ST. CATHERINE'S SOCIETY
The Royal Commission on the University of Oxford,
appointed in 1850, suggested in its report that 'liberty
be given for the extension of the University by
permitting members of the University, under due
superintendence, to live in private lodgings, without
connexion with a College or Hall'. The suggestion was
strongly opposed on many grounds, moral, religious,
and financial, and from various quarters, and nothing
came of its for a time. But in 1868 the University realxed
the provisions of the Laudian Statutes so as to allow the
matriculation of men 'nulli collegio vel aulae ascripti'.
Such 'unattached students' (as they were called) were
put under the charge of the newly appointed Delegates for the Licensing of Lodgings, of whom two were
'stipendiary'. The duties of the Delegates, chiefly
exercised through the two stipendiaries, were to see
that the students were in suitable lodgings, to supply
certificates of residence and to present for degrees.
They were also to draw up a register of authorized
tutors, and each undergraduate was ordered by statute
to have as his tutor one of those so authorized. But he
was free to make his choice from the list, and the
tutor's responsibility was not heavy. Each had to see
that his pupil was receiving proper instruction (not to
give it himself) and to look after his general moral
welfare. Thus, at first, the attempt was to give the
students all the freedom of choice and independence
possible. Accommodation was provided for official
purposes in the Old Clarendon Buildings, where were the University Offices.
In 1868 there were 36 students, 66 in 1869, a
growth which proved that the new provision for poor
students was appreciated. In 1870, therefore, a new
statute was passed, constituting a delegacy solely for the
supervision of unattached students, with two stipendiary officers now first called 'Censors'. A rather
closer hold was laid on the lives of the students, in that
the delegates were to 'exercise such discipline as is
usually exercised over Undergraduate members of
Colleges or Halls by the Heads or Governing bodies
thereof, and the Censors were to exercise tutorial
supervision and direct the studies of the students. In
1871 the 'Old Convocation House chapel' was
restored at a cost of £330 and became the chapel of
the Unattached, with an organist; there was service
every Sunday at 9.30. (fn. 1) This arrangement came to an
end in 1882. Under the first two Censors—G. W.
Kitchin, D.D. (formerly Student of Christ Church,
subsequendy Dean of Winchester and of Durham),
1868–83, and G. S. Ward (tutor of Magdalen Hall
and subsequently fellow of Hertford College), 1868–81, the Society quietly grew and prospered, in spite of
the fact that little official accommodation was provided
for social life, a bare and uncomfortable room in the
Clarendon Buildings being the only room in which
undergraduates could meet. No doubt this was done
so as to check, for poor students, the extravagance
with which so much social life in the University was
connected. But the undergraduates themselves developed their own social and athletic clubs, and hired
club rooms at 29 Broad St. (now in the new buildings
of Hertford College) where 'the St. Catharine's Club'
was in existence in 1881 with a 'St. Catharine's
Musical Society' which gave concerts in support of
the 'St. Catharine's Rowing Club'. (fn. 2) The site was
known as St. Catherine's chapel (but incorrectly): hence the name of the Society.
This new and spontaneous growth was recognized
and approved by the Commission of 1877, and in the
statute of 1882 resulting from their labours it was laid
down that, as soon as the money was available, a
capital sum of not less than £7,000 should be spent
'in providing offices, a Library and such other buildings
as may be necessary'. The University, moreover,
agreed to pay £1,000 a year towards the stipends of
the Censor (since 1881 there had only been a single
Censor) and tutors, and in 1885 the Delegates were
empowered to appoint their own tutors and lecturers
to give instruction to the students. The year 1884
was annus mirabilis, as H. H. Henson, afterwards
bishop of Durham, was elected a fellow of All Souls
and W. S. Unwin won the Diamond Sculls; the
scholarship and the oarsmanship of the Unattached
henceforth ceased to be a subject for undergraduate wit. (fn. 3)
In 1883 W. W. Jackson, D.D. (fellow and subsequently rector of Exeter College), became Censor. It
was under him that, in 1884, the name 'unattached',
with its suggestion of non-residence, was changed to
'Non-Collegiate', and the new premises were erected
by the University. They were next to the Examination Schools in High St. and consisted of a handsome
and well-finished building containing, besides tutor's
rooms and a fine library, a junior common room to
foster social life. They were not, however, occupied
till 1888 when the censorship was held by R. W. M.
Pope, D.D., who continued to be Censor until 1919.
After the War the Society prospered under the new
Censor, J. B. Baker, M.A. (1919–30), and was much
used by the increasing number of those who, having taken
a degree elsewhere, wished to do post-graduate work
at Oxford. There was also a notable growth among the
undergraduates of corporate spirit and of desire for
better social opportunities than the existing building
afforded. The Royal Commission of 1922 therefore
urged that 'the central rooms to which students resort
for work and recreation should be adequate in size and
attractive in appearance, and that funds be provided
by the University for such improvements as may be
required.'The building in High St. was no longer
suitable; it was too small, it was not convenient, and it
was noisy with the growth of motor traffic, but nothing
was done. In 1930 V.J.K. Brook, M.A., was appointed
Censor and in 1934 an opportunity arose. The
University owned a site in St. Aldate's south of
Christ Church. This site was offered to St. Catherine's
Society and handsome buildings at a cost of £20,000,
designed by J. H. Worthington, were erected there.
Besides tutors' rooms, &c., there is a good library, an
attractive junior common room, and a dining hall.
Thus the fullest possible provision was made for
corporate life. The cost was met by the sale of the
premises of the Society in High St., by funds collected
by the Society, and by a gift of about £4,000 from the
University. The new building was opened by the
Chancellor of the University in Oct. 1936. One
further change was that, in 1931, the name 'NonCollegiate' was formally abandoned, and that of 'St.
Catherine's Society' sanctioned by the University.
The Society had long had its own playing-field,
boats on the river, and so on; thus, with the opportunities of the new building, full provision was made for
all the normal activities of undergraduate social and
athletic life. A full scheme for tuition in all subjects
had for many years been in force. But the Society
continues to maintain its original purpose of providing
an Oxford education as full and many-sided as possible
for poor men who cannot afford the expenses of a
college life. It is used chiefly by such men as wish to
read for and Honours Degree (Pass men are not normally accepted) or to undertake research.