Corpus Christi College the Pelican Record
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CORPUS CHRISTI COLLEGE THE PELICAN RECORD Vol. LII December 2016 i The Pelican Record Editor: Mark Whittow Design and Printing: Lynx DPM Published by Corpus Christi College, Oxford 2016 Website: http://www.ccc.ox.ac.uk Email: [email protected] The editor would like to thank Rachel Pearson, Julian Reid, Joanna Snelling, Sara Watson and David Wilson. Front cover: Detail of the restored woodwork in the College Chapel. Back cover: The Chapel after the restoration work. Both photographs: Nicholas Read ii The Pelican Record CONTENTS President’s Report .................................................................................... 3 Carol Service 2015 Judith Maltby.................................................................................................... 12 Claymond’s Dole Mark Whittow .................................................................................................. 16 The Hallifax Bowl Richard Foster .................................................................................................. 20 Poisoning, Cannibalism and Victorian England in the Arctic: The Discovery of HMS Erebus Cheryl Randall ................................................................................................. 25 An MCR/SCR Seminar: “An Uneasy Partnership?: Science and Law” Liz Fisher .......................................................................................................... 32 Rubbage in the Garden David Leake ...................................................................................................... 34 My City of Dreaming Spires Megan Armknecht ............................................................................................ 37 An Immersive Experience in South Korea: Sharpston Travel Grant Report Jack Holland ..................................................................................................... 40 The Many Delights of an Open Environment Fabrizio Titone ................................................................................................. 44 The Corpus Estate ................................................................................... 47 A Speech at the President’s Farewell Dinner John Watts ........................................................................................................ 49 Farewell from the President Richard Carwardine ......................................................................................... 53 Reviews Isaiah Berlin, Affirming: Letters 1975–1997, edited by Henry Hardy and Mark Pottle Michael Friedman ............................................................................................ 58 Peter E. Pormann, A Descriptive Catalogue of the Hebrew Manuscripts of Corpus Christi College, Oxford R.M. Thomson ................................................................................................. 65 1 The Pelican Record Obituaries Christopher Akester ................................................................................. 69 John Cameron, Lord Coulsfield .............................................................. 70 Alan Davies ............................................................................................... 72 Anthony Henning ..................................................................................... 74 Stephen Maslen .......................................................................................... 77 Peter Newey .............................................................................................. 79 Theodore Saunders .................................................................................. 81 Hubert Stadler .......................................................................................... 82 Charles Thomas ....................................................................................... 85 Brian Wiggins ........................................................................................... 88 Jingnian Yang ........................................................................................... 93 The Record Chaplain’s Report ..................................................................................... 95 The Library ................................................................................................ 98 Gifts to the Library .................................................................................. 101 The College Archives ............................................................................. 112 The Junior Common Room..................................................................... 115 The Middle Common Room ................................................................... 117 Travel Grant Reports .............................................................................. 120 Chapel Choir ........................................................................................... 127 Clubs and Societies Rowing ...................................................................................................... 130 Men’s Football ......................................................................................... 133 Women’s Football ................................................................................... 134 Cricket ...................................................................................................... 135 Netball ....................................................................................................... 136 Tennis ....................................................................................................... 137 Rugby ........................................................................................................ 137 Werewolves ............................................................................................. 140 Pool ............................................................................................................ 140 Christian Union ....................................................................................... 141 Owlets ...................................................................................................... 142 The Tortoise Fair ..................................................................................... 142 The Fellows ........................................................................................ 144 News of Corpuscles News of Old Members ........................................................................... 158 Deaths ........................................................................................................ 160 Corpus Association Biennial Dinner .................................................... 161 Scholarships and Prizes 2015–2016........................................................ 163 Graduate Examination Results .............................................................. 166 Undergraduate Examination Results ................................................... 168 New Members of the College ................................................................ 176 2 The Pelican Record PRESIDENT’S REPORT Nicholas Read Nicholas OVER SEVERAL MONTHS of the past year the hordes of tourists taking the route along Merton Street have tended simply to pause outside the Corpus gate and then hurry swiftly on. Catching a glimpse of the acres of tarpaulin, the forest of scaffolding poles and the trenches criss-crossing the quad, they could be forgiven for questioning their guidebooks’ description of the College as a beautiful little gem. With the Chapel undergoing a major renovation, the Library acquiring a new roof, the sundial receiving a facelift, the oriel window on the north front demanding repair and the underground service pipes and cables being renewed and rerouted, it required an effort of imagination to believe in the declared harmony of the Front Quad. While these projects were getting under way, the eighteen-month enhancement of the New Building and Annexe on Magpie Lane continued. Consequently, it was with an audible sigh of relief from the Bursar that Corpus was able to start Michaelmas Term 2016 with these major improvements completed, ensuring that the College would look more handsome than ever for the Quincentenary Year. No less important, the redesigned buildings in Magpie Lane (now renamed The Jackson Building and The Oldham Building, in honour of Oxford’s great Victorian architect and the College’s most munificent founding benefactor), when taken together with the 3 The Pelican Record Liddell Building and the new Lampl Building, allow Corpus to boast student accommodation unsurpassed amongst the colleges in its quality and availability. Readers of the Sundial will have seen images of some the various works mentioned here; a more complete record of the achievements of the Bursar and his team can be accessed through the College website (and elsewhere in The Pelican Record). Our buildings are, of course, the means to our academic ends. This year, one in three of our finalists took Firsts (23 out of 69); forty secured 2.1s and six got 2.2s. Our percentage of 2.1s and 2.2s combined (91.3 per cent) was slightly higher than last year but we were ranked fourteenth in the Norrington Table (compared with tenth in 2015). A more gratifying measure of our undergraduates’ distinction across a wide range of disciplines is the dazzling record of University prizes. Particular mention must be made of Sophie Waldron’s Congratulatory First in Experimental Psychology, for securing first-class marks in seven of her eight