List of honorary fellows of Keble College, Oxford

Keble College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford. It was founded in memory of the Anglican clergyman John Keble, who died in 1866, and was intended to cater for men whose financial resources were insufficient to enable them to study at one of the older Oxford colleges. After a public appeal for donations in John Keble's memory, the college opened in 1870. The college's buildings – which were quite unlike any previous Oxford college, with their use of coloured bricks in patterns – were designed by William Butterfield; there have been later additions as the college has grown.[1]

A large brick building with arched windows; some of the bricks are of different colours and form patterns
The chapel of Keble College, Oxford

The Governing Body of the college has the ability to elect "distinguished persons" to Honorary Fellowships.[2] Under the current statutes of the college, Honorary Fellows cannot vote at meetings of the Governing Body and do not receive financial reward, but they receive "such other privileges as the Governing Body may determine."[2] They can be called upon to help decide whether to dismiss or discipline members of academic staff (including the Warden of the college).[3]

The first four Honorary Fellows were elected in 1931. Two of them (Edward Talbot and Walter Lock) were former Wardens of the college; the other two, Sir Wilmot Herringham (a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of London) and Sir Reginald Craddock (a former Lieutenant-Governor of Burma), had studied at Keble College before achieving prominence in public life.[4] Honorary Fellows have included former students (Old Members), Fellows, and Wardens, as well as some with no previous academic connection to the college. In this latter group there are benefactors (for example Sir Anthony O'Reilly, elected 2002), and individuals of distinction such as former U.S. President Ronald Reagan (elected 1994) and the poet Sir John Betjeman (elected 1972). Betjeman, who studied at Magdalen College, Oxford, was involved in Keble's centenary appeal in 1970: The Times said in its obituary of him that the Honorary Fellowship was particularly appropriate because of the college's "architectural and Anglican connotations", Betjeman having strong interests in both areas.[5] As of July 2011, the longest-serving Honorary Fellows are Raoul Franklin and Dennis Nineham, both of whom were elected in 1980.[6] The three longest-serving Honorary Fellows are Sir John Forsdyke (Principal Librarian of the British Museum; appointed 1937, died 1979), Sir Thomas Armstrong (conductor; appointed 1955, died 1994) and Harry Carpenter (Warden, later Bishop of Oxford; appointed 1960, died 1993).

Honorary Fellows

The abbreviations used in the "Link" column denote the person's connection with the college before election as an Honorary Fellow:

  • C – A member of the college council: the Warden and Council governed the college between 6 June 1870 (the date of incorporation) and 9 April 1952 (the date when the college's statutes were amended to make the college self-governing with control passing to the Warden and Fellows).[7]
  • F – A former Fellow of the college
  • OM – An Old Member of the college
  • W – A former Warden of the college

A dash denotes that the person had no previous academic link with the college.

