I have been thinking a lot about International Women’s Day (which was on Monday 8th of March) and what it means. I was trying to find a strong woman to write about. Looking into Wadham College, one of Oxford’s most progressive colleges, and the venue for our Young Leaders programme, I came across the story of Dorothy Wadham.
The College was founded in 1610 during the reign of King James I by Nicholas and Dorothy Wadham. Nicholas Wadham came from a wealthy Somerset family, he died in 1609 leaving his fortune to his widow Dorothy, with strict instructions that she use the funds to endow a college at Oxford. Dorothy was a determined and driven woman of 75, she fought hard against claims to the family fortune by Nicholas’s relations; she purchased a suitable site for the college in Oxford, drawing up its statutes. She set about recruiting all the necessary staff to run the college, she appointed Fellows, Scholars and a college cook. This huge endeavour only took four years from the time of her husband’s death, during which time, she added to the endowment from her own funds, and oversaw its affairs from her house in Devon until her death in 1618.
The College was originally founded for men only, and it was not until 1974 that the statutes were altered to allow the admission of women as full members at all levels; Wadham College was a pioneer in making this change, being one of the first Oxford colleges to do so. The college now consists of some 55 Fellows, about 200 graduate students, and about 450 undergraduates.
Notable female Wadhamites include novelist, Monica Ali (1986 PPE), actress Felicity Jones (2003 English), and journalist Anne McElvoy (1984 Philosophy/Modern Languages) to name but a few.
Our Young Leaders summer programme takes place in the new Dorothy Wadham Building on the Iffley Road, which was completed in 2020, and has won two prestigious design awards. The college’s Domestic Bursar Frances Lloyd comments: “We are very proud of our Dorothy Wadham Building which enhances the area in which it is built, blending with surrounding buildings in terms of external appearance and materials used. From the low energy design to the bat boxes and beautifully planted courtyard garden, we are delighted with the green credentials of this building and it is wonderful to have these efforts recognised by the Oxford Preservation Trust.”
