;
(from Virgil's Georgics)
"Caring for the Fields
and the Beasts" , established = 2013 - University status
– College , type =

Public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...

, president =

King Charles King Charles may refer to: Kings A number of kings of Albania, Alençon, Anjou, Austria, Bohemia, Croatia, England, France, Holy Roman Empire, Hungary, Ireland, Jerusalem, Naples, Navarre, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Sardinia, Scotland, Sicily, Sp ...

, vice_chancellor = Peter McCaffery , students = () , undergrad = () , postgrad = () , city =

Cirencester Cirencester (, ; see below for more variations) is a market town in Gloucestershire, England, west of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswolds. It is the home of ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

, country =

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 ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, campus =

Rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are descri ...

, athletics = , colours = , website = , logo = , footnotes = , image_name = File:The Royal Agricultural University.png , free_label2 = Chair of Governing Council , free2 =

Dame Fiona Reynolds ''Dame'' is an honorific title and the feminine form of address for the honour of damehood in many Christian chivalric orders, as well as the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system and those of several oth ...

, staff = , affiliations = , coor = The Royal Agricultural University (RAU), formerly the Royal Agricultural College, is a university in

. Established in 1845, it was the first agricultural college in the English-speaking world. The university provides more than 30 land-based undergraduate and postgraduate programmes to students from over 45 countries through the School of Agriculture, the School of Business and Entrepreneurship, the School of Equine and the School of Real Estate and Land Management.

History

The Royal Agricultural University was founded as the Royal Agricultural College in 1842, at a meeting of the Fairford and Cirencester Farmers’ Club. Concerned by the lack of government support for education, Robert Jeffreys-Brown addressed the meeting on "The Advantages of a Specific Education for Agricultural Pursuits". A prospectus was circulated, a general committee was appointed and Henry Bathurst, 4th Earl Bathurst was elected president. Funds were raised by public subscription: much of the support came from the wealthy landowners and farmers of the day, and there was no government support. Construction of the main building, in Victorian Tudor style, began in April 1845 and was designed by S. W. Daukes and John R. Hamilton, and built by Thomas Bridges of Cirencester. The first 25 students were admitted to the college in September 1845.

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

granted a

royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...

to the college in 1845 and sovereigns have been patrons ever since, visiting the college in every reign.

King Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

became president in 1982. The college gained full university status in 2013 and changed its name accordingly. It had students in the academic year and saw a 49% rise in applications between 2008 and 2013. The Royal Agricultural University was named the safest university in the South West in 2013, and is ranked top in the UK for spending on facilities.

Farms

The university operates two farms close to the campus: * Coates Manor Farm is predominantly arable cropped with some pasture land. * Fossehill Farm provides polo and hunter livery stabling and associated exercise facilities. Harnhill Manor Farm was purchased in 2009 and with Coates Manor Farm totals 491 hectares (1223 acres) of land. The farm was managed organically for many years but all the land apart from the outdoor-pig unit was taken out of organic management. In 2011, an old sheep shed at the front of the farm complex was turned into the 'John Oldacre Rural Innovation Centre' a building designed for the training of students and members of the public in vocational skills such as rough-terrain forklift truck driving, blacksmithing, chainsaw and welding course, etc. The building cost £1.2 Million to transform. The JORIC was officially opened in March 2014 by

Sir John Beddington Sir John Rex Beddington HonFREng (born 13 October 1945) is a British population biologist and Senior Adviser at the Oxford Martin School, and was previously Professor of Applied Population Biology at Imperial College London, and the UK Gove ...

and the site was visited in November 2013 by

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

Sport

The university has a range of sports facilities on campus, including a gym, an all-weather pitch, and squash and tennis courts. Students participate in a wide range of sports including; clay pigeon shooting, cricket, equestrian, field sports (hunting, fishing and shooting), football, golf, lacrosse, hockey, netball, polo, rugby, rifle shooting, rowing, tennis and yachting. However, most sports have been banned from BUCS League, and rugby has even been banned on campus. . The Royal Agricultural University is just one of three remaining British universities (the others being the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

and the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest university in contin ...

) to maintain their own beagle pack. Founded in 1889, the RAU Beagles is run by the students who whip in and hunt the hounds, and until the 2004 hunting ban, hunted hares in the countryside around Cirencester.

