Colleges of Durham University, including affiliated
Founded Title Sex Change
1832 University College )utd domestic Men 1987 mixed
1846 Bishop Hatfield’s Hall, 1919 Hatfield College,)admin 1926-1949 Men 1988 mixed
1851-1864 Cosin’s Hall Men -
1852-1963 College of Medicine (fdd1834), 1937 King’s College, 1963 Newcastle University Men -
1871-1963 College of Physical Science, 1884 College of Science, 1904 Armstrong College, Men -
1937 King’s College, 1963 Newcastle University
1871 Unattached/Non-Collegiate, 1888 St Cuthbert’s Society Men 1969 mixed
1875-1965 Codrington College (fdd1745), 1965 University of West Indies Men -
1876-1967 Fourah Bay College (fdd1827), 1967 University of Sierra Leone Men -
1892 St Bede’s College (fdd1839), 1975 College of St Hild & St Bede Men 1975 mixed
1895 Women home students, 1947 St Aidan’s Society, 1961 St Aidan’s College Women 1981 mixed
1896 St Hild’s College (fdd 1858), 1975 College of St Hild & St Bede Women 1975 mixed
1899 Women’s hostel, 1919 St Mary’s College Women 2005 mixed
1904 St Chad’s Hall, 1919 St Chad’s College Men 1988 mixed
1909 St John’s Hall, 1919 St John’s College Men 1973 mixed
1924-1977 Neville’s Cross College (fdd 1921), 1977 New College Women -
1930-1963 Sunderland Technical College (fdd1901), Sunderland Polytechnic 1969 Men -
1959 Grey College Men 1984 mixed
1965 Graduate Society, 2002 Ustinov College Mixed -
1965 Van Mildert College Men 1972 mixed
1967 Trevelyan College Women 1990 mixed
1968-2011 Ushaw College (fdd 1808) Men -
1972 Collingwood College Mixed -
1992 University College Stockton, 2001 John Snow College Mixed -
1992 University College Stockton, 2001 George Stephenson College Mixed -
2006 Josephine Butler College Mixed -
2020 South College Mixed -
Associated Colleges - UK
Birmingham Queen’s College Theological Department 1876
Burgh Theological College
Canterbury St Augustine’s Theological College 1877
Chichester Theological College 1878
Cumbrae Theological College 1877
Dorchester Theological College
Edinburgh Theological College 1878
Gloucester Theological College
Highbury Theological College
Islington Theological College
Lichfield Theological College 1876
Lincoln Theological College
London King’s College Theological Department 1877
Isle of Man, Bishop Wilson School
Salisbury Theological College
St Bees St Aidan’s Theological College 1876
Truro Theological College
Warminster Theological College
Associated Colleges – Non-UK
Australia, Armidale, St John’s College 1912
Australia, Sydney, Moore College 1910
Canada, St John’s Newfoundland, Queen’s College 1912
Jamaica, St Peter’s College 1910
New Zealand, Dunedin, Selwyn College 1910
Nigeria, Oyo, St Andrew’s Theological College 1924
Institute of Education Colleges variously 1940s-1970s
Alnwick Training College
Bede College
Darlington Training College/College of Education
Domestic Science College
Kenton Lodge Training College
Middlesbrough Day Training College
Middleton St George College of Education
Neville’s Cross College
Newcastle upon Tyne Training College
St Hild’s College
St Mary’s College, Fenham
Sunderland College of Education
Sunderland Training College/Polytechnic
Teesside College of Education
Wynyard Hall Training College
Others
Cranmer Theological College 1911-1912, claimed a university association via St John's Hall
Durham University Degree Awarding Ceremonies
The university initially awarded degrees at the regular meetings of its Convocation. Thus degrees were not awarded at all such meetings, and often there might be only one degree awarded, and that even in absentia. The list below records all such meetings where degrees were awarded. Incidentally, the very first meeting of the university’s Convocation did not happen. It was scheduled to take place on 25 February 1836 and “a paper to that effect signed by the Warden was affixed to the door of Bishop Cosin’s Library”; however, the death of the bishop of Durham meant that the meeting was postponed until the following 4 March. The first Convocation where degrees were awarded was on 8 June 1837, with William Cundill, as well as being the first student matriculating at the university, being also listed as the first recipient of a degree from the university.
