates should reside in some college or hall, at least for the first twelve terms of residence. Now, however, undergradatnes may in most colleges live in lodgings from the beginning of their course.
The colleges were founded at various periods from the end of the 13th c. to the beginning of the 18th. Fourteen out of the 20 w, re founded before the reformation. Their object originally was to support limited societies of students, who were to devote their lives to study—by no means, as at present, to educate large classes of the commu nity. Students, other than those on the foundation, seem not to have been regarded by the founders as an essential part of the college. The colleges arose, as has been already said, partly instead of the old halls, and were partly at first connected with the monas teries, it being by means of these institutions that benevolent persons were enabled to give permanent support to poor secular scholars. University and Balliol, which now rank as the oldest colleges, were in point of fact halls supported by endowments held in trust for the maintenance of their students. The originator of the collegiate system, in anything like its present form, was Walter de Merton, who, besides having founded Merton college, is entitled to the honor of having mainly contributed to fix the uni versity in its present site. All those on the foundation of the colleges before the refor mation were called elerici. The great majority of the fellows were required to take priest's orders within a certain period after their election. This requirement of course involved celibacy, which, besides, was expressly imposed in some colleges: and practi cally, in old times as now, was enforced by the rule of life and the obligation of resi dence. Within the last few years in some of the colleges the restriaion of celibacy has
been, under certain conditions, remitted in the case of fellows engage'• •n college work.
Under a statute passed in 1868 any person may now become a member of the uni versity without becoming a member of a college or hall, provided he satisfies certain disciplinary requirements. For such purposes these unattached students are under the control of a board of delegates; but no special provision is made for their instruction. In 1871 the new foundation of Kettle college, built in memory of John KO*, was admitted to enjoy the same privileges (save as regards the academical status of its head) as are possessed by the existing colleges and halls.
Previous to the statute 17 and 18 Viet. c. 81 the constitution of the university was as follows: 1. The hebdomadal board, or weekly meeting, consisting of the heads of houses and the two proctors, which body exercised the chief share of the administration of the university, and possessed the exclusive power of initiating legislation; 2. Congregation, consisting of certain university dignitaries, which met merely for the purpose of con ferring degrees; 3. Convocation, consisting of all masters of arts, a body whose consent was necessary before any of the measures proposed by the hebdomadal board could become which elected the chancellor, the two representatives of the university in parliament, several of the professors, and dispensed the ecclesiastical patronage of the university. The statute referred to introduced important changes. The hebdomadal board has been changed into the hebdomadal council, consisting of the chancellor, the vice-chancellor, the proctors, six heads of houses, six professors, and six members of convocation of not less than five years' standing—such heads, professors, and members of convocation being elected by congregation. and holding office for six years. Congre gation, again, now consists of all the great officers of the university, the professors, the public examiners, and all resident masters; and on this body is now bestowed the power of accepting or rejecting, and of amending any statute framed by the hebdomadal council. The composition and powers of convocation remain unchanged. The students not on the foundation are for the most part commoners. In Worcester college and the halls there is still it class of fellow-commoners, who pay large fees, and enjoy certain privileges. They mainly consist of men above the ordinary age of undergraduates, who wish to have the intellectual advantages of the university without being subjected to the common routine of discipline. All other formal distinctions due to wealth or poverty are almost entirely abolished, such as the special privileges of peers, and the regard had to the poverty of candidates in the case of certain scholarships. It is very difficult to ascertain the actual number of students at any one time in Oxford, but now it is probably seldom above 1600.