Editing Lincoln College, Oxford (section)

==History==

===Founding===
[[File:Archbishop Richard Fleming.jpg|left|thumb|[[Richard Fleming (bishop)|Richard Fleming]], founder|150px]]
[[Richard Fleming (bishop)|Richard Fleming]], the then [[Bishop of Lincoln]], founded the college in order to combat the [[Lollard]] teachings of [[John Wyclif]]. He intended it to be "a little college of true students of theology who would defend the mysteries of Scripture against those ignorant laymen who profaned with swinish snouts its most holy pearls".{{citation needed|date=March 2012}}. To this end, he obtained a charter for the college from [[King Henry VI]], which combined the parishes of All Saints, [[St Michael at the North Gate]], and St Mildred's within the college under a rector. The college now uses [[All Saints Church, Oxford|All Saints Church]] as its library and has strong ties with St Michael's Church at the North Gate, having used it as a stand-in for the college chapel when necessary.<ref>{{cite web |title=St Michael's at the North Gate at Lincoln College |url=http://www.lincoln.ox.ac.uk/content/view/425/129/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090305140412/http://www.lincoln.ox.ac.uk/content/view/425/129/ |archive-date=5 March 2009}}</ref>

Despite insufficient endowment and trouble from the [[Wars of the Roses]] (for their charter was from the deposed [[House of Lancaster|Lancastrian]]), the college has survived and flourished thanks to the efforts of its fellows and the munificence of a second bishop of Lincoln, [[Thomas Rotherham]]. Richard Fleming died in 1431, and the first rector, William Chamberleyn, in 1434, leaving the college with few buildings and little money. The second rector, John Beke, secured the college's safety by attracting donors. By 1436, the college had seven fellows. John Forest, Dean of Wells and a close friend of Beke's, donated such an amount that the college promised to recognise him as a co-founder; it did not keep this promise. His gifts saw the construction of a chapel, a library, hall and kitchen.<ref>{{cite book |last=Green |first=Vivian H.H. |author-link=Vivian H.H. Green |title=Lincoln College, Oxford |publisher=Thomas-Photos, Oxford |year=1976 |page=2 |ref=refGreen1976}}</ref> After a pointed sermon from the incumbent rector, Thomas Rotherham was compelled to give his support and effectively re-founded it in 1478, with a new charter from [[King Edward IV]].<ref>{{cite web |title=A 15th Century History of Lincoln College, Oxford |url=http://www.lincoln.ox.ac.uk/content/view/426/142/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090305143913/http://www.lincoln.ox.ac.uk/content/view/426/142/ |archive-date=5 March 2009}}</ref>

===18th century===
In the 18th century, Lincoln became the cradle of [[Methodism]] when [[John Wesley]], a fellow there from 1726, held religious meetings with his brother [[Charles Wesley|Charles]] and the rest of Wesley's 'Holy Club', whom the rest of the university took to calling 'Bible-moths'. His appearances at College became less frequent after he departed for [[Province of Georgia|Georgia]] as a [[missionary]] chaplain in 1735. Indeed, he took to signing his publications as "John Wesley, Sometime Fellow of Lincoln College".<ref>{{cite web |title=An 18th Century History of Lincoln College, Oxford |url=http://www.lincoln.ox.ac.uk/content/view/429/142/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090305140456/http://www.lincoln.ox.ac.uk/content/view/429/142/ |archive-date=5 March 2009}}</ref> A portrait of him hangs in the Hall, and a bust overlooks the front quad. The room where he is believed to have worked is also named after him, and was renovated by American Methodists at the beginning of the 20th century.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Wesley Room, Lincoln College |url=http://www.lincoln.ox.ac.uk/content/view/539/206/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090228155137/http://www.lincoln.ox.ac.uk/content/view/539/206/ |archive-date=28 February 2009}}</ref>

===Rivalry===
As is common with Oxford colleges, the college has a long-standing rivalry with neighbour [[Brasenose College]] (which was founded by a later bishop of Lincoln, [[William Smyth]]). The two colleges share a tradition revived annually on [[Ascension Day]]. The story goes that, centuries ago, as a mob chased students at the university through the town, the Lincoln porter allowed in the Lincoln students but refused entry to the Brasenose member, leaving him to the mercy of the mob. An alternative is that a Lincoln man bested a Brasenose man in a duel. Either episode resulted in the Brasenose student's death, and ever since, on Ascension Day, Lincoln College has invited in members of Brasenose College every year through the one door connecting the two colleges, for free beer as penance. Since the nineteenth century, the beer has been flavoured with ivy so as to discourage excessive consumption.<ref>{{cite web |title='Ivy Beer on Ascension Day', Brasenose College |url=http://www.bnc.ox.ac.uk/345/brasenose-college-archives-and-history-38/brasenose-traditions-and-legends-215/ivy-beer-on-ascension-day-418.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090801051854/http://www.bnc.ox.ac.uk/345/brasenose-college-archives-and-history-38/brasenose-traditions-and-legends-215/ivy-beer-on-ascension-day-418.html |archive-date=1 August 2009 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