The location of the meetings of Convocation is not consistently recorded until after World War I, though the Convocation minute book does record that the first meeting was in Bishop Cosin’s Library “the place appointed for the meeting of Convocation”.
The 1938 Act reduced the role of Convocation considerably to just an annual meeting. Though congregations are nowhere mentioned, such gatherings of university staff were from Michaelmas term 1938 where degrees were awarded. Prior to the preservation of congregation lists from 1938, there is no record of how many separate ceremonies at Convocation might have been necessary to award all the requisite degrees.
Some ceremonies have been exclusively for the awarding of honorary degrees, especially in more recent years, or even for the installation of a chancellor, with awards of honoraries. Overall, counting Convocations/Congregations where degrees have been awarded, held in separate locations on separate occasions which may, particularly currently, extend over several days, the university had (as of January 2020) held 962 separate such ceremonies.
Dates of degree-awarding Convocations/Congregations, with their locations since WWI, are as follows:
1837 June 8, November 22, November 25
1838 February 17, April 25, June 19, July 31, December 10
1839 April 25, May 14, June 19, December 12, December 18
1840 February 11, April 28, June 18, June 23, September 21, October 31, December 5, December 18
1841 February 2, March 18, April 24, April 29, May 24, May 27, June 23, October 26, November 23, December 22
1842 February 1, April 28, June 22, October 25, November 29
1843 January 31, April 25, June 21, October 25, December 6, December 12
1844 January 31, April 30, June 19, October 22
1845 January 28, April 29, June 18, October 15, October 28, November 18, December 18
1846 February 3, May 5, June 23, November 3, December 8, December 14
1847 February 2, May 4, June 22, November 2, December 15
1848 February 1, May 9, June 27, October 31, November 28
1849 February 6, May 1, June 19, October 30, December 19
1850 January 29, March 16, April 29, June 19, October 29, December 17
1851 January 28, May 6, June 24, October 28, November 6, December 9, December 16
1852 January 27, April 27, June 15, October 26, December 14
1853 January 25, April 26, May 26, June 14, November 1
1854 January 31, May 2, June 20, October 31
1855 January 30, May 1, June 19, October 30
1856 January 29, February 25, April 29, June 17, October 28
1857 January 27, February 3, April 28, June 15, October 27, November 24
1858 January 26, April 27, June 1, June 15, November 2, November 30
1859 February 8, March 1, May 10, June 28, November 1, November 15
1860 January 31, March 20, May 1, June 19, October 30
1861 January 29, April 30, June 18, October 29, November 19
1862 January 28, May 6, June 24, August 16, October 28
1863 January 27, March 3, April 28, June 16, October 27
1864 January 26, May 3, June 21, June 24, November 1
1865 January 31, May 1, June 20, October 24
1866 January 30, May 8, May 22, July 3, October 16, December 18
1867 January 22, May 7, July 2, October 15, October 29, December 17
1868 January 21, February 21, May 5, June 30, October 13, December 15
1869 January 19, May 4, June 29, September 28, December 14
1870 May 10, July 5, August 12, December 20
1871 January 24, May 9, July 4, October 17, December 19
1872 February 6, May 21, June 25, October 29, December 10
