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Corpus Christi College e Pelican Record Vol. LXI December 2025 Corpus Christi College Vol. LXI December 2025 The Pelican Record e Pelican Record 2025 3 The President’s Report 5 Features Jane Austen and Oxford by Helena Kelly10 Samuel Hartlib and his Corpus Allies on Reforming Interregnum Oxford by Charles Webster17 Douglas Veale of Corpus by Timothy Baker 24 A Commemoration Sermon by Julian Reid 32 A Celebration of Corpus Tortoise Keeping by George Weston36 College Tom by María del Rocío Gómez Ruiz 42 Book Reviews 46 Naval Seamen's Women in Nineteenth-Century Britain by Melanie Holihead, reviewed by Brad Beaven46 Practice by Rosalind Brown, reviewed by Harriet Rix48 e War of the Roses: A Medieval Civil War by John Watts,49 reviewed by David Rundle Lost Levant: A Journey of Ideas by Rupert de Borchgrave, reviewed by James Howard-Johnston52 Righteous Strife: How Warring Religious Nationalists Forged Lincoln’s Union by Richard Carwardine, reviewed by Jay Sexton54 Teaching Gender: e British University and the Rise of Heterosexuality 1860 1939 by Samuel Rutherford, reviewed by Grace Whorrall-Campbell57 Tolkien and the Mystery of Literary Creation by Giuseppe Pezzini, reviewed by Fergus McGhee59 News of Corpuscles 63 News of Old Members 63 Avian Sensibility in the Corpus Garden by Bill Morris68 What Actually Happened at the 1967 Torpids Bump Supper? by Tim Hamlett and Ashley Steven 70 Memories of Ben Mandry (Classics, 1983) 72 Deaths76 Obituaries 77 e Record 96 e Chaplain’s Report 96 e Chapel Choir98 e Library 100 Acquisitions and Gifts to the Library 103 e College Archives 106 Development Director’s Report108 e Junior Common Room 110 e Middle Common Room 112 Expanding Horizons Scholarships 114 Palmer Travel Scholarship120 Sharpston Travel Scholarship 126 Clubs and Societies130 e Fellows 142 Scholarships and Prizes 2024/2025 154 Donor Roll 157 The Pelican Record e Pelican Record 2025 5 The President’s Report When looking back on 2025, the year in which Oxford opened two new landmark buildings – the Life and Mind Building housing psychological and biological sciences, and the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities – it is timely to recall the significant contribution made to the physical shape of the current University by Sir Douglas Veale (1910), University Registrar and Fellow of Corpus from 1930 to 1958. As Timothy Baker’s article (pp. 25 31) explains, Veale’s personal warmth and strategic acumen enabled him to exercise a pivotal influence on projects as wide-ranging as the construction of the New Bodleian (now the Weston Library) and the science area, and to oversee the establishment of the Medical School. Baker’s description of Corpus High Table and SCR in those mid-century years as the “engine-rooms of policy reform” (p. 28) will, I hope, warm readers’ hearts: it reminds us of the co-dependence of all parts of this collegiate University, and it underlines the importance of vision and strategy in creating the conditions for the outstanding research and teaching Oxford, and within it Corpus, are able to achieve.6 e Pelican Record 2025Corpus Christi College e academic year 2024–2025 began with the opening of our own Spencer Building to readers and ended with its official opening by the Chancellor, Lord Hague of Richmond. is spectacular new building proved immediately popular with students, especially scientists who relished the creation of a physical space (the second floor reading room) where they could work amongst their subjects’ books, which had previously been stored in rolling stacks in the Lower Library. It has been a decades-long ambition of the College to improve the housing of our special collections and to enhance access and facilities for researchers consulting them. e Spencer Building has not only achieved this end but has also added fifty-five new reader spaces to the overall Library footprint. It is the first library in the UK to achieve full Passivhaus certification and the first to retain Grade I listed fabric within Passivhaus conditions. e building’s energy needs are less than half of even the demanding RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge benchmarks, thanks to its intelligent design, airtight construction and high levels of insulation. It has been the work of many hands to bring this transformational project from an aspiration to a reality over the past six years, and we are deeply grateful for the contributions of all those involved. e