Arthur Lionel Pugh Norrington
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Sir Arthur Lionel Pugh Norrington (27 October 1899 – 21 May 1982) was a British publisher,
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of
Trinity College, Oxford (That which you wish to be secret, tell to nobody) , named_for = The Holy Trinity , established = , sister_college = Churchill College, Cambridge , president = Dame Hilary Boulding , location = Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3BH , coordinates ...
, Vice-Chancellor of
Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, and originator of the
Norrington Table The Norrington Table is an annual ranking of the colleges of the University of Oxford based on a score computed from the proportions of undergraduate students earning each of the various degree classifications based on that year's final examinati ...
.


Life

Norrington was born at Normandy Villa, Godstone Road,
Kenley Kenley is an area within the London Borough of Croydon. Prior to its incorporation into Greater London in 1965 it was in the historic county of Surrey. It is situated south of Purley, east of Coulsdon, north of Caterham and Whyteleafe and we ...
, Surrey, England, the only son and eldest child of Arthur James Norrington, a merchant in the
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, and his wife, Gertrude Sarah Elizabeth, daughter of William Pugh, a merchant from
Montgomeryshire Montgomeryshire, also known as ''Maldwyn'' ( cy, Sir Drefaldwyn meaning "the Shire of Baldwin's town"), is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It is named after its county tow ...
. He was a scholar at
Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of the ...
from 1913, where he earned the nickname Thomas because of his
scepticism Skepticism, also spelled scepticism, is a questioning attitude or doubt toward knowledge claims that are seen as mere belief or dogma. For example, if a person is skeptical about claims made by their government about an ongoing war then the pe ...
of received lore. In 1918, he enlisted with the
Royal Field Artillery The Royal Field Artillery (RFA) of the British Army provided close artillery support for the infantry. It came into being when created as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 1 July 1899, serving alongside the other two arms of t ...
and though he did not see active service, he lost a little finger in an accident. In 1919, he
matriculate Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now. ...
d as a scholar to Trinity College, Oxford, achieving a first class in classical
Honour Moderations Honour Moderations (or ''Mods'') are a set of examinations at the University of Oxford at the end of the first part of some degree courses (e.g., Greats or '' Literae Humaniores''). Honour Moderations candidates have a class awarded (hence the ' ...
in 1920, followed by a second in '' Literae Humaniores'' in 1923. Moving to London, he worked for the
Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
, who posted him to their branch in
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. Returning to
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
in 1925, he took the post of junior assistant secretary to the Delegates of the Press. He married Edith Joyce Carver on 15 September 1928. Norrington became assistant secretary to the Delegates of Oxford University Press in 1942; in 1948, he took the post of senior administrative officer of the Press and was elected a professorial fellow of Trinity College. Norrington focussed on expanding the range of the Press's educational books, particularly the successful 'Great Wartime Series' ''Oxford Pamphlets''. He was instrumental in expanding the Press' recognition outside
Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
. Norrington was a keen musician and contributed a great deal to the Press'
music publishing A music publisher is a type of publisher that specializes in distributing music. Music publishers originally published sheet music. When copyright became legally protected, music publishers started to play a role in the management of the intellect ...
as well as being a member of the
Oxford Bach Choir The Oxford Bach Choir is an amateur choir based in Oxford, England. Founded by Basil Harwood in 1896 to further the music of J.S. Bach in Oxford, the Choir merged in 1905 with the Oxford Choral & Philharmonic Society, whose origins can be trace ...
, he became chairman of its committee in 1949. His son is the conductor Sir Roger Arthur Carver Norrington,
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. In 1952, he was invited to become the next president of Trinity College, which he accepted and took up in 1954. He took the affairs of the University seriously, both on the council and on the general board. He also held a post on the revising committee for the ''
New English Bible The New English Bible (NEB) is an English translation of the Bible. The New Testament was published in 1961 and the Old Testament (with the Apocrypha) was published on 16 March 1970. In 1989, it was significantly revised and republished as the Re ...
'', and in 1960 became the first chairman of the government committee for the publication of cheap books abroad. His name in Oxford is remembered for having devised the Norrington Table, a system of assessing the results of the
Oxford colleges The University of Oxford has thirty-nine colleges, and five permanent private halls (PPHs) of religious foundation. Colleges and PPHs are autonomous self-governing corporations within the university. These colleges are not only houses of residen ...
in final examinations, the table continues to be compiled and the results published in the national press. In 1960, Norrington became
Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford is the chief executive and leader of the University of Oxford. The following people have been vice-chancellors of the University of Oxford (formally known as The Right Worshipful the Vice-Chancel ...
and proceeded to spend time looking at the status of dons who were not fellows of colleges, and to the future planning of the Science Area. In 1968, he received a knighthood. Edith died at an early age in 1964 and on 9 December 1969 he married a widow, Ruth Margaret Waterlow (née Cude).
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bookshop in
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created a large room in 1966 under Trinity College land and named it the "Norrington Room" after him. As well as publishing, with professors H. F. Lowry and F. L. Mulhauser, an edition of the poems of
Arthur Hugh Clough Arthur Hugh Clough ( ; 1 January 181913 November 1861) was an English poet, an educationalist, and the devoted assistant to Florence Nightingale. He was the brother of suffragist Anne Clough and father of Blanche Athena Clough who both became p ...
in 1951, he wrote ''Blackwell's, 1879–1979: the history of a family firm'', published posthumously in 1983. Retiring from Trinity in 1970, he became Warden of
Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of the ...
until 1974. He was made an
honorary fellow Honorary titles (professor, reader, lecturer) in academia may be conferred on persons in recognition of contributions by a non-employee or by an employee beyond regular duties. This practice primarily exists in the UK and Germany, as well as in m ...
of Trinity,
St Cross College St Cross College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1965, St Cross is an all-graduate college with gothic and traditional-style buildings on a central site in St Giles', just south of Pusey Street. It a ...
, and Wolfson College. He became an officer of the
Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
in 1962. Norrington died in the
John Radcliffe Hospital The John Radcliffe Hospital (informally known as the JR) is a large tertiary teaching hospital in Oxford, England. It forms part of the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and is named after John Radcliffe, an 18th-century physici ...
, Oxford, on 21 May 1982.


Inspiration for other ranking tables

As well as the
Norrington Table The Norrington Table is an annual ranking of the colleges of the University of Oxford based on a score computed from the proportions of undergraduate students earning each of the various degree classifications based on that year's final examinati ...
, other tables ranking different
Oxford colleges The University of Oxford has thirty-nine colleges, and five permanent private halls (PPHs) of religious foundation. Colleges and PPHs are autonomous self-governing corporations within the university. These colleges are not only houses of residen ...
have drawn upon Norrington's name, such as the "Vegetarian Norrington Table". First published in 2016, this table ranked the best and worst colleges in Oxford for their vegetarian and
vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. Di ...
food, using data provided by students of the University. The use of Norrington's name in this table was not without controversy, however, and drew criticism from a number of college bursars.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Norrington, Arthur Lionel Pugh 1899 births 1982 deaths People from Kenley People educated at Winchester College Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford English classical scholars English publishers (people) Fellows of Trinity College, Oxford Knights Bachelor Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Oxford University Press people Presidents of Trinity College, Oxford Vice-Chancellors of the University of Oxford 20th-century English businesspeople