List of principals and fellows of Jesus College, Oxford
Jesus College, Oxford, one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford, is run by the principal and fellows of the college. The principal of the college must be "a person distinguished for literary or scientific attainments, or for services in the work of education in the University or elsewhere". The principal has "pre-eminence and authority over all members of the College and all persons connected therewith" and exercises "a general superintendence in all matters relating to education and discipline". The current principal, Sir Nigel Shadbolt, was appointed in 2015 and is the thirty-first holder of the office. This figure does not include Seth Ward, who was elected principal by the fellows in 1657 but never installed; Oliver Cromwell, Chancellor of the University at the time, appointed Francis Howell instead. Fourteen Principals have been former students of the college, the first being Griffith Powell, elected in 1613, and the most recent being Alfred Hazel, elected in 1925. The longest-serving Principal was Henry Foulkes, from 1817 to 1857.
When the college was founded in 1571 by Queen Elizabeth I, the first charter installed David Lewis as principal and named eight others as the first fellows. The statutes of 1622 allowed for 16 fellows. There is now no limit on the number of fellowships that the governing body can create. The college statutes provide for various categories of fellows. Professorial fellows are those professors and readers of the university who are allocated to the college by the university. One of these professorships is the Jesus Professor of Celtic, which is the only chair in Celtic studies at an English university. Holders of the position since its creation in 1877 include John Rhys, Ellis Evans and Thomas Charles-Edwards. The zoologists Charles Godfray and Paul Harvey are both professorial fellows. Official fellows are those who hold tutorial or administrative appointments in the college. Past official fellows include the composer and musicologist John Caldwell, the historians Sir Goronwy Edwards and Niall Ferguson, the philosopher Galen Strawson and the political philosopher John Gray. There are also senior and junior research fellows. Principals and fellows who retire can be elected as emeritus fellows. The college can also elect "distinguished persons" to honorary fellowships.
A further category is that of Welsh supernumerary fellows, who are, in rotation, the vice-chancellors of Cardiff University, Swansea University, Lampeter University, Aberystwyth University, Bangor University and the University of Wales College of Medicine. There is one Welsh supernumerary fellow at a time, holding the position for not longer than three years. The first of these was John Viriamu Jones in 1897.
The college formerly had a category of missionary fellows, known as Leoline fellows after their founder, Principal Leoline Jenkins. In his will in 1685, he stated that "It is but too obvious that the persons in Holy Orders employed in his Majesty's fleet at sea and foreign plantations are too few." To address this, he established two fellowships, whose holders should serve as clergy "in any of his Majesty's fleets or in his Majesty's plantations" under the direction of the Lord High Admiral and the Bishop of London respectively. The last of these, Frederic de Winton, was appointed in 1876 and held his fellowship until his death in 1932. This category was abolished in 1877 by the Oxford and Cambridge Universities Commission, without prejudice to the rights of existing holders such as de Winton. Another category of fellowship that was abolished in the 19th century was that of the King Charles I fellows, founded by Charles I in 1636 and tenable by natives of the Channel Islands in an attempt by him to "reclaim the Channel Islands from the extreme Calvinism which characterised them." The first such Fellow was Daniel Brevint.
Whilst the founding charter did not require the fellows or the students to be Welsh, the college has long had strong associations with Wales. Between 1571 and 1915, only one principal was not from Wales or of Welsh descent. Many of the fellows in the past were also Welsh, since when new fellowships were created by benefactions there was frequently a stipulation that the recipients would be related to the donor or come from a place in Wales specified by the donor. These specific limitations were removed as part of reforms of Oxford University during the 19th century.