Research

In the REF 2014, the university came 29th and last in the UK for Agriculture. Some of the staff have been evaluated in the

Research Assessment Exercise The Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) was an exercise undertaken approximately every five years on behalf of the four UK higher education funding councils ( HEFCE, SHEFC, HEFCW, DELNI) to evaluate the quality of research undertaken by British h ...

which recognised the importance of their research at national and, to a lesser extent, international levels.

Library

The university library holds around 40,000 print volumes, nearly 1,000 current journal subscriptions, more than 40,000

e-book An ebook (short for electronic book), also known as an e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Al ...

s and a growing number of full-text databases. The main collection is supplemented by a support collection and a historical collection of texts, primarily on agriculture and estate/land management, dating back to the 16th century. The library also holds the RAU archive, a collection of documents relating to the institution since its foundation.

Patrons

The patron of RAU was until 1982 the current reigning British monarch, at which point

, the then

heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

to the

British throne The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Bailiw ...

, and current King of the United Kingdom took on this role. *1845–1901 –

*1901–1910 –

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second chil ...

*1910–1936 –

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Q ...

*1936 –

King Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire and Emperor of India from 20 January 1 ...

*1936–1952 –

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952. ...

*1952–1982 –

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

*1982–present –

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

Notable people

Staff

James Buckman James Buckman (November 20, 1814 – November 23, 1884) was a British pharmaceutical chemist, professor, museum curator, botanist, geologist, archaeologist, author and farmer. Life Buckman was professor of geology, botany, and zoology at the Roy ...

– professor of geology, botany, and zoology from 1848 to 1863. * John D. Custance – professor of agricultural science in the late 1870s, later was responsible for establishing Roseworthy Agricultural College in South Australia. *

John Scott John Scott may refer to: Academics * John Scott (1639–1695), English clergyman and devotional writer * John Witherspoon Scott (1800–1892), American minister, college president, and father of First Lady Caroline Harrison * John Work Scott (180 ...

, on the staff shortly from 1880, later became known as a tractor pioneer. * Sir Emrys Jones, former chief adviser to the Minister of Agriculture from 1967 to 1973, and director of the Government's Agricultural and Development Advisory Service (ADAS), was principal of the college from 1973 until 1978. He described his time at Cirencester as the most enjoyable period in his life. In 2011, a new teaching facility at the college was named in his honour. For university applicants with a connection to Wales, a scholarship has been set up that carries the former principal's name. *

Edward William Prevost Prof Edward William Prevost FRSE FIC (1851–1920) was a 19th-century British chemist, philologist and linguist. In authorship he is known as E. W. Prevost. Life He was born in Carlisle in 1851 the son of Col Thomas William Prevost, a Staff Of ...

, Professor of Chemistry 1879 to 1881 then retired to be a farmer *

George Stephen West George Stephen West (20 April 1876 – 7 August 1919), ARCS, FLS, was a British botanist, a specialist in phycology and protistology, a botanical illustrator and a writer. With his father. botanist William West (West, 1848–1914), he collab ...

(1876–1919), professor of natural history 1899–1906 * John Wrightson (1840–1916), founder of Downton Agricultural College

Alumni

Royal Agricultural University graduates have won a number of awards and prizes, including the Farmers Weekly Young Farmer Of The Year Award (James Price 2009 and Adrian Ivory 2008). Notable students from the institution include: Arts and Media * Mark Bence-Jones, writer *

Jonathan Dimbleby Jonathan Dimbleby (born 31 July 1944) is a British presenter of current affairs and political radio and television programmes, author and historian. He is the son of Richard Dimbleby and younger brother of television presenter David Dimbleby. ...

, television personality and political commentator * Dwijendralal Ray Bengali poet * Teddy McDonald, contemporary artist Peerage *

Sir John Agnew, 6th Baronet Sir John Keith Agnew, 6th Baronet (19 December 1950 – 22 June 2011) was the owner of the Rougham estates in Suffolk, England. He was the son of Sir George Keith Agnew, fifth Baronet (1918–1994), and his Danish-born wife Baroness Anne Merete L ...

* Sir Euan Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe, 3rd Baronet * Derek Barber, Baron Barber of Tewkesbury * Alan Brooke, 3rd Viscount Brookeborough * Jeremy Browne, 11th Marquess of Sligo * Torquhil Campbell, 13th Duke of Argyll * Robin Cayzer, 3rd Baron Rotherwick, one of the 92 hereditary peers elected to remain in the House of Lords *

Sir Thomas Chapman, 7th Baronet Sir Thomas Robert Tighe Chapman, 7th Baronet (6 November 1846 – 8 April 1919), was an Anglo-Irish landowner, the last of the Chapman baronets of Killua Castle in County Westmeath, Ireland. For many years he lived under the name of Thomas ...

