Oxford University Act 1854

Constitution of the University.U.K.

F15 Establishment of Hebdomadal Council.U.K.

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6 Composition of Hebdomadal Council. As to heads of colleges and professors being returned or sitting as professors, or members of convocation. Persons elected in two or more classes to declare under which class they will sit.U.K.

The Hebdomadal Council shall consist of the Chancellor, the Vice-Chancellor, the proctors, six heads of colleges or halls, six professors of the University, and six members of Convocation of not less than five years standing, such heads of colleges, or halls, professors, and members of Convocation to be elected by the Congregation herein-after mentioned of the said University; and the Chancellor, or in his absence the Vice-Chancellor, or his deputy, being a member of the Hebdomadal Council, shall be the president of such Hebdomadal Council: Provided always, that nothing herein contained shall be held to prevent the head of any college or hall who is a professor being returned or continuing to sit as one of the six professors, or the head of any college or hall, or a professor, being returned or continuing to sit as one of the six members of Convocation; and if any person shall be elected a member of the Hebdomadal Council in two or more classes, he shall, when he first takes his seat in the council, declare under which class he desires to sit, and his seat for the other shall be forthwith vacated.

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8 Periodical vacating of seats.U.K.

Of the six persons to be then elected together out of each of the classes of heads of colleges, or halls, professors, and members of Convocation, the three juniors of each class in academical standing, reckoned from matriculation, shall vacate their seats at the expiration of the third year from such day within the then current academical year as shall be named by the Hebdomadal Council in that behalf; and all the other persons to be then elected shall vacate their seats at the expiration of the sixth year from the said day; and all other persons elected from time to time, except such as shall be so elected upon casual vacancies, shall vacate their seats at the expiration of six years; and the election to supply the places of the persons so vacating their seats shall be made upon the day on which seats are vacated.

9 Members may be re-elected.U.K.

All such persons whatsoever shall be capable of re-election.

10 Filling up of casual vacancies.U.K.

Any casual vacancy occurring by death, resignation, or otherwise among such persons shall be filled by the election of a qualified person, according to the directions of this Act; but the person so elected shall be subject to the same rules and conditions in all respects as the person to whose place he succeeds would have been subject to if no such vacancy had taken place.

11 Vice-Chancellor to continue a member.U.K.

If the Vice-Chancellor for the time being shall not be also an elected member of the said council, then, on the expiration of his term of office, he shall in virtue of his late office continue to be a member thereof until the next triennial election, or for the space of one year, if such election shall take place at an earlier period.

12 Professors eligible.U.K.

No professor shall be ineligible for the said council by reason of anything contained in the statutes of his foundation.

13 Non-residence to create a vacancy.U.K.

If any of the members of the Hebdomadal Council other than the Chancellor of the University shall reside for less than twenty-four weeks during term time in any year, his seat shall at or before the close of such year be declared by the Vice-Chancellor and shall thereupon become vacant.

14 Vice-Chancellor to make register of Congregation; also regulations respecting Hebdomadal Council.U.K.

The Vice-Chancellor shall before the twenty-fifth day of September in each year, make and promulgate a register of the persons qualified to the best of his knowledge to be members of the Congregation of the University of Oxford according to this Act, and shall also make and promulgate all such regulations as to the said register, and as to all matters relating to the voting for, election, resignation, and return of members of the Hebdomadal Council as may be necessary for the assembling together of the Congregation and for the election and assembling together of the said Hebdomadal Council according to this Act, and for keeping the number of such council complete, and shall appoint the time of the day and place at which they shall so assemble together; . . . F3 and no persons shall be admitted to vote in the election of members of the Hebdomadal Council but those included in such register, and mentioned or described in the sixteenth section and the schedule therein referred to.

15 Power to Hebdomadal Council to make rules for regulation of its own proceedings.U.K.

Subject to the provisions of this Act, and without prejudice to the rights of Congregation and Convocation in the making of statutes for the University of Oxford, the Hebdomadal Council shall have power to make, from time to time, rules for the regulation of its own proceedings, and to revise the regulations and register herein-before directed to be made by the Vice-Chancellor.

16 Composition of Congregation. Power to Congregation to frame regulations for its own proceedings.U.K.

The Congregation of the University of Oxford shall be composed of the following persons only, the said persons being members of Convocation:

1.The Chancellor.

2.The High Steward.

3.The heads of colleges and halls.

4.The canons of Christ Church.

5.The proctors.

6.The members of the Hebdomadal Council.

7.The officers named in schedule (A.) to this Act annexed.

8.The professors.

9.Assistant or deputy professors.

10.The public examiners.

11.All residents.

12.All such persons as shall be provided to be added by election or otherwise to the said Congregation by any statute of the University approved by the commissioners, or (after the expiry of the commission) passed by licence of the Crown.

The Chancellor, or in his absence the Vice-Chancellor, or his deputy, shall preside in the said Congregation, and the Congregation so constituted as aforesaid shall have power to frame regulations for the order of its own proceedings, but subject to any statute which the University may make in respect thereof.