List of principals
Key:- OM – An Old Member of the college who became a fellow, included in the list of alumni
- HF – An honorary fellow of the college, included in the list of honorary fellows
| Name | Fellow | Principal | Notes | Ref |
| — | 1571–72 | First Principal; Fellow of All Souls, former principal of New Inn Hall, Oxford, a judge of the High Court of Admiralty from 1558 | ||
| — | 1572–86 | Second Principal, and one of the first benefactors to leave land to the college in his will | ||
| — | 1586–1602 | Chancellor to Herbert Westfaling, and spent much of his time as principal in Hereford, leaving Griffith Powell to run the college | ||
| 1590–1602 | 1602–13 | Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity and Dean of Bangor | ||
| 1589–1613 | 1613–20 | First Jesus College student to become principal; as principal, he oversaw the building of the hall, buttery and kitchen, but died a year before the chapel was completed. | ||
| — | 1620–21 1630–48 1660–61 | Altered and enlarged the college buildings during his second term of office | ||
| — | 1621–30 | Lawyer and MP for Denbighshire, called the "second founder" of Jesus College for his expenditure on the chapel and hall and for obtaining a new charter and statutes from King James I | ||
| 1625–37 | 1648–57 | Principal during the English Commonwealth | ||
| — | 1657 | Elected Principal by the Fellows, but never held the position as Oliver Cromwell installed Francis Howell instead; he later became Bishop of Exeter and Bishop of Salisbury | ||
| — | 1657–60 | Principal during the English Commonwealth, and the only non-Welsh Principal between 1571 and 1921 | ||
| 1660–61 | 1661–73 | Lawyer, diplomat and Secretary of State | ||
| 1661–73 | 1673–86 | Resigned as principal when appointed Bishop of St David's in October 1686, but died in early 1687 | ||
| 1662–86 | 1686–1712 | Theologian and Treasurer of Llandaff Cathedral; first principal to serve as Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University | ||
| 1687–1712 | 1712–20 | Bishop of St Asaph and Bishop of Bath and Wells | ||
| 1699–1707 | 1720–25 | Left his Fellowship when appointed Rector of Longworth, Oxfordshire | ||
| 1702–25 | 1725–27 | Succeeded William Jones as both Rector of Longworth and principal, but died just two years after his promotion | ||
| 1711–27 | 1727–63 | As Principal, completed the north-west corner of the inner quadrangle and carried out alterations to the hall and front of college | ||
| 1725–63 | 1763–68 | Bodley's Librarian | ||
| 1734–62 | 1768–1802 | First married principal, who donated £200 whilst principal for restoration of the Old Quadrangle | ||
| 1774–1802 | 1802–17 | Donated money to increase the value of scholarships from South Wales and England, to reduce disparity with North Wales scholarships | ||
| 1796–1817 | 1817–57 | Longest-serving Principal in the history of the college | ||
| 1829–45 | 1857–77 | Former headmaster of Ruthin School and incumbent of Holyhead parish church | ||
| 1845–52 | 1877–95 | Former headmaster of Cowbridge Grammar School and Sherborne School | ||
| 1881–95 | 1895–1915 | First Jesus Professor of Celtic, honorary fellow and Bursar | ||
| 1875–78 1896–1921 | 1921–25 | Classics tutor who wrote a history of the college and succeeded Rhys as principal after a vacancy of six years – the first non-Welsh Principal since Francis Howell | ||
| 1898–1925 | 1925–44 | Former Liberal MP, Fellow in Law and All Souls Reader in English Law | ||
| — | 1946–49 | Director-General of the BBC before becoming principal | ||
| — | 1949–67 | Former headmaster of Repton and Westminster Schools | ||
| — | 1967–84 | Served as Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University whilst principal | ||
| — | 1984–2005 | Served as Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University whilst principal | ||
| — | 2005–15 | Zoologist, chairman of the Food Standards Agency, appointed to the House of Lords as a cross-bencher in 2007 | ||
| — | 2015– | Professor of computer science at University of Oxford; chairman and co-founder of the Open Data Institute |
Other notable fellows
Key:- OM – An Old Member of the college who became a Fellow, included in the list of alumni
- HF – An Honorary Fellow of the college, included in the list of Honorary Fellows
| Name | Fellow | Notes | Ref |
| 1977 | British applied mathematician and former president of the Mathematical Association | ||