===Modern day===
Academically, Lincoln was one of the top ten in the [[Norrington Table]] each year from 2006 to 2015 (excluding 2010 and 2011).<ref>{{cite web |title=A compilation of Norrington Table scores from various sources, 2000–2007 |url=http://www.mattmayer.com/fun/norrington/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061206231007/http://www.mattmayer.com/fun/norrington/ |archive-date=6 December 2006 |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="ox.ac.uk">{{cite web |title=The official Norrington Table |url=http://www.ox.ac.uk/about_the_university/facts_and_figures/undergraduate_degree.html |publisher=Oxford University |access-date=17 February 2008}}</ref> Lincoln ranked third in the Norrington Table in 2021<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-01 |title=Special Report: Merton tops 2021 Norrington Table but rankings show link between college wealth and academic performance |url=https://cherwell.org/2022/06/01/special-report-merton-tops-2021-norrington-table-but-rankings-show-link-between-college-wealth-and-academic-performance/ |access-date=2022-08-04 |website=Cherwell |language=en-GB}}</ref> and second in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-29 |title= Lincoln Places 2nd in the Norrington Table! |url=https://lincoln.ox.ac.uk/news/lincoln-places-2nd-in-the-norrington-table |access-date=2024-01-23 |website=Lincoln College |language=en-GB}}</ref>

The college is associated with the Goblin Club, an exclusive all-male dining society founded in 1902.<ref>{{cite web |last=Gauci |first=Perry |title=The Goblin Centenary |url=https://www.lincoln.ox.ac.uk/uploads/files/LincolnCollegerecord-2001-2002.pdf |website=Lincoln College Record 2001–2002 |date=2003}}</ref> In May 2019, the JCR voted to extend a ban on the society on the grounds that it was perceived to be both elitist and racist.<ref>{{cite web |last=Casale |first=Elena |title=Lincoln JCR votes to reinstate a premises ban on Goblins drinking society|url=https://www.oxfordstudent.com/2019/06/04/lincoln-jcr-votes-to-reinstate-a-premises-ban-on-the-goblins-an-all-male-drinking-society/ |website=The Oxford Student |date=4 June 2019 |access-date=16 January 2021 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

In 1958, the college was the first in Oxford or Cambridge to provide a [[Middle Common Room]] exclusively for the use of graduate students.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lincoln College MCR website |url=http://www.lincolnmcr.co.uk/about-lincoln/history/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304115407/http://www.lincolnmcr.co.uk/about-lincoln/history/ |archive-date=4 March 2016 |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{cite web |title=Lincoln College MCR on the Lincoln College website |url=http://www.lincoln.ox.ac.uk/the-middle-common-room}}</ref> Like many of Oxford's colleges, Lincoln admitted its first mixed-sex cohort in 1979,<ref>Communication from Lindsay McCormack, college archivist</ref> after more than half a millennium as a men-only institution. The MCR is now located in the Berrow Foundation Building, which was inaugurated in 2014.<ref name="auto"/>

In 2007, the college took the rare step of unveiling a commissioned portrait of two members of staff who were not fellows or benefactors of the college, in commemoration of their work. Chef Jim Murden and butler Kevin Egleston have worked in the college's kitchen and buttery for 33 and 28 years respectively, as of 2010. Artist [[Daphne Todd]] was commissioned for the painting, who has had such previous sitters as the [[Grand Duke of Luxembourg]] and [[Spike Milligan]].<ref>{{cite journal |title=Lincoln honours loyal partnership |journal=Lincoln College News |date=August 2008 |pages=9}}</ref>

As part of the college's commitment to environmental [[sustainability]], a dedicated [[National Union of Students (United Kingdom)#NUS Charitable Services|Green Impact]] team was set up in 2021,<ref>{{cite web |last1=McWilliams |first1=Beatrice |title=Sustainability at Lincoln and Green Impact |url=https://lincoln.ox.ac.uk/blog/sustainability-at-lincoln-and-green-impact |website=lincoln.ox.ac.uk |publisher=Lincoln College, Oxford |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204092259/https://lincoln.ox.ac.uk/blog/sustainability-at-lincoln-and-green-impact |archive-date=4 December 2023 |date=21 March 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> which has since won an Oxford University gold award.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lincoln's Journey to Sustainability: An Update |url=https://lincoln.ox.ac.uk/news/lincolns-journey-to-sustainability-an-update |website=lincoln.ox.ac.uk |publisher=Lincoln College, Oxford |date=24 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240312152411/https://lincoln.ox.ac.uk/news/lincolns-journey-to-sustainability-an-update |archive-date=12 March 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Biodiversity]] initiatives across the college's various properties have led to creation of a [[Meadow#Urban meadow|wild-flower garden]] outside the entrance to the college library.<ref>{{cite web |title=Improving Biodiversity |url=https://lincoln.ox.ac.uk/discover/sustainable-lincoln/improving-biodiversity |website=lincoln.ox.ac.uk |publisher=Lincoln College, Oxford |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002175530/https://lincoln.ox.ac.uk/discover/sustainable-lincoln/improving-biodiversity |archive-date=2 October 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>