* Patrick Chichester, 8th Marquess of Donegall * David Cunliffe-Lister, 2nd Earl of Swinton *Robin Dundas, Earl of Ronaldshay *

Francis Egerton, 7th Duke of Sutherland Francis Ronald Egerton, 7th Duke of Sutherland (born 18 February 1940), known as Francis Ronald Egerton until 2000, is a British peer from the Egerton family. Family Sutherland is the son of Cyril Reginald Egerton, the grandson of Francis Eger ...

* Nicholas Guy Halsey * James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Abercorn * Gustavus Hamilton-Russell, 10th Viscount Boyne *

Lord Nicholas Hervey Lord Frederick William Charles Nicholas Wentworth Hervey () (26 November 1961 – 26 January 1998) was a British aristocrat and political activist. He was the second son of Victor Hervey, 6th Marquess of Bristol, but the only child by his second ...

* Charles Kennedy, 5th Marquess of Ailsa * Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole of Hawaii * John Lowry-Corry, 8th Earl Belmore * John Lyttelton, 11th Viscount Cobham *

David Ogilvy, 13th Earl of Airlie David George Coke Patrick Ogilvy, 8th (or 13th) Earl of Airlie, (born 17 May 1926) is a Scottish peer. Background and education Airlie is the eldest son of David Ogilvy, 12th Earl of Airlie and Lady Alexandra Coke. His younger brother was Si ...

William Peel, 3rd Earl Peel William James Robert Peel, 3rd Earl Peel, (born 3 October 1947), styled Viscount Clanfield until 1969, is a British hereditary peer who was a Conservative peer from 15 May 1973 until October 2006 when, on his appointment as Lord Chamberlain o ...

* Eric Saumarez, 7th Baron de Saumarez *

Malcolm Sinclair, 20th Earl of Caithness Malcolm Ian Sinclair, 20th Earl of Caithness, (born 3 November 1948), is a Scottish Conservative politician and member of the House of Lords as one of the remaining hereditary peers. He is also 20th Lord Berriedale, 15th Baronet, of Canisbay, Co ...

* Henry Somerset, 12th Duke of Beaufort * FitzRoy Somerset, 5th Baron Raglan * John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer * James Spencer-Churchill, 12th Duke of Marlborough * Patrick Stopford, 9th Earl of Courtown *

Luke White, 6th Baron Annaly Luke Richard White, 6th Baron Annaly (born 1953), is a British hereditary peer and former Government Whip in the House of Lords, who sat on the Conservative benches. Background and education The only son of the first-class cricketer, the 5th Ba ...

* Sir John Wills, 4th Baronet Politics *

Stuart Agnew John Stuart Agnew (born 30 August 1949) is a British politician who served as Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the East of England region for the UK Independence Party (UKIP) from 2009 to 2019. Early life and career Agnew was bo ...

UK Independence Party The UK Independence Party (UKIP; ) is a Eurosceptic, right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. The party reached its greatest level of success in the mid-2010s, when it gained two Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), member ...

MEP * Richard Benyon, Member of Parliament *

William Bridges-Maxwell Crawford William Bridges-Maxwell (27 September 1929 – 15 April 1992) was an Australian politician. Born in Hobart, Tasmania, he was educated at Geelong Grammar School and then the Royal Agricultural College in England, after which he became ...

, Australian politician *

Sandy Bruce-Lockhart Alexander John Bruce-Lockhart, Baron Bruce-Lockhart, (4 May 1942 – 14 August 2008), commonly known as Sandy Bruce-Lockhart, was a British Conservative politician and a senior figure in English local government. He was the leader of Kent County ...

* Julian Cayo-Evans * Michael Colvin, former Member of Parliament *

Simon Coveney Simon Coveney (born 16 June 1972) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment since December 2022 and Deputy Leader of Fine Gael since 2017. He previously served as Minister for Foreign Aff ...

Tánaiste The Tánaiste ( , ) is the deputy head of the government of Ireland and thus holder of its second-most senior office. The Tánaiste is appointed by the President of Ireland on the advice of the Taoiseach. The current office holder is former Ta ...

, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Deputy Leader of Fine Gael *

Richard Drax Richard Grosvenor Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax (born 29 January 1958) is a British Conservative politician, journalist and landowner, serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for South Dorset since 2010. Early life Drax was born on 29 January 195 ...

