The College was founded in 1624 using money given by Thomas Tesdale and Richard Wightwick. It was named after William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, the patron of William Shakespeare, who was Chancellor of the University at the time. The official founder was King James I, and it is in his name that Pembroke students are permitted to wear silver tassels in their caps (mortarboards). Part of the College is situated in buildings formerly used by the mediæval Hall Broadgates.

The main buildings of the College date mainly from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, and are built of Cotswold limestone. The Geoffrey Arthur Building (GAB), a modern annex built nearby on the banks of the River Thames at Grandpont, provides accommodation for almost a hundred undergraduates, usually those in their final year.

Samuel Johnson was one of the College's more famous alumni, though he did not complete his degree (he was later awarded an honorary degree by the University); lack of funds forced him to leave Oxford after about a year and a half. Two of his desks and various other possessions (his teapot, mug, and the like) are on display in the library and elsewhere in the College.

James Smithson, whose bequest founded the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., despite his never having visited the United States, was an undergraduate at Pembroke, under the name "James Lewis Macie" — he changed his name to that of his natural father after the death of his mother.

Senator J. William Fulbright, who established the Fulbright Fellowships, was a Rhodes Scholar at Pembroke in the 1920s.

Although he had been an undergraduate at Exeter College, J.R.R. Tolkien was a Fellow of Pembroke from 1925 to 1945, and wrote The Hobbit and the first two books of The Lord of the Rings during his time there.

Among the College's more recent Masters was Roger Bannister, the first man to run the mile in under four minutes.

Pembroke was described by John Betjeman, in Summoned by Bells:

How empty, creeper-grown and odd

Seems lonely Pembroke's second quad

Still, when I see it, do I wonder why

That college so polite and shy

Should have more character than Queen's

Or Univ, splendid in the High.

[edit] The JCR

Pembroke College JCR is known around the University to have one of the wealthiest JCRs. According to 19th centurey myth, during a sporting venture to Pembroke College, Cambridge, the victorious Oxford side in celebration laid claim to a valuable painting. When sold at auction the painting allegedly fetched an enourmous six-figure sum. More recently a Sir Francis Bacon painting from the Pembroke College Art Collection was sold at auction for around £750, 000, this sale is widely believed to be the actual source of their vast wealth.

[edit] Sport

The college has an great sporting reputation and is reknowned across the university for its prowess in this field. Recent years have seen the college achieve success at rugby, with a Cuppers final appearance in 2006, as well as a Cuppers victory in cricket in 2005. Other sports where Pembroke have enjoyed success in the past decade include football, hockey and darts. In 2006, Pembroke almost became the first Oxford College to ever simultaneously hold Cuppers in Football, Cricket and Rugby.

Pembroke, also excels at rowing, with the Boat Club currently sitting 2nd and 3rd on the river in Summer Eights for men and women respectively. In 2003, Pembroke became the first college to win the "Double Headship Trophy" for having both men and women's Eights head the river.

[edit] Notable Former Students

Image:Dr Johnson's desk.jpg

[edit] Academics, Fellows and Teachers

(The names of current members are followed by links to their College pages)

R. G. Collingwood
John Eekelaar (F.B.A.) *
Malcolm R. Godden *
Alexander Kacelnik *
Peter J. King *
Martha Klein *
Sir John Krebs (F.R.S.)
Theo Maarten van Lint *
I. James McMullen (F.B.A.) *
Ken Mayhew [1]
Naci Mehmet *
Christopher Melchert *
Guy Talbot Newbury
J. R. R. Tolkien
Bishop Kallistos (Timothy Ware) of Diokleia

[edit] Sources

Macleane, Douglas (1998). A History of Pembroke College, Oxford, reprint of 1900 ed. (first published 1897), London: Routledge/Thoemmes Press. ISBN 0-415-18632-3.

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