Oxford - some of the 'Old Boys'

 This is an excerpt from the tour Oxford’s Noble and Great Ones - Part 1  which explores around the southern part of Oxford.  The full tour is found on   www.obelisktours.co.uk

The alumni of Christ Church, Oxford create an impressive list of Who's Who.  Had these Christ Church students “felt the touch of greatness, and vowed to be great themselves”?   Some of my favourites from the long, long list include:

• ·         Richard Hakluyt (1553-1616) spent hours in Oxford libraries reading every possible document about voyages and discoveries.  He encouraged Queen Elizabeth I to “growe this realm of Englande” in North America which in turn caused her to support Walter Raleigh’s expedition.  When James I came to the throne Richard was instrumental in pushing for the colonisation of Virginia.
• ·         The Scotsman William Murray, 1^st Earl of Mansfield (1705-1793) was entered in the Christ Church records as coming from Bath instead of Perth because the scribe could not understand his Scottish accent.  Murray had a brilliant understanding of the law and became the political powerhouse of his day.  He stripped the British Law courts of their medieval and out-dated traditions and made them fairer and more suitable for our growing manufacturing nation.  In 1772 he set England on the path to abolishing slavery, by confirming it was illegal in England and Wales – thus freeing over 14,000 slaves in England.   It would not be completely abolished in the British Empire until 1834 after the work of men like William Wilberforce. 
• ·         Richard Busby (1606-1695) gained an infamous reputation as the headmaster with the cane.  Among his young pupils to feel his wrath were John Locke, John Dryden, Christopher Wren, Robert Hooke and 16 Bishops.   A more academic legacy were the Greek and Latin grammar studies he created for his scholars which remained in use for centuries. 
• ·         James Bruce, 8^th Earl of Elgin (1811-1863) was Governor of Jamaica (1842-46), Governor of Canada (1847-54) and Viceroy of India (1862-63).   He has numerous towns, mines, and streets named after him in those locations.  His father, the 7^th Earl, was the one who saved the famous Elgin Marbles on display in the British Museum.
• ·         Under the administration of James Broun-Ramsay, 1^st Marquess of Dalhousie (1812-1860) the British colony of India went from a money making venture into a dangerous liability.  The Indian Rebellion of 1857 can be traced to his requiring Indian Sepoys to travel aboard, ignoring their caste system and violating Hindu and Muslim laws. 
• ·         The political philosopher John Locke (1632-1704) influenced a number of American Founding Fathers including Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and Thomas Jefferson. 
• ·         Robert Hooke (1635-1703) was an incredibly versatile individual.  He was an architect, inventor, philosopher, professor, mathematician, surveyor, map-maker, linguist, astronomer and scientist.   Not surprisingly he has been called “England’s Leonardo.”  It was here in Oxford that his passion for science flourished while he worked alongside Robert Boyle and Christopher Wren. He coined the word ‘cell’ for organisms, invented the watch balance spring, and was a key figure in rebuilding the City of London after the Great Fire of 1666.
• ·         John Wesley (1703-1791) arrived in 1720, graduated in 1724 and was ordained a deacon in 1725. A plaque on the Cathedral floor commemorates the ordination of both John and his brother Charles.   We will see more about John when we get to Lincoln College.
• ·         Charles Wesley (1707-1788) followed his brother’s footsteps into Christ Church, set the seeds for the Methodist movement and continued a life dedicated to the Christian faith.   He was a prolific hymn writer creating thousands of hymns including Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Rejoice the Lord is King and Christ the Lord is Risen Today. 
• ·         William Penn (1644-1718) was educated here as a gentleman scholar complete with his own servant.   King Charles II was indebted to Penn’s father and settled the account by giving a large piece of America to Penn to help Quakers leave England.  William went to America and founded Pennsylvania and Philadelphia. 
• ·         Dorothy Sayers (1893-1957) was born at Christ Church!  Her father, Reverend Henry Sayers was the chaplain and headmaster of the Choir School.  Dorothy returned as a young woman to be educated at Somerville College, and was one of the first women to receive a degree from Oxford.    Dorothy was an avid writer, but is best remembered for her murder mysteries featuring the amateur sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey.
• ·         Wystan Hugh Auden (1907-1973), more commonly known as W.H.,  arrived to study biology, but soon switched to English Literature.  A wise move for that is where his future was heading.   With his monocle and cane he wandered Oxford’s streets lapping up the student life, enjoying good food, music, sports and conversation.  He published hundreds of poems, essays and reviews.  Although he eventually settled in America he returned for three weeks each year between 1956-1961 to lecture as Professor of Poetry at Oxford University.
• ·         Richard Curtis (1956-  ) studied English Language and Literature, and his love of words has entertained us ever since.   Richard met Rowan Atkinson in Oxford drama clubs and they created Blackadder and Mr. Bean.  His pen went on to write or adapt numerous films and TV series including  the Vicar of Dibley,  Spitting Image, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Love Actually and War Horse.

More details about the people, places and events associated with these sites can be found on the tour Oxford’s Noble and Great Ones - Part 1 available on   www.obelisktours.co.uk