Editing Wadham College, Oxford (section)

== History ==
[[File:Nicholasanddoothywadham.jpg|right|thumb|Statues of the founders above the main entrance to the Hall]]

=== 17th century ===
The college was founded by [[Dorothy Wadham]] (née Petre) in 1610,<ref name="History of Wadham">{{cite web|url=http://www.wadham.ox.ac.uk/about-wadham/history-of-wadham/history-of-wadham-2.html|title=History of Wadham |publisher=www.wadham.ox.ac.uk |access-date=11 September 2009}}</ref> according to the wishes set out in the will of her husband [[Nicholas Wadham (1531–1609)|Nicholas Wadham]]. Over four years, she gained royal and ecclesiastical support for the new college, negotiated the purchase of a site, appointed the West Country architect [[William Arnold (architect)|William Arnold]], drew up the college statutes, and appointed the first warden, fellows, scholars, and cook. Although she never visited Oxford, she kept tight control of her new college and its finances until her death in 1618.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Davies|first=C.S.L.|title=A Woman in the Public Sphere; Dorothy Wadham and the Foundation of Wadham College, Oxford|journal=The English Historical Review|date=Sep 2003|volume=118|issue=478|pages=883–911|jstor=3491127|doi=10.1093/ehr/118.478.883}}</ref>

The wardenship of [[John Wilkins]] (1648–1659) is a significant period in the history of the college. Wilkins was a member of a group which had met for some years in London to discuss problems in the natural sciences. Many of the group moved to Oxford and held regular meetings in the Warden's lodgings at Wadham. Among them were [[Robert Boyle]], [[Robert Hooke]], [[John Locke]], [[William Petty]], [[John Wallis]], and [[Thomas Willis]]. Wadham provided the largest contingent, some twelve of the fifty names mentioned. These included Christopher Brookes (mathematician and instrument-maker), [[John Mayow]] (a distinguished chemist and physician), [[Lawrence Rooke]] (later astronomy professor at [[Gresham College]], London), [[Thomas Sprat]] (later the official historian of the [[Royal Society]]), [[Seth Ward (bishop of Salisbury)|Seth Ward]] (mathematician and [[Savilian Professor of Astronomy]]), and [[Sir Christopher Wren]] (mathematician and [[Savilian Professor of Astronomy]]).<ref name="davis-garnett">{{cite book|last=C. Davis and J. Garnett|title=Tutorial Teaching at Wadham: A History|year=2008|publisher=The Development Office of Wadham College|location=Oxford}}</ref>

[[Sir Christopher Wren]] was an undergraduate at Wadham before he became a fellow of [[All Souls College, Oxford|All Souls]] and then succeeded [[Lawrence Rooke|Rooke]] as astronomy professor at [[Gresham College]], London. He eventually returned to occupy rooms at Wadham while he was the [[Savilian Professor of Astronomy]] from 1661. Wren had notable achievements in pure and applied mathematics, astronomy, physics and biology to his credit before he turned to architecture, in his thirties.<ref name="davis-garnett" /> In mathematical ability alone, Wren was ranked by competent authorities second only to [[Isaac Newton|Newton]] among the men of his time.<ref name="j.wells">{{cite book|last=Wells|first=Joseph|title=Wadham College|year=1898|publisher=F. E. Robinson|location=London|url=https://archive.org/details/wadhamcollege00wellrich}}</ref>

The Warden's lodgings were stuffed with ingenious instruments, and powerful telescopes were mounted on the college tower. The Oxford group kept up close relations with their colleagues in London, and in 1660, at [[Gresham College|Gresham]], the decision was taken to create the body which, in 1662, was to be formally incorporated as the [[Royal Society]]. [[John Wilkins|Wilkins]] was the first president of the provisional body, and became the first secretary of the Royal Society itself. These were the beginnings of organised scientific research in Britain.<ref name="davis-garnett" />

=== The Bowra era ===
[[Maurice Bowra]] was warden of the college from 1938 until 1970, and was influential in determining the character of the college as open and meritocratic. He was known for his hospitality but also for his waspish wit, and anecdotes about his time as Warden remain in circulation amongst Wadham alumni. A statue of Bowra is in the college gardens, and the college's 1992 Bowra Building bears his name.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bowra Building {{!}} MJP Architects |url=http://www.mjparchitects.co.uk/projects/the-bowra-building-wadham-college/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227005236/http://www.mjparchitects.co.uk/projects/the-bowra-building-wadham-college/ |archive-date=27 December 2013 |access-date=6 May 2024 |website=MJP Architects}}</ref>

