The Oxford University Act 1854
17 & 18 Vict c 81
, sometimes called the Oxford University Reform Act 1854 or the University Reform Act 1854,Sabine Chaouche. Student Consumer Culture in Nineteenth-Century Oxford. Palgrave Macmillan. 2020
p 231
Associazione per lo studio della rappresentanza proporzionale. Bolletino. vol 1
p 24
is an Act of the

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...

, which regulates

corporate governance Corporate governance is defined, described or delineated in diverse ways, depending on the writer's purpose. Writers focused on a disciplinary interest or context (such as accounting, finance, law, or management) often adopt narrow definitions th ...

at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It established 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- ...

, the leading body in the university's administration, stating that most members of full-time academic staff were to have voting rights over it. In the year 2000, the Hebdomadal Council was replaced by the University Council, which is responsible to the

Congregation A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: *Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administra ...

of staff members.

Act

The Oxford University Act 1854 made substantial changes to how

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 ...

was run. It established the Hebdomadal Council as the university's governing body; appointed Commissioners to deal with

emoluments Remuneration is the pay or other financial compensation provided in exchange for an employee's ''services performed'' (not to be confused with giving (away), or donating, or the act of providing to). A number of complementary benefits in additio ...

and variations in historic endowments; and opened the university to students outside the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

, as there was no longer a requirement to undergo a theological test or take the

Oath of Supremacy The Oath of Supremacy required any person taking public or church office in England to swear allegiance to the monarch as Supreme Governor of the Church of England. Failure to do so was to be treated as treasonable. The Oath of Supremacy was ori ...

. In practice, this allowed many more Scots to attend the university. In 1850, a parliamentary commission was set up to revise the statutes drawn up by Archbishop

William Laud William Laud (; 7 October 1573 – 10 January 1645) was a bishop in the Church of England. Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury by Charles I in 1633, Laud was a key advocate of Charles I's religious reforms, he was arrested by Parliament in 1640 ...

. The original Bill proposed by Lord John Russell was much more limited in scope, however

dissenters A dissenter (from the Latin ''dissentire'', "to disagree") is one who dissents (disagrees) in matters of opinion, belief, etc. Usage in Christianity Dissent from the Anglican church In the social and religious history of England and Wales, and ...

effectively mobilised, threatening to block the bill, unless the theological tests were dropped. The reforms curbed the power of heads of colleges, creating a more centralised university authority. Dons no longer had to be in Holy Orders.

Theological tests

The subject of dropping the theological Test was not new as James Heywood described in the parliamentary debate:

References

*Paterson, William (ed). The Practical Statutes of the Session 1854. John Crockford. London. 1854. Page
126
to 128. *The Oxford University Calendar 1859. Page
25
to 42. *A Collection of the Public General Statutes, passed in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Year of the Reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria. 1854. Page
276
to 284.

External links

Text of the Act
(as amended) {{UK legislation United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1854 Law about religion in the United Kingdom University reform Reform in England History of the University of Oxford University-related legislation Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom concerning England 1854 in England History of the Church of England

Act

Theological tests

See also

References

External links