Lord Adonis, appointed an Honorary Fellow in 2008
Ed Balls, appointed an Honorary Fellow in 2008
Sir John Betjeman, appointed an Honorary Fellow in 1972
Ronald Reagan, appointed an Honorary Fellow in 1994
Imran Khan, the cricketer and politician, became an Honorary Fellow in 1988.
The memorial to Edward Talbot, Warden of Keble from 1870 to 1888, and an Honorary Fellow from 1931
NameYearLinkNotesRef(s)
Eric Abbott1960WWarden (1956–60); Dean of Westminster Abbey (1959–74)[4][8]
Andrew Adonis, Baron Adonis2008OMSecretary of State for Transport (2009–10)[9]
Sir Thomas Armstrong1955OMOrganist of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford (1933–55); Principal of the Royal Academy of Music (1955–68)[4]
Sir Christopher Ball1989WWarden (1980–88)[10]
Ed Balls2008OMSecretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (2007–10)[9]
Spencer Barrett1981FFellow and Tutor in Classics (1952–81)[11]
Timothy Besley2013OMEconomist, School Professor of Economics and Political Science LSE[12]
Sir John Betjeman1972Poet Laureate (1972–84); one of the "Friends" of the college's Centenary Appeal[13]
Sir Walter Bodmer1982Human geneticist; Principal of Hertford College, Oxford (1996–2005)[14]
Edwin Cameron2003OMSouth African Rhodes Scholar; Judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa (2000–08) and of the Constitutional Court of South Africa from 2009[15][16]
Harry Carpenter1960WWarden (1939–55); Bishop of Oxford (1955–70)[4][17]
Hugh Cecil, 1st Baron Quickswood1952CFellow of Hertford College, Oxford (1892–1936); MP for Oxford University (1910–37); council member (1898–1952)[4][7]
Lodwrick Cook1993American businessman and philanthropist; chief executive of ARCO, a college benefactor[18]
Sir Reginald Craddock1931OMLieutenant-Governor of Burma (1917–22); MP for Combined English Universities (1931–37)[4]
Sir Barrington Cunliffe2008FProfessor of European Archaeology at Oxford, and Fellow (1972–2007)[9][19]
Adrian Darby1998FFellow and Tutor in Economics (1963–1985); a former Chairman of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, among other conservation roles[20][21]
Cecil Davidge1968FFellow and Tutor in Jurisprudence (1933–68), also Bursar (1945–68) and Sub-Warden (1965–68)[4]
Andre de Breyne1973College benefactor; his ashes are buried in the college quadrangle named after him.[22][23]
Victoria de Breyne2002College benefactor, widow of Andre de Breyne; graduate scholarships are named after her.[24][25][26]
Walter de la Mare1944Poet and novelist[4]
Arthur Dickens1971FFellow and Tutor in History (1933–49); Professor of History at the University of London (1967–77)[27]
Christopher Dobson2009OMJohn Humphrey Plummer Professor of Chemical and Structural Biology at the University of Cambridge (2001 onwards); Master of St John's College, Cambridge (2007 onwards)[28][29]
David Douglas1960OMProfessor of Medieval History at the University of Leeds (1939–45); Professor of History at the University of Bristol (1945–63)[4]
Sir David Eastwood2006FJunior Research Fellow in History (1983–86); former Chief Executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England; appointed Vice-Chancellor of the University of Birmingham in 2009[30][31]
Sir Donald Farquharson1989OMHigh Court judge (1981–89); Court of Appeal judge (1989–95)[32]
Sir John Forsdyke1937OMDirector and Principal Librarian of the British Museum (1936–50)[4]
Raoul Franklin1980FFellow and Tutor in Engineering (1963–78); Vice-Chancellor (1978–98) and Professor of Plasma Physics and Technology (1986–98) at City University London[33]
Cyril Garbett1942OMBishop of Southwark (1919–32) and of Winchester (1932–42); Archbishop of York (1942–55)[4]
Robin Geffen2010OMFund manager and founder of Neptune Investment Management who has donated more than £1,500,000 to Keble[34][35]
Charles Green1935OMBishop of Bangor (1928–44); Archbishop of Wales (1934–44)[4]
James Griffin1996FFellow and Tutor in Philosophy (1966–96); White's Professor of Moral Philosophy at Oxford (1996–2000)[36]
Sir Roy Griffiths1987OMBusinessman and government advisor on the National Health Service[37]
Jeremy Hardie1998FFellow and Tutor in Economics (1968–75)[38]
Christopher Hawkes1972FProfessor of European Archaeology at Oxford and Fellow (1946–72)[39]
John Hayes1984OMDirector of the National Portrait Gallery, London (1974–94)[40]
Sir Charles Hayward1973Entrepreneur and philanthropist[41]
Laurence Helsby, Baron Helsby1959OMFirst Civil Service Commissioner (1954–59); joint Permanent Secretary to the Treasury and Head of the Home Civil Service (1963–68)[42]
Sir Wilmot Herringham1931OMVice-Chancellor of the University of London (1912–15); Consulting Physician to the Forces in France (1914–19)[4][43]