next phase of this project was the conversion of the Lower Library back to its earlier function as teaching rooms. Over the course of the year three stunning double-aspect rooms were created ready for use at the start of Michaelmas Term 2025, representing a dramatic enhancement of our teaching and meeting spaces (another long-held strategic ambition of the College). Any renovation of sixteenth-century buildings brings its challenges, but the result is a triumph of modern design located sympathetically in this intimate and historic space that, like the Spencer Building, manages to blend the best of the old and the new. None of this could have been achieved without the support of the broader Corpus community across time. We have been reminded recently of just how much we depend on the kindness of others with the receipt of several significant legacies. A plaque in the Spencer Building commemorates the humbling generosity of Michael Sheepshanks (1943) and remembers also his brother Christopher (1940), who lost his life during the Second World War. We also remember Clive Burgess (1971), whose gift to the College has enabled us to put our Junior Research Fellowship in History (now re-named the Burgess Brock Fellowship) on a long-term and sound financial footing. e College’s alumni community around the world has been highly active and engaged this year. e impressive Corpus turnout at the British Embassy in Washington DC for the Vice- Chancellor’s discussion with Professors Simon Johnson and Barbara Petrongolo in May was admired, as was the party afterwards kindly hosted by Michael Sulmeyer (2005) at his home. Other highlights were the President’s Circle held at the British Academy in November; the revival of the Business and Finance Network with a panel on entrepreneurship and a most enjoyable drinks reception, generously sponsored by Eddie Kling (1969), in March; and a reunion dinner held in Manchester. As ever, the Alumni Christmas Drinks at the Oxford and Cambridge Club, kindly sponsored by Andrew ornhill (1962), got the festive season off to e Pelican Record 2025 7 a flying start. e two Gaudies saw the return of some more recently graduated Corpuscles, with the cohorts of 2004–2008 and 2013–2016 reliving their student days. is year’s highly popular Decade Dinner reunited those who matriculated in the 1980s. President’s Seminars in Michaelmas Term were given by Beverley Patterson (1979) on research in the pharmaceutical industry and by Lord Peter Ricketts on national security. Sheen Gurrib (2011) spoke about podcasting and entrepreneurship in Hilary Term, and for the Trinity seminar we welcomed Emma Pinchbeck (2006) on the theme of the UK’s progression towards net zero by 2050. Corpus was honoured to host Lord Patrick Hodge, Deputy President of the Supreme Court, at at the Frederick Pollock Law Society Dinner in April, and the Right Reverend David Jennings, sometime Bishop of Warrington, who preached at the Corpus Christi Day service in June. Professor Daisy Hay gave the Bateson Lecture in February on the topic ‘Falling Over with Frances Burney’ and the Founder’s Dinner was held on 20 March. Celebrations of College art figured large this year: the return of the Tudor portraits in Hilary Term following conservation was greeted joyfully, as was the unveiling of the portrait of former Chaplain, Revd Canon Dr Judith Maltby, painted by Melissa Scott-Miller. is was of particular significance, being the College’s first portrait of a female Fellow. We were delighted by the very strong summer 2025 examination results, the best for several years. Special mention goes to the students and tutors in Biomedical Sciences, English and Lit Hum for a strong number of Firsts awarded, including the top-ranked candidate in Lit Hum in the University. e first-year cohort also excelled (with outstanding results in Law in particular) and we look forward to future successes over the next two or three years as they progress through their studies. During the academic year we welcomed Mr Luke Webster as Fellow and Bursar, Professor Fergus McGhee as Fellow and Tutor in English, Dr Amy Lidster as Career Development Fellow in English and Professor David Owens (1984) as the Sekyra Whites Professor of Moral Philosophy. Dr Malcolm Sim joined us as Medical Research Fellow. Arriving as new Junior Research Fellows were Dr Grace Whorrall-Campbell (Burgess Brock JRF in History), Dr Elizabeth Leason (Non-Stipendiary JRF in Physics) and Dr omas Mitchell (JRF in the Ethics of