Editing Wadham College, Oxford (section)

=== 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" />