Nugent Hicks1934FDean of Keble (1901–09); Bishop of Gibraltar (1927–33); Bishop of Lincoln (1933–42)[4]
Sir Geoffrey Hill1981OMPoet; Professor of Literature and Religion at Boston University (1988–2006)[44]
Imran Khan1988OMPlayed international cricket for Pakistan (1971–92); founder of the political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf[45]
Beresford Kidd1940WWarden (1920–39)[4]
Henry Ley1941OMOrganist and Choirmaster at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford (1909–26); a former organ scholar of the college[4]
Robert Lloyd1990OMOpera singer and broadcaster[46]
Walter Lock1931WWarden (1897–1920)[4]
Sir Maurice Lyell1962OMHigh Court judge (1962–71)[4]
Bryan Magee1994OMWriter and broadcaster; MP for Leyton (1974–83)[47]
James Martin2005OMBenefactor of the college and the university, described as Oxford's "most generous benefactor in modern times"[48][49][50]
Michael Mingos1999FFellow and Tutor in Chemistry (1976–92); Principal of St Edmund Hall, Oxford (1999–2009); Professor of Chemistry at Oxford (2000 onwards)[51]
Sir Peter Morrison1989OMMP for City of Chester (1974–92); Minister of State in the Department of Employment (1983–85), Department of Trade and Industry (1985–86) and Department of Energy (1987–90)[52]
Robert Mortimer1951OMRegius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology at Oxford (1944–49); Bishop of Exeter (1949–73)[53]
Dennis Nineham1980WRegius Professor of Divinity at Cambridge University and Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge (1964–69); Warden of Keble (1969–79); Professor of Theology at the University of Bristol (1980–86)[54]
Howard Nixon1980OMBibliographer; Librarian of Westminster Abbey (1974–83)[55][56]
David Owen Norris2006OMPianist, composer and broadcaster[30][57]
Sir Peter North1984F/OMFellow and Tutor in Law (1965–76); Law Commissioner (1976–84, retaining his Fellowship); Principal of Jesus College, Oxford (1984–2005); Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University (1993–97)[58]
Sir Anthony O'Reilly2002Benefactor, after whom the O'Reilly Theatre is named[59][60]
Sir Peter Pears1978OMSinger and partner of Benjamin Britten; studied at Keble for one year without obtaining a degree[61][62]
Sir Ghillean Prance1994OMBotanist and ecologist; scientific director of the Eden Project[63]
David Lewis Prosser1949OMBishop of St David's (1927–50) and Archbishop of Wales (1944–49)[4]
Gordon Rawcliffe1976OMProfessor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Bristol (1944–75)[64]
Geoffrey Raynor1972OMMetallurgist; Professor at the University of Birmingham (1949–69)[65]
Ronald Reagan1994President of the United States (1981–89); visited the college in 1992 and was principal guest at a lunch[63][66][67]
George Richardson1994WEconomist; Warden (1989–94)[68]
Sir Ivor Roberts2001OMDiplomat, serving as British ambassador to Yugoslavia, Ireland and Italy; President of Trinity College, Oxford since 2006[69]
George Robinson2002OMHedge fund manager and college benefactor, after whom the Sloane Robinson building is named[59]
Sir Frank Stenton1947OMProfessor of Modern History at Reading University (1912–46), Vice-Chancellor of Reading (1946–50)[4]
Robert Stevens1983OMLawyer and academic; Chancellor of the University of California, Santa Cruz (1987–91) and Master of Pembroke College, Oxford (1993–2001)[70]
Donald Stokes, Lord Stokes of Leyland1986British industrialist, who was chairman and managing director of British Leyland Motor Corporation (1968–75)[71][72]
Edward Talbot1931WFirst Warden (1870–88); thereafter Bishop of Rochester (1895–1905), of Southwark (1905–11) and of Winchester (1911–23)[4][73]
John Terraine1986OMMilitary historian, with a particular interest in Douglas Haig and the First World War[74]
Richard Thornton1986OMInternational investment manager and company director; supporter of the college chapel[75][76][77]
Chad Varah1981OMFounder of The Samaritans[78]
Alfred von Engel1982FPhysicist and Research Fellow at the college[79]
Desmond Watkins1994OMCollege benefactor; former director of Shell Oil[63][80][81]
J. R. H. Weaver1939OMProfessor of Modern History at Trinity College Dublin (1911–13); editor of the Dictionary of National Biography (1928–37); President of Trinity College, Oxford (1938–54)
Sir Andreas Whittam Smith1990OMCo-founder of The Independent; former president of the British Board of Film Classification[82]
Sir David Williams1992OMAcademic at the University of Cambridge – President of Wolfson College, Cambridge (1980–92), Rouse Ball Professor of English Law, (1983–92) and Vice-Chancellor (1989–96)[83]
David Wilson, Baron Wilson of Tillyorn1987OMGovernor of Hong Kong (1987–92); Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge (2002–08)[84]

See also

References

Notes

Bibliography