1873 February 5, May 6, June 24, October 28, December 16
1874 February 3, May 5, June 23, October 27, December 15
1875 June 29, October 26, December 14
1876 February 8, May 9, June 27, October 24, December 12
1877 January 30, May 1, June 19, October 23, December 11
1878 March 12, May 14, June 14, July 2, December 10
1879 January 28, May 6, June 10, June 24, October 21, December 9
1880 January 27, May 4, June 1, June 22, October 26, December 14
1881 February 1, March 22, May 10, June 28, October 25, November 15, December 13
1882 January 31, March 14, May 9, June 6, June 27, October 24, December 12
1883 January 30, March 17, May 8, May 28, June 26, October 23, December 11
1884 January 30, February 5, March 18, May 13, June 17, July 1, October 21, November 18, December 2, December 9
1885 February 3, May 5, June 2, June 23, October 27, December 1, December 15
1886 February 2, March 2, May 11, May 25, June 1, June 29, October 26, November 23, December 14
1887 February 1, February 15, May 3, June 7, June 21, October 25, November 29, December 13
1888 January 31, May 1, May 29, June 29, July 31, October 23, November 20, December 11
1889 January 29, April 30, May 28, June 25, September 14, September 27, October 22, December 10
1890 February 4, March 24, May 6, June 24, September 30, October 21, November 18, December 9
1891 January 27, April 28, May 5, June 23, September 26, October 27, November 24, December 15
1892 February 2, March 15, April 30, May 3, May 31, June 21, October 1, October 25, November 22, December 13
1893 January 31, April 29, May 30, June 20, August 4, September 30, October 24, December 12
1894 January 30, April 28, May 22, June 26, June 30, September 29, October 23, November 13, December 11
1895 January 29, March 12, April 27, June 25, June 29, September 28, October 22, December 3, December 10
1896 January 28, February 25, April 25, June 23, September 26, October 27, December 15
1897 January 26, March 27, April 24, May 18, June 22, September 25, October 26, December 14
1898 February 1, March 15, March 26, April 2, April 23, June 21, September 24, October 25, December 13
1899 January 24, March 25, April 29, June 30, September 23, October 24, December 12
1900 January 23, March 6, March 24, April 28, May 10, June 19, September 22, October 23, December 11
1901 January 29, February 26, March 30, April 27, June 11, June 25, September 28, October 22, December 10
1902 January 28, April 26, June 24, September 27, October 21, December 9
1903 February 3, March 17, April 25, June 23, September 26, October 3, October 27, December 15
1904 February 2, March 15, April 30, June 21, October 1, October 25, December 13
1905 January 31, April 29, June 27, September 30, October 24, December 12
1906 January 30, March 13, April 28, May 16, June 26, September 29, October 23, December 11
1907 January 29, April 27, June 25, September 28, October 22, December 10
1908 January 28, March 3, April 4, June 9, June 23, July 25, September 26, October 20, December 8
1909 January 26, April 3, May 4, June 1, June 22, June 29, July 24, September 25, October 19, December 7
1910 January 25, April 2, June 21, July 23, September 24, October 3, October 25, December 13
1911 January 31, April 1, June 27, July 22, September 23, October 24, December 12
1912 February 6, March 30, June 25, June 29, September 28, November 5, December 17
1913 February 4, March 29, May 3, June 24, September 27, November 4, December 16