=== Modern day ===
The college now consists of some 70 Fellows, about 230 graduate students, and about 450 undergraduates. The current Warden is [[Robert Hannigan]]. Hannigan succeeded [[Ken Macdonald|Lord Macdonald of River Glaven QC]] as Warden upon Macdonald's retirement in 2021.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.wadham.ox.ac.uk/news/2021/may/robert-hannigan-nominated-as-next-warden|title=Robert Hannigan nominated as next Warden|publisher=Wadham College, Oxford|date=17 May 2021|access-date=1 October 2021}}</ref>

==== Promotion of equality, diversity and rights ====
In 1974, after more than three and a half centuries as a men-only institution, Wadham was among the first group of five all-male colleges at Oxford to admit women as full members, the others being [[Brasenose]], [[Jesus College, Oxford|Jesus College]], [[Hertford College, Oxford|Hertford]] and [[St Catherine's College, Oxford|St Catherine's]].<ref name="Women_at_Oxford">{{cite web |title=Women at Oxford |url=http://www.ox.ac.uk/about/oxford-people/women-at-oxford |access-date=12 June 2016 |publisher=[[University of Oxford]]}}</ref>

Wadham College has a reputation as a supporter of gay rights partly because it plays host to "Queerfest", a celebration of the LGBTQ cause.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Wadham|first1=College News|title=Queerfest 2016|url=https://www.wadham.ox.ac.uk/news/2016/november/queerfest-2016|website=www.wadham.ox.ac.uk|access-date=19 August 2017}}</ref> In 2011, Wadham became the first Oxbridge college to fly the [[Rainbow flag (LGBT movement)|Rainbow Flag]] in support of equality, as part of its annual Queer Week.<ref>[http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2011/11/23/oxford-college-flies-first-ever-rainbow-flag-above-university/ Oxford college flies university's "first-ever rainbow flag"] (November 2011)</ref> The [[Rainbow flag (LGBT)|rainbow flag]] also flies over Wadham each year during February, to mark [[LGBT history month]].{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

A Wadham student tradition is that student social events are always concluded with the playing of [[the Specials]]' ''[[Free Nelson Mandela]]''. The motion to play the song to conclude every student event until [[Nelson Mandela]] was freed from prison was passed by the Wadham Student Union in 1987, when Wadham alumnus Simon Milner (History, 1985), now Policy Director at Facebook, was SU President.<ref name="mandela">[http://www.wadham.ox.ac.uk/news/2013/december/students-pay-tribute-to-nelson-mandela "Wadham students pay tribute to Nelson Mandela"]. wadham.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved on 23 December 2013.</ref> Following Mandela's liberation, the Student Union voted to continue the tradition as a mark of affection. President Mandela visited Wadham College and dined there on 11 July 1997.<ref>[http://www.wadham.ox.ac.uk/news/2013/december/students-pay-tribute-to-nelson-mandela Students pay tribute to Nelson Mandela]. Wadham.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved on 12 April 2014.</ref> In 2017, this tradition was challenged by a South African student, who is a member of the [[ANC]] and active in equality campaigning in South Africa, as no longer appropriate given the complex legacy of Mandela in post-Apartheid South Africa. He also highlighted that there is much more to South Africa than just the history of Apartheid, and that constant reference to it rather than South Africa's current issues is outdated and no longer the progressive act it was intended to be. A vote to remove the constitutional requirement to play the song was narrowly defeated in a Wadham SU meeting.

In 2013 the warden, [[Ken Macdonald|Lord Macdonald of River Glaven QC]], created the Wadham Human Rights Forum, a new public forum for the discussion of human rights issues that welcomes top level speakers to Wadham College. Lord Macdonald was also frequently in the media speaking on legal issues and, particularly, on issues relating to rights and security.<ref>[http://www.wadham.ox.ac.uk/news/2013/june/questioning-human-rights "Human Rights Forum at Wadham College"]. wadham.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved on 23 December 2013.</ref>