| 1941 | Australian priest and schoolteacher, who was a Welsh Supernumerary Fellow in his capacity as principal of St David's College, Lampeter | ||
| 1997–2000 | Junior Research Fellow in English, who won the Somerset Maugham Award from the Society of Authors in 1999 for Once in a House on Fire, her autobiography about her traumatic childhood | ||
| 1571–95 | Regius Professor of Civil Law, one of the eight original Fellows of the college | ||
| 1939–71 | College Lecturer in Geography and Bursar ; Lord Mayor of Oxford | ||
| 1754–76 | University Proctor and Public Orator | ||
| 1996–2006 | Retired Air Vice-Marshal who held the college position of Home Bursar | ||
| 1975–78 | College chaplain for three years, later becoming Bishop of Coventry | ||
| 2011–present | Historian of the 20th century, appointed as a senior research fellow | ||
| 1623–38 | Named as one of the founding scholars in the college's third charter before becoming a Fellow | ||
| 1637–48 1660–62 | The first holder of the Fellowship for Channel Islanders created by Charles I | ||
| 1834–59 | Vice-Principal, vicar of Holyhead | ||
| 1993– | Helen Morag Fellow and former head of Oxford University’s Department of Chemistry | ||
| 1963–85 | Engineer who later became Vice-Chancellor of the University of Warwick | ||
| 1999–2005 | Musicologist and composer, who became an emeritus fellow on his retirement | ||
| 1987–95 | Senior Research Fellow in Material Processing, Vice-Chancellor of the University of York since 2002 | ||
| 1933–48 | Hope Professor of Entomology, succeeding Sir Edward Bagnall Poulton | ||
| 1984–87 | Professor of Chemistry 1984–87; a former Fellow of Downing College, Cambridge; Royal Society Research Professor at Southampton University ; awarded the Faraday Lectureship Prize and Davy Medal | ||
| 1907–44 | Physical chemist who ran the college laboratories | ||
| 1997–2011 | Jesus Professor of Celtic | ||
| 1908–12 | University Reader in Botany, elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1921 | ||
| 2003–2021 | Fellow and Tutor in History; winner of the 2015 British Academy Medal; Professor of Modern History at Worcester College, Oxford from 2021 | ||
| 1882–90 | Clergyman, headmaster and writer on biblical topics | ||
| 1571–75 | Clergyman and former principal of White Hall and Laurence Hall, and one of the eight original Fellows of the college | ||
| 1973–98 | Geologist with a particular interest in flood basalts | ||
| 1979–90 | Historiographer of early Islamic history | ||
| 1927–47 | College chaplain and tutor in theology, Estates Bursar and senior tutor ; appointed an emeritus fellow in 1960 | ||
| 1991– | Fellow and Tutor in Geography, Vice-Principal and first Black person to hold a fellowship at Oxford | ||
| By 1640 – ? | Bishop of Llandaff, who was reputedly a Fellow of the college, although the college's records do not substantiate this | ||
| 2009–present | Allen & Overy Professor of Corporate Law since 2009; previously a Fellow of Balliol College then a professor at the London School of Economics | ||
| 1876–32 | The last Leoline Fellow; Archdeacon of Colombo | ||
| 1919–31 | Classicist whose substantial bequest to the college is used to support non-academic travel by undergraduates | ||
| 1747–83 | Welsh cleric and friend of Samuel Johnson, vice-principal | ||
| 1919–48 | Welsh historian who served as senior tutor and vice-principal; left to become director of the Institute of Historical Research and professor of history at the University of London | ||
| 1636–48 | Later Archdeacon of Derry | ||
| 1874–77 | Later one of H.M. Inspectors of School in Wales for nearly 50 years | ||
| 1696–1713 | Welsh cleric and antiquarian | ||
| 1628–31 | Founder of Dolgellau Grammar School | ||
| 1649–73 | Fellow during and after the English Commonwealth, vice-principal under Francis Mansell | ||
| 1731–61 | Became Senior Fellow | ||
| 1897–1900 | Welsh lexicographer, professor of Welsh at University College of Wales, Aberystwyth and chancellor of Bangor Cathedral | ||
| 1817–46 | Welsh poet | ||
| 1978–96 | Jesus Professor of Celtic | ||
| 1998–99 | Civil engineer who was a Welsh Supernumerary Fellow in his capacity as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wales, Bangor | ||
| 1992–present | Laurence Tisch Professor of History at Harvard University since 2004, senior research fellow since 2002 | ||
| 1843–55 | Anglican priest who converted to Roman Catholicism and back to Anglicanism, becoming vicar of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin | ||
