John Bernard Bamborough (3 January 1921 – 13 February 2009) was a British scholar of English literature and founding Principal of

Linacre College, Oxford Linacre College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the UK whose members comprise approximately 50 fellows and 550 postgraduate students. Linacre is a diverse college in terms of both the international composition of its me ...

. Bamborough was educated at

The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School Haberdashers' Boys' School (also known as Haberdashers', Habs, or Habs Boys), until September 2021 known as Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, is a public school for pupils age 4 to 18 in Elstree, Hertfordshire, England. The school is a mem ...

Elstree Elstree is a large village in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire, England. It is about northwest of central London on the former A5 road, that follows the course of Watling Street. In 2011, its population was 5,110. It forms part of the ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

and at

New College, Oxford New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as its feeder school, New College is one of the oldest colleges at th ...

. After serving five years in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he returned to Oxford as a Fellow of first New College and then

Wadham College Wadham College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street and Parks Road. Wadham College was founded in 1610 by Dorothy W ...

, where between 1947 and 1961 he was in succession

Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

, Domestic Bursar and Senior Tutor. Bamborough left Wadham to embark on an ambitious project that was to change the shape of the University. As recounted by a former student: The outcome was

Linacre College Linacre College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the UK whose members comprise approximately 50 fellows and 550 postgraduate students. Linacre is a diverse college in terms of both the international composition of its m ...

(initially Linacre House), the first Oxford University college to accept only graduate students and the first to admit men and women on an equal basis. Bamborough had the central role in establishing and nurturing the new institution and he remained its Principal until 1988, also serving within the university administration as a member of the

Hebdomadal Council The Hebdomadal Council was the chief executive body for the University of Oxford from its establishment by the Oxford University Act 1854 until its replacement, in the Michaelmas term of 2000, by the new University Council. Chaired by the Vice- ...

from 1961 to 1979 and as Chairman of the General Board of the Faculties from 1964 to 1967. He is fondly remembered by many students and staff, one of whom wrote in a book dedicated to the Principal, After retiring as Principal, Bamborough focused on scholarship. Since 1979 he had been working on the world's first full commentary on

Robert Burton Robert Burton (8 February 1577 – 25 January 1640) was an English author and fellow of Oxford University, who wrote the encyclopedic tome ''The Anatomy of Melancholy''. Born in 1577 to a comfortably well-off family of the landed gentry, Burt ...

The Anatomy of Melancholy ''The Anatomy of Melancholy'' (full title: ''The Anatomy of Melancholy, What it is: With all the Kinds, Causes, Symptomes, Prognostickes, and Several Cures of it. In Three Maine Partitions with their several Sections, Members, and Subsections. Ph ...

, an enormous 17th Century book with hundreds of obscure sources. The final volume of Bamborough's work was published in 2000, nine years before his death. An accommodation building on the main Linacre College site is named in his honour.

Publications

Books * ''The Little World of Man'' (London: Longmans 1952) * ''Ben Jonson'' (London: Longmans 1959) * ''Robert Burton: The Anatomy of Melancholy'' (Oxford: Clarendon Press, six volumes 1989-2000)

References

External link

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bamborough, John Fellows of Linacre College, Oxford Fellows of New College, Oxford Fellows of Wadham College, Oxford Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Pro-Vice-Chancellors of the University of Oxford People educated at Haberdashers' Boys' School 1921 births 2009 deaths Principals of Linacre College, Oxford