The Archives

Founded in 1379, New College has been building up its archives ever since to make them one of the most extensive and important such holdings in Oxford.  Much of the archives are still housed in the founder’s original purpose-built Muniment Tower at the heart of the college.  The archives detail the foundation and running of the college and its estates, and the lives of the members of its various communities, all making up the rich and varied history of New College.  Many of the estates with which the college was endowed came with their own archives, so documents date back to 1097, well before the college’s foundation.  The archives house a number of collections of personal papers donated to the college by the families of former fellows and alumni.

Explore our Archives Gallery to gain an idea of the archives’ diversity and geographical range.  
 

• Archives Catalogue
• Access
• Opening Hours
• Reprographics
• Research Guides
• Books About New College’s History
• Collections and Collection Development
• Connect With Us

Archives Catalogue

Search our online archives catalogue, which also includes images of some of our documents and some series.  Our catalogue is a continual work in progress, as we add more material to the archives and additional details to the catalogue.

Access

All are welcome to access the archives for their research needs within the constraints of legal requirements and college resources.  Researchers wishing to enquire about the archives or to make an appointment to consult them should contact the Archivist & Records Manager:

Dr Michael Stansfield
Archivist & Records Manager
New College
University of Oxford
Holywell Street
Oxford  OX1 3BN

Email: archives@new.ox.ac.uk
Tel:     01865 279581
 

The Archives & Records Reading Room is located within New College Library, with physical access entailing a number of steps; please enquire about disabled access.  Food and drink are not permitted in the Archives.  Readers will be asked to complete a registration form for administrative and security purposes; please bring some ID which confirms name, address, and signature.  It may be possible to arrange a tailored display of documents for a specific group, or a class for a group of students using a range of documents, or a talk on a topic.  To discuss, please contact the Archivist & Records Manager.   
 

Opening Hours

The Archives & Records Reading Room is open, by prior appointment only, five days a week, Mondays to Fridays, 10 am till 1 pm and 2 till 5 pm, except during the general College closure period over Christmas.  Please contact the Archivist & Records Manager to confirm details and to make an appointment.
 

Reprographics

Where appropriate, researchers may take their own photographs (without flash) for personal study and research purposes only—i.e. not for further dissemination or publication of any kind—subject to signing an application form.  Researchers wishing to publish materials from the archives must obtain the permission of the College beforehand.

Photographs of some historic Oxfordshire estate maps may be viewed on the Oxfordshire History Centre’s Picture Oxon website.  

Images of a few of the college archives can be viewed and copies purchased from:

Bridgeman Images
17–19 Garway Road
London  W2 4PH

www.bridgemanimages.com/en-GB/
 

Research Guides

If you require help with a particular research question related to our archives, please contact the Archivist & Records Manager and/or try accessing one of the following guides:

• My ancestor was at New College
• My house was owned by New College 

Books About New College’s History

• William Poole and Christopher Skelton-Foord (eds.), Geometry and Astronomy in New College, Oxford: On the Quatercentenary of the Savilian Professorships 1619–2019 (Oxford: New College Library & Archives, 2019)
• Paul Hale, The Organs of New College Oxford (Oxford : Positif Press, 2015)
• Matthew Jenkinson, New College School, Oxford: A History (Oxford: Shire Publications, 2013)
• Christopher Tyerman (ed.), New College (London: Third Millennium, 2010)
• Virginia Davis, William Wykeham: A Life (London: Hambledon Continuum, 2007)
• Jonathan Edmunds, New College Brats: A History of the Life and Education of the Choristers of New College, Oxford (Oxford: New College School, 1996)
• John Buxton and Penry Williams (eds.), New College, Oxford, 1379–1979 (Oxford: New College, Oxford, 1979)
• W. F. Oakeshott (ed.), Oxford Stone Restored: The Work of the Oxford Historic Buildings Fund, 1957–1974 (Oxford: Trustees of the Oxford Historic Buildings Fund, 1975), pp. 83–88
• Francis W. Steer, The Archives of New College, Oxford: A Catalogue (London: Phillimore, 1974)
• A. H. Smith, New College, Oxford, and its Buildings (London: Oxford University Press, 1952)
• Christopher Woodforde, The Stained Glass of New College, Oxford (London: Oxford University Press, 1951)
• Hereford B. George, New College, 1856–1906 (London: Henry Frowde, 1906)
• Arthur Octavius Prickard, New College, Oxford (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1906)
• Hastings Rashdall and Robert S. Rait, New College (London: F. E. Robinson, 1901)
• Mackenzie E. C. Walcott, William of Wykeham and his Colleges (Winchester: D. Nutt, 1852)
• Antony Wood, The History and Antiquities of the Colleges and Halls in the University of Oxford (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1786), pp. 171–233

• For printed sources more widely on New College, Oxford (and our partner institution Winchester College), see New College Library’s Colleges of St Mary Winton Collection.
• See also New College Notes—the scholarly e-journal of New College, Oxford—dedicated to research articles and learned notes on the history and life of the college, and especially the contents and history of the rich collections in our Library and Archives.

New College Archive

Pre-New College Records

Personal Papers

Collection Development

The archives are continually being developed and added to. The Archivist & Records Manager welcomes talking to anyone wishing to consider material being added to the archives for permanent preservation and research access.  Some of the categories of material of particular interest, if examples are not held already, include:

• Photographs of college groups or activities
• Journals, diaries, correspondence detailing life at New College
• Term cards, menus, programmes, minutes for college societies and events
• College handbooks and publications
• College branded clothing (blazers, ties, caps, sports shirts, but not academic dress)
• Deeds for current or past college estates and properties
   

Connect With Us​