17 As to promulgation of statutes.U.K.

Every statute framed by the Hebdomadal Council shall, after due notice of the contents thereof, be promulgated in Congregation, and shall also be proposed there for acceptance or rejection after an interval of seven days, or such other interval as the University by statute may appoint, and if accepted by Congregation shall be, after an interval of fourteen days, or such other interval as the University by Statute may appoint, submitted to Convocation for final adoption or rejection as a statute of the University.

18 Proposal of amendments.U.K.

Any member of Congregation may, upon the promulgation of any such statute, propose, in writing, amendments thereof to the Hebdomadal Council, which the said council shall consider, and thereupon may adopt, alter, or reject.

19 If change made, statute to be re-promulgated.U.K.

If after the promulgation of a statute the said council shall make any change in it, it shall thereupon be promulgated afresh in manner aforesaid.

20 Congregation may speak in English.U.K.

The members of Congregation shall upon the occasion of the promulgation of any statute have the right to speak thereon in the English tongue, but without the power of moving any amendment, and subject to such regulations as the University may make by statute for the due order of debate.

21 As to election of Hebdomadal Council.U.K.

Upon any occasion of electing members of the Hebdomadal Council, every person entitled to vote in such election shall have the power of giving votes in each class as follows; for one vacancy, one vote; for two or three vacancies, two votes; for four vacancies, three votes; for five or six vacancies, four votes: Provided always, that no elector shall give more than one vote for any one candidate.

22 Powers of Convocation retained.U.K.

The Convocation of the University of Oxford shall not, save as herein provided, be deprived of any of the powers by it now lawfully possessed.

23 University may provide that votes may be given by proxy at election of Chancellor.U.K.

It shall be lawful for the University to provide by statute, if it shall think fit, that votes may be given either personally or by proxies, being members of convocation authorised by writing under the hand of the member of convocation nominating such proxy, at any election of a chancellor of the University.

24 Certain oaths illegal.U.K.

Every oath directly or indirectly binding the juror—

• Not to disclose any matter or thing relating to his college, although required so to do by lawful authority:

• To resist or not concur in any change in the statutes of the University or college:

• To do or forbear from doing anything the doing or the not doing of which would tend to any such concealment, resistance, or non-concurrence:

shall be an illegal oath in the said University and the colleges thereof; and no such oath shall hereafter be administered or taken.

25 Power to Vice-Chancellor to license members of convocation to open their residences for reception of students;U.K.

It shall be lawful for any member of Convocation, of such standing and qualifications as may be provided by any statute hereafter to be made, to obtain a licence from the Vice-Chancellor to open his residence, if situate within one mile and a half of Carfax, for the reception of students, who shall be matriculated and admitted to all the privileges of the University without being of necessity entered as members of any college or existing hall; . . . F4

26 who shall be called licensed masters.U.K.

Every person to whom such licence is granted shall be called a licensed master, and his residence so opened as aforesaid shall be called a private hall.

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39 Power to repeal statutes.U.K.

Every statute made by the University of Oxford, . . . F6 by virtue of the powers of this Act, shall be subject to repeal or alteration in the same manner and to the same extent, but not otherwise, in and to which other statutes of the said University . . . F6 are or may be subject to repeal or alteration by the authorities thereof.

40 Statutes by Commissioners subject to repeal, &c.U.K.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F7 all provisions herein-before contained respecting the election, constitution, powers, and proceedings of the Hebdomadal Council, and respecting the constitution, powers, and proceedings of the congregation, shall be subject to repeal and alteration by the University. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F7 with the approval of her Majesty in Council.

41 Christ Church deemed a college.U.K.

For the purposes of this Act, the cathedral or house of Christ Church in Oxford shall be considered to be to all intents and purposes a college of the University.

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43 Not necessary to make declaration or take an oath on matriculating;U.K.

It shall not be necessary for any person, upon matriculating in the University of Oxford, to make or subscribe any declaration or to take any oath, any law or statute to the contrary notwithstanding.

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47 Powers of University to continue in force, except as altered by this Act.U.K.

Except in so far as they are expressly altered or taken away by the provisions of this Act, the powers and privileges of the University and its officers, and of the colleges and their officers, shall continue in full force.

48 Interpretation of terms.U.K.

In the construction of this Act, the expression “University or college emolument” shall include all fellowships, studentships, scholarships, exhibitions, demyships, postmasterships, taberdarships, Bible clerkships, servitorships, and every other such place of emolument payable out of the revenues of the University, or of any college, or to be held and enjoyed by the members of any college or hall as such within the University; F12... the word “school” shall include colleges in Scotland; and the words “professor” and “professorship” shall be taken to include respectively public readers, prælectors, and their several offices; and the words “public examiner” shall be taken to include moderators and masters of the schools; and the word “hall” shall be taken to mean all halls other than affiliated halls, or such private halls as are authorized by this Act; and the governing body of any college shall mean and include the head and all actual fellows thereof, being graduates, but in the case of Christ Church shall mean the dean and canons thereof; and the word “residents” shall mean and include all members of Convocation who shall have resided twenty weeks within one mile and a half of Carfax during the year that shall expire on the first day of September next preceding the making and promulgation of the register as directed by the fourteenth section of this Act.