1914 February 3, March 28, June 23, September 26, November 3, December 15
1915 February 2 ?
1915 March 27 ?
1915 June 22 Durham
1915 September 25 Durham
1915 November 2 Durham
1915 December 14 Durham
1916 February 8 Durham
1916 March 25 Newcastle College of Medicine
1916 May 25 Durham
1916 June 27 Durham
1919 May 31 ?
1919 July 1 Durham Castle Great Hall
1919 July 9 ?
1919 September 20 Durham Cosin’s Library
1919 October 28 Durham Cosin’s Library
1919 December 9 Durham Castle Great Hall
1920 February 3 Durham Cosin’s Library
1920 March 27 Newcastle College of Medicine
1920 June 29 Durham Castle Great Hall
1920 September 25 Durham Cosin’s Library
1920 November 2 Durham Cosin’s Library
1920 December 14 Durham Castle Great Hall
1921 February 1 Durham Cosin’s Library
1921 March 26 Newcastle College of Medicine
1921 June 28 Durham Castle Great Hall
1921 July 21 Durham Castle Great Hall
1921 September 24 Durham Cosin’s Library
1921 November 1 Durham Cosin’s Library
1921 December 13 Durham Castle Great Hall
1922 February 7 Durham Cosin’s Library
1922 March 25 Newcastle College of Medicine
1922 June 27 Durham Castle Great Hall
1922 September 23 Durham Cosin’s Library
1922 October 31 Durham Cosin’s Library
1922 December 12 Durham Castle Great Hall
1923 February 6 Durham Cosin’s Library
1923 March 29 Newcastle College of Medicine
1923 June 26 Durham Castle Great Hall
1923 June 27 Newcastle King’s Hall
1923 September 22 Durham Cosin’s Library
1923 October 30 Durham Cosin’s Library
1923 December 11 Durham Castle Great Hall
1924 February 5 Durham Cosin’s Library
1924 March 29 Newcastle College of Medicine
1924 June 24 Durham Castle Great Hall
1924 June 25 Newcastle King’s Hall
1924 September 20 Durham Cosin’s Library
1924 October 2 Durham Science Site
1924 October 28 [Durham Cosin’s Library]
1924 December 9 Durham Castle Great Hall
1924 December 20 Newcastle College of Medicine
1925 February 3 Durham Cosin’s Library
1925 March 28 Newcastle College of Medicine
1925 June 30 Durham Cathedral Chapter House
1925 July 1 Newcastle King’s Hall
1925 September 19 Durham Cosin’s Library
1925 November 3 Durham Cosin’s Library
1925 December 19 Newcastle College of Medicine
1926 February 9 Durham Cosin’s Library
1926 June 29 Durham Castle Great Hall
1926 June 30 Newcastle King’s Hall
1926 July 7 Durham Castle Great Hall
1926 September 18 Durham Cosin’s Library
1926 November 2 Durham Cosin’s Library
1926 December 11 Durham Castle Great Hall
1926 December 18 Newcastle College of Medicine
1927 June 28 Durham Castle Great Hall
1927 June 29 Newcastle King’s Hall
1927 September 17 Durham Cosin’s Library
1927 November 1 Durham Cosin’s Library
1927 December 10 Durham Castle Great Hall
1927 December 23 Newcastle College of Medicine
1928 February 7 Durham Cosin’s Library
1928 March 23 Durham Cosin’s Library
1928 June 26 Durham Cathedral Chapter House
1928 June 27 Newcastle King’s Hall
1928 September 15 Durham Cosin’s Library
1928 November 6 Durham Cosin’s Library
1928 December 15 Durham Castle Great Hall
1928 December 22 Newcastle College of Medicine
1929 February 5 Durham Cosin’s Library
1929 March 22 Durham Cosin’s Library
1929 June 5 Durham Castle Court then Cathedral Chapter House
1929 June 27 Durham Cathedral Chapter House
1929 June 28 Newcastle King’s Hall
1929 September 14 Durham Cosin’s Library
1929 November 5 Durham Cosin’s Library
1929 December 13 Durham Castle Great Hall
1929 December 14 Durham Cathedral Chapter House
1929 December 21 Newcastle Medical School