| 1947–78 | Jesus Professor of Celtic | ||
| 1921–45 | Jesus Professor of Celtic | ||
| 1919–39 | Chemistry tutor, who also acted as the college's Librarian and Bursar | ||
| 1840–72 | Served as Junior Bursar for a time, then as vice-principal ; tried to move the college towards Anglo-Catholicism and involved in the renovation of the chapel in 1864 | ||
| 2006–present | Hope Professor of Entomology since 2006 | ||
| 1933–53 | History Lecturer then Fellow; later professor of history at the University of Manchester | ||
| 2005–06 | Engineer who was a Welsh Supernumerary Fellow in his capacity as Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff University | ||
| 1976–97 | Political philosopher, who became School Professor of European Thought at the London School of Economics | ||
| 1905, 1909, 1913, 1917 | Physicist and principal of the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire, and a Welsh Supernumerary Fellow | ||
| 1863–16 | Mathematician with a particular interest in analytical geometry | ||
| 1949–64 | Historian of the Renaissance | ||
| 1979–84 | University Reader in Education; later became professor of education at the University of Cambridge | ||
| 1997–present | Professor of Zoology | ||
| 1980-2011 | Historian of early modern Britain; Fellow in History and first woman Fellow of Jesus College; now Emeritus Fellow; editor of the 2021 Jesus College history | ||
| 1970–86 | Professor of Sociology at Oxford | ||
| 1983–96 | Geophysicist, working in meteorology, oceanography and geomagnetism | ||
| 1571 – after 1622 | A Leicestershire priest who was one of the eight original Fellows of the college, and was still alive in 1622 when the college's third charter was granted by King James I | ||
| 1960–83 | Professor of Atmospheric Physics and chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change | ||
| 1623 | Elected to a Fellowship, but never formally admitted before his place was taken by another in 1626 | ||
| 1571–91 | Precentor of St David's Cathedral, one of the eight original Fellows of the college | ||
| 1673–80 | Bishop of Bangor, Bishop of Hereford | ||
| 1571–75 | Chancellor of the Diocese of London, one of the eight original Fellows of the college | ||
| 1589 or 1590 – about 1596 | Welsh cleric who translated the first Book of Homilies into Welsh in 1606 | ||
| 1868–73 | Lecturer in modern history, later Bishop of Chester | ||
| 1852–76 | Leoline Fellow and Canon of Pietermaritzburg, later called the "Rail men's Apostle" for his ministry to railway workers in Oxford | ||
| 1571–1625 | One of the eight original Fellows of the college, later Archdeacon of Leicester and founder of Oakham and Uppingham Schools | ||
| 1839–44 | Welsh cleric, later Archdeacon of St Asaph | ||
| 1897–98 | Scientist who was first principal of the University of Wales, Cardiff, first Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wales and the college's first Welsh Supernumerary Fellow | ||
| 1667–68 | Welsh cleric, physician, inventor and chancellor of Llandaff Cathedral | ||
| 1923–? | Welsh Supernumerary Fellow, principal of St David's College, Lampeter | ||
| 2004–05 | Historian who was a Welsh Supernumerary Fellow in his capacity as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wales, Bangor | ||
| 1653–56 | Non-conformist clergyman who established an academy in Wales for dissenting ministers | ||
| 1648–? | Lawyer and writer; said to have been appointed by the Parliamentary commissioners during the English Civil War, but not included in Hardy's list of Fellows | ||
| 2003– | Helen Morag Fellow and Tutor in English Literature | ||
| 1931–36 | Philosopher who became professor of Moral Philosophy at St Andrews University | ||
| 1839–46 | Vice-Principal who resigned his Fellowship on conversion to Catholicism under influence of the Oxford Movement | ||
| 1880–99 | Classicist who became professor of humanity at St Andrews University | ||
| 1614–? | Bishop of Llandaff who was reputedly a Fellow of the college, although the college's records do not substantiate this | ||
| 1765–73 | Welsh cleric | ||
| 1571–1607 | Former Dean of St Asaph, judge of the High Court of Admiralty, and one of the eight original Fellows of the college | ||
| 1641–48 1660–85 | Bishop of St Asaph, Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry and Bishop of Worcester, whose fellowship was interrupted by English Civil War | ||
| 1571–85 | Principal of New Inn Hall, Oxford, Regius Professor of Civil Law and one of the eight original Fellows of the college | ||
