Which is the oldest Welsh academic institution?
2 August 2024
Owain James
There are a few institutions that can claim to be the oldest Welsh academic institution.
St David’s College (later The University of Wales, Lampeter) was the oldest degree awarding institution in Wales. As such, it was the oldest institution of higher education in Wales (and the third oldest in England and Wales), receiving its first charter in 1828. From 1852 onwards, the college gained the right to award degrees in its own right. However, it was a college, and not a full university.
Another claimant to being the oldest Welsh academic institution is Wales’ first fully fledged university, namely the University of Wales. This federal university, established in 1893, had three constituent colleges when it was founded – Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff. The University of Wales could issue its own degrees – before that, these colleges awarded degrees from the University of London. Of these colleges, Aberystwyth is the oldest, founded in1872.
BUT there is another that can claim to be the oldest Welsh academic institution in my opinion – and perhaps a bit of a black horse considering this institution isn’t even based in Wales!
Oxford University’s Jesus College.
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Jesus College has strong Welsh credentials.
- Hugh Price, from Brecon, petitioned Elizabeth I to formally establish Jesus College, and was an early benefactor to the college. Hugh Price had supposedly asked Queen Elizabeth to establish the college so “that he might bestow his estate of the maintenance of certain scholars of Wales to be trained up in good letters.” We could also go into Queen Elizabeth’s own strong links to Wales (she may have even been able to speak Welsh!), but let’s not get into that!
- Between 1571 and 1915, only one Principal of the college was not from Wales or of Welsh descent. Francis Howell was the odd one out between 1657–1660 – three/four short years out of the college’s first 344 years of existence. No university in Wales can boast a record like that!
- Jesus College has held the university’s professorship for Celtic Studies (Jesus Chair of Celtic) since 1876, and continues to hold this thanks to recent efforts made to maintain it
- Apparently old members can still remember a time in the 20th century when the majority of the members were from Wales!
And the links with Wales continue today.
- In partnership with Seren, Jesus College runs summer schools for students from Wales
- Around 15% of current students are from Wales, which is still very high
- It continues with many of its Welsh traditions, such as its annual St. David’s Day Dinner and its famous Watkin Williams-Wynn’s Pudding – named after another Welshman of course!
The University of Oxford’s old links with Wales extend beyond Jesus College as well. Since 1886, the university has had a Welsh Society, Cymdeithas Dafydd ap Gwilym. It is one of the university’s oldest societies. It was established before Wales had its own university in the form of the University of Wales!