, Member of Parliament * Simon Hart, Member of Parliament for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire *

Timothy Kitson Sir Timothy Peter Geoffrey Kitson (28 January 1931 – 18 May 2019) was a British Conservative politician who was Member of Parliament for Richmond, North Yorkshire. He was first elected at the 1959 general election, and stood down at the 198 ...

, former MP * Roger Knapman, former leader of UKIP * Arthur Nichols, Australian politician *

Joseph-Xavier Perrault Joseph-Xavier Perrault (May 27, 1836 – April 7, 1905) was a Quebec educator and political figure. Biography He was born in Quebec City in 1836, the grandson of Joseph-François Perrault. He studied at the Petit Séminaire de Québec, then th ...

* Henry Plumb, Baron Plumb, former chairman of the NFU and politician * James Provan, former MEP * Edward Cephas John Stevens * Noel Stirling Austin Arnold Wallinger Sports *

Algernon Bligh Algernon Stuart Bligh (6 October 1888 – 27 December 1952) played first-class cricket for Somerset from 1922 to 1926, appearing in 12 games in 1925. He was born in Marylebone, London and died at Minehead, Somerset. He was descended from the Ear ...

. Somerset County cricketer * Mark Anthony Peter Phillips, former husband of the Princess Royal, Great Britain equestrian rider, cross country course designer * Jason Little, Australian rugby union player * Ben Clarke, England, British Lions and Bath rugby union player * Tim Payne, England, British Lions and Wasps rugby union player * Peter Walton, Scotland, British Lions and Newcastle rugby union player * Marcus Armytage, National Hunt jockey *

Henry Cecil Sir Henry Richard Amherst Cecil (11 January 1943 – 11 June 2013) was a British flat racing horse trainer. Cecil was very successful, becoming Champion Trainer ten times and training 25 domestic Classic winners. These comprised four winners ...

, race horse trainer * Aubrey Jackman, tattooist * Nigel Gadsby, England cricketer * Arthur Sclater, Sussex County cricketer * Richard Nancekivell, Cornwall and Northampton Saints rugby union player * John Pullin, England, British Lions and Bristol rugby union Player * Andrew Balding, racehorse trainer * Nicky Henderson, racehorse trainer * Lisa Wooding, England and Great Britain hockey player, Olympian *

Mike Tucker Michael Tucker may refer to: *Michael Tucker (actor) (born 1945), (''L.A. Law'' and ''Hill Street Blues'') *Michael Tucker (baseball) (born 1971), Major League Baseball outfielder * Michael Tucker (basketball) (1954–2012), Australian Olympic baske ...

, equestrian and agricultural show commentator Other *

Richard Abel Smith Colonel Richard Francis Abel Smith DL (11 October 1933 – 23 December 2004) was a British Army officer. Early life He was the son of Colonel Sir Henry Abel Smith (1900–1993) and his wife Lady May Cambridge (1906-1994), née Princess May ...

Miguel de Avendaño --> Miguel is a given name and surname, the Portuguese and Spanish form of the Hebrew name Michael. It may refer to: Places *Pedro Miguel, a parish in the municipality of Horta and the island of Faial in the Azores Islands *São Miguel (disambi ...

* Charlotte Clark * Michael Coulson (barrister) * Tim Heywood * Chris Keeble, soldier, The Parachute Regiment and Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford * Eleanor Anne Ormerod * Edward Packard (businessman, born 1843), son of the founder of Fisons fertiliser * Baron Rathcreedan, pedigree cow auctioneer *Sir

Wilfred de Soysa Sir Lambert Wilfred Alexander de Soysa also known as Sir Wilfred de Soysa (20 Feb 1884 - 3 May 1968) was a Ceylonese entrepreneur, landed proprietor and philanthropist. He was the seventh son of Sir Charles Henry de Soysa and Lady Catherine de Soys ...

* Augustus Voelcker, professor of agricultural chemistry * John Wrightson, founder of Downton Agricultural College File:The 5th Duke of Abercorn Allan Warren.jpg, James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Abercorn File:Stuartagnew.jpg, UKIP MEP

File:Richard Benyon Official.jpg, Conservative MP Richard Benyon File:Simon Coveney2.png, Irish Cabinet Minister

File:Tim Payne.jpg, England Rugby player Tim Payne

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Education in Gloucestershire Agricultural College Agricultural universities and colleges in the United Kingdom Educational institutions established in 1845 1845 establishments in England Cirencester