1930 February 4 Durham Cosin’s Library
1930 March 21 Durham Cosin’s Library
1930 June 26 Durham Cathedral Chapter House
1930 June 27 Newcastle King’s Hall
1930 September 13 Durham Cosin’s Library
1930 November 4 Durham Cosin’s Library
1930 November 20 Durham Cosin’s Library
1930 December 13 Durham Cosin’s Library
1930 December 20 Newcastle College of Medicine
1931 February 10 Durham Cosin’s Library
1931 March 27 Durham Cosin’s Library
1931 May 20 Durham Castle Court
1931 June 30 Durham Cathedral Chapter House
1931 July 31 Newcastle King’s Hall
1931 September 19 Durham Cosin’s Library
1931 November 3 Durham Cosin’s Library
1931 December 12 Durham Cosin’s Library
1931 December 19 Newcastle College of Medicine
1932 February 9 Durham Cosin’s Library
1932 March 24 Durham Cosin’s Library
1932 June 28 Durham Cathedral Chapter House
1932 June 29 Newcastle King’s Hall
1932 September 17 Durham Cosin’s Library
1932 November 1 Durham Cosin’s Library
1932 December 10 Durham Cosin’s Library
1932 December 17 Newcastle College of Medicine
1933 February 7 Durham Cosin’s Library
1933 March 24 Durham Cosin’s Library
1933 June 27 Durham Cathedral Chapter House
1933 June 28 Newcastle King’s Hall
1933 September 16 Durham Cosin’s Library
1933 November 7 Durham Cosin’s Library
1933 December 16 Durham Cosin’s Library
1933 December 22 Newcastle College of Medicine
1934 February 6 Durham Cosin’s Library
1934 March 23 Durham Cosin’s Library
1934 June 26 Durham Cathedral Chapter House
1934 June 27 Newcastle King’s Hall
1934 September 15 Durham Cosin’s Library
1934 October 5 Durham Cathedral Chapter House
1934 November 6 Durham Cosin’s Library
1934 December 15 Durham Cosin’s Library
1934 December 22 Newcastle College of Medicine
1935 February 5 Durham Cosin’s Library
1935 March 22 Durham Cosin’s Library
1935 June 27 Durham Cathedral Chapter House
1935 June 28 Newcastle King’s Hall
1935 July 4 Newcastle King’s Hall
1935 September 14 Durham Cosin’s Library
1935 November 5 Durham Cosin’s Library
1935 December 14 Durham Cosin’s Library
1935 December 21 Newcastle College of Medicine
1936 February 11 Durham Cosin’s Library
1936 March 27 Durham Cosin’s Library
1936 June 30 Durham Cathedral Chapter House
1936 July 1 Newcastle King’s Hall
1936 September 12 Durham Cosin’s Library
1936 November 3 Durham Cosin’s Library
1936 December 12 Durham Cosin’s Library
1936 December 19 Newcastle College of Medicine
1937 February 9 Durham Cosin’s Library
1937 March 25 Durham Castle Great Hall
1937 June 29 Durham Castle Great Hall
1937 June 30 Newcastle King’s Hall
1937 September 11 Durham Cosin’s Library
1937 November 2 Durham Cosin’s Library
1937 December 11 Durham Castle Great Hall
1937 December 18 Newcastle College of Medicine
1938 February 8 Durham Cosin’s Library
1938 March 26 Durham Cosin’s Library
1938 June 28 Durham Castle Great Hall
1938 June 29 Newcastle King’s Hall
1938 September 17 Durham Cosin’s Library
1938 November 1 Durham Cosin’s Library
1938 December 10 Durham Cosin’s Library
1938 December 17 Newcastle Medical School
1939 February 7 Durham Cosin’s Library
1939 June 27 Durham Castle Great Hall
1939 June 28 Newcastle King’s Hall
1939 August 1 Newcastle King’s Hall
1939 October 21 Newcastle Medical School
1939 November 7 Durham Cosin’s Library
1939 December 16 Durham Cosin’s Library
1939 December 22 Newcastle Medical School
1940 February 6 Durham Cosin’s Library
1940 March 27 Newcastle Medical School