| 1671–84 | Later prebend of Westminster Abbey and President of Sion College | ||
| 1670–85 | Chaplain to Leoline Jenkins on diplomatic missions abroad; elected Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity at Oxford shortly before his death in 1691 | ||
| 1662–63 | Benefactor of Jesus College who married shortly after his appointment as a probationary Fellow, making him ineligible for a full Fellowship | ||
| 1622–? | Named as one of the founding Fellows in the college's third charter ; college records do not give the end-date of his Fellowship | ||
| 1991–92 | Welsh historian, who was a Welsh Supernumerary Fellow in his capacity as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wales | ||
| 1904–? | Professor of Welsh at the University College of North Wales from 1895, who held a research fellowship at Jesus College as well | ||
| 1845–64 | Theologian and antiquarian, who was forced to resign his Fellowship after an allegation of immorality | ||
| 1977–80 | Junior Research Fellow, now a Fellow of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge specialising in medieval music | ||
| 2010–present | Physicist, who has held the post at Oxford of Royal Society 2010 Anniversary Research Professor of Atmospheric Oceanic and Planetary Physics since 2010 | ||
| 1711–? | Bishop of Ossory ; college records do not give the end-date of his Fellowship | ||
| 1714–27 | Clergyman and antiquarian | ||
| 2007–08 | Lawyer who was a Welsh Supernumerary Fellow in his capacity as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wales, Lampeter | ||
| 1898–1943 | Hope Professor of Zoology ; succeeded by G. D. Hale Carpenter | ||
| 1621–? | Principal of Hart Hall, Oxford and Prebend of Westminster Abbey, who was appointed to a Fellowship when he was made one of the commissioners for settling the college statutes in 1621 | ||
| 1615–? | Appointed as a Fellow in 1615, then named as one of the founding Fellows in the college's third charter ; college records do not give the end-date of his Fellowship | ||
| 1615–? | Named as one of the founding Fellows in the college's third charter ; college records do not give the end-date of his Fellowship | ||
| 1975–76 | Welsh Supernumerary Fellow in his capacity as principal of St David's College, Lampeter | ||
| 1828–39 | Welsh cleric and historian; Hardy gives his election year as 1830 | ||
| 1878–94 | Scottish philosopher, who was later professor of Logic and Metaphysics at the University of St Andrews | ||
| 1996–97 2002–03 | Historian who was a Welsh Supernumerary Fellow in his capacity as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wales, Lampeter | ||
| 1924–43 | Australian classicist, Bursar | ||
| 1954–56 1974–75 1979–80 | Geographer who left his fellowship to become professor of geography at Liverpool University; a Welsh Supernumerary Fellow on two occasions in his capacity as principal of the University College of Swansea | ||
| 1641–42 | Dean of Chichester Cathedral | ||
| 1928–29, 1932–33 | Former Camden Professor of Ancient History at Oxford, who was later a Welsh Supernumerary Fellow in his capacity as principal of the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth | ||
| 1980— | Halley Professor of Physics at Oxford University); Head of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics (1980-2001) | ||
| 1872–97 | Welsh-language scholar who served as senior tutor and vice-principal, but lost the 1895 election to become principal | ||
| 1635–? | Later Bishop of St David's and Bishop of Worcester; college records do not show when his Fellowship terminated | ||
| 1864–81 | Naval historian and journalist, who became first editor of the Times Literary Supplement | ||
| 1972–83 | First Professor of Paediatrics at Oxford University | ||
| 1989–94 | Chaplain, later vice-principal of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford | ||
| 1816–24 | Later Dean of Bangor | ||
| 1973–2005 | Professor of Physics at Oxford | ||
| 1813–22 | Later Chancellor of Bangor Cathedral | ||
| 1783–? | Welsh cleric, and Master of the free school at Llanrwst; college records do not give the end-date of his fellowship | ||
| 1939–70 | Chemist who was an authority on Raman spectroscopy | ||
| 1703–11 | Chancellor of the Diocese of Hereford and an Anglesey landowner | ||
| 1681–91 | Chancellor of St Asaph ; the elder brother of William | ||
| 1692–1704 | Welsh cleric and historian; the younger brother of Robert |