AI). As ever, our Visiting Fellows and Scholars enriched our collegiate life enormously: Visiting Fellows were Professor Melissa Lane (Isaiah Berlin Visiting Fellow), Professor Cihan Artunç, Professor Sam Rickless and Professor Michael urston, and the Visiting Scholar was Dr Daniel Lametti. New joiners amongst the College staff were Katie Rudaz (Student Support Officer), Becca Chapman (Conference and Events Officer), David Marlow (Health and Safety Coordinator), Susan Boissier (Events Project Manager), Kim Oakley (Bursars’ PA), Julie Partsch (Development Officer), Megan Swann (Assistant Outreach Officer) and Sarah Towson (Library Assistant).8 e Pelican Record 2025Corpus Christi College We said goodbye to two Governing Body Fellows: Mr Nicholas Melhuish, Fellow and Bursar since 2018, and Professor Michael Johnston, Fellow in Physics since 2002, who was elected to an Emeritus Fellowship following his appointment to a Research Professorship (RSIV) in the Physics Department. Research Fellows Dr Nakita Noel, who was elected as a Tutorial Fellow at e Queen's College, and Dr Ric Wade left us, along with Junior Research Fellows Dr Ben Carty, Dr Howard Ryland and Dr Matija Tapuskovic, as did Wanne Mendonck (Library Assistant) and Steve Bartlett (Health and Safety Coordinator), who retired after a remarkable thirtythree years at the College. Another long-serving member of staff heading into retirement was John Sheppard, Library and Archives Scout for more than twenty years. All our departing colleagues carry with them our warmest thanks and best wishes for ‘life after Corpus’. Honours and awards accruing amongst the Fellowship included Professor Michael Johnston, Fellow and Tutor in Physics, who was awarded the 2025 Max Born Medal and Prize of the Institute of Physics and German Physical Society. Congratulations also go to Jaś Elsner, Professor of Late Antique Art and Humfry Payne Senior Research Fellow, who was elected as a Fellow of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, and Professor Pawel Swietach, Professor of Physiology and Handa Fellow, who was elected to the Academia Europaea. Emeritus Fellow Professor Andrew McMichael’s lifetime of achievement in science was honoured in his election to the US National Academy of Sciences. We were delighted by the news that four Corpus Fellows in the medical and biomedical sciences (Professors Colin Akerman, Susie Dunachie, Simon Newstead and Pawel Swietach) each secured a prestigious Wellcome Discovery award in the 2025 round, especially bearing in mind that only forty-five awards are made each year. Professor Simon Johnson (1981), Mr Paul Ramsbottom (1984) and Professor Tim Whitmarsh were elected to Honorary Fellowships. ere was much rejoicing across the whole Corpus community when Professor Johnson, currently Ronald A. Kurtz Professor of Entrepreneurship at MIT, became the College’s first Nobel Laureate as the joint recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his work highlighting the importance of inclusive institutions in driving long-term economic development. Student life was vibrant as well as high-achieving. e Owlets continued their post-pandemic return to form with a production of e Bacchae in Trinity Term and the choir went from strength to strength, a highlight being the roof-raising Nova,nova! at the carol service. Corpus swimming is enjoying a remarkable era of success, with a win in Cuppers for the Corpus-Oriel team that featured a total of five Full Blues, five Half Blues and four University Record holders. In hockey, the newly combined Corpus-Lincoln-LMH team won Division Two and secured promotion to Division One; their highly successful Cuppers run took them to a nail-biting final against Teddy Hall. After several years of success in Women’s Rugby, this year it was the turn of the Men’s Corpus-St Catz-Merton/Mansfield team, who won the plate competition and the Sevens. But perhaps the greatest sporting victory of all in 2025 was the long-awaited triumph of our very own Foxe in the Tortoise Race. e Pelican Record 2025 9 As our Archivist Julian Reid recalled in his sermon for the 2025 Commemoration of Benefactors service (pp. 32–35), the tortoise’s namesake Bishop Richard Fox adopted as his motto the grammatically playful phrase “Est Deo Gratia”, which is found in various decorative combinations around the College. It is indeed with thanks and gratitude that we look back on 2024/2025 and remember the people with whom we shared it and those who made it possible.Next >