1940 June 25 Durham Castle Great Hall
1940 June 26 Newcastle King’s Hall
1940 November 5 Durham Cosin’s Library
1940 December 14 Durham Cosin’s Library
1940 December 20 Newcastle Medical School
1941 June 24 Durham Castle Great Hall
1941 June 25 Newcastle King’s Hall
1941 December 13 Durham Cosin’s Library
1941 December 19 Newcastle Medical School
1942 June 23 Durham Castle Great Hall
1942 June 24 Newcastle King’s Hall
1942 December 12 Durham Cosin’s Library
1942 December 18 Newcastle Medical School
1943 February 12 Newcastle King's College
1943 March 26 Newcastle King’s College Council Room
1943 June 29 Durham Castle Great Hall
1943 June 30 Newcastle King’s Hall.
1943 December 11 Durham Cosin’s Library
1943 December 23 Newcastle Medical School
1944 July 11 Durham Castle Great Hall
1944 July 12 Newcastle King’s Hall
1944 December 16 Durham Cosin’s Library
1944 December 22 Newcastle Medical School
1945 July 10 Durham Castle Great Hall
1945 July 11 Newcastle King’s Hall
1945 July 24 Durham Castle Great Hall
1945 December 15 Durham Cosin’s Library
1945 December 21 Newcastle Medical School
1946 June 26 Durham Castle Great Hall
1946 June 27 Newcastle King’s Hall
1946 August 27 Durham Cathedral Chapter House
1946 December 14 Durham Cosin’s Library
1946 December 20 Newcastle Medical School Sutherland Hall
1947 June 4 Durham Castle Great Hall
1947 July 1 Durham Castle Great Hall
1947 July 2 Newcastle King’s Hall
1947 December 13 Durham Cosin’s Library
1947 December 19 Newcastle Medical School Sutherland Hall
1948 May 29 Newcastle Sutherland Dental School
1948 June 29 Durham Castle Great Hall
1948 June 30 Newcastle City Hall
1948 December 11 Durham Cosin’s Library
1948 December 17 Newcastle Sutherland Dental School Library
1949 February 3 Sierra Leone Fourah Bay College
1949 July 1 Durham Castle Great Hall
1949 July 2 Newcastle City Hall
1949 August 31 Newcastle City Hall
1949 October 1 Newcastle Medical School Sutherland Hall
1949 December 16 Newcastle Medical School Sutherland Hall
1949 December 17 Durham Cosin’s Library
1950 May 24 Durham Castle Great Hall
1950 May 25 Newcastle City Hall
1950 June 30 Durham Castle Great Hall
1950 July 1 Newcastle City Hall
1950 September 30 Newcastle Medical School Sutherland Hall
1950 December 15 Newcastle Medical School Sutherland Hall
1950 December 16 Durham Cosin’s Library
1951 February 16 Sierra Leone Fourah Bay College
1951 June 29 Durham Castle Great Hall
1951 June 30 Newcastle City Hall
1951 September 29 Newcastle Medical School Sutherland Hall
1951 December 14 Newcastle Medical School Sutherland Hall
1951 December 15 Durham Cosin’s Library
1952 June 27 Newcastle City Hall
1952 June 28 Durham Castle Great Hall
1952 September 27 Newcastle Medical School Sutherland Hall
1952 December 13 Durham Cosin’s Library
1952 December 19 Newcastle Medical School Sutherland Hall
1953 January 20 Sierra Leone Fourah Bay College
1953 July 3 Durham Castle Great Hall
1953 July 4 Newcastle City Hall
1953 July 8 Durham Hatfield College Hall
1953 September 26 Newcastle Medical School Sutherland Hall
1953 December 12 Durham Cosin’s Library
1953 December 19 Newcastle Medical School Sutherland Hall
1954 January 15 Sierra Leone Fourah Bay College
1954 July 2 Durham Castle Great Hall
1954 July 3 Newcastle King’s Hall
1954 September 25 Durham Cosin’s Library
1954 December 18 Newcastle Medical School Sutherland Hall
1955 February 3 Sierra Leone Fourah Bay College
1955 July 1 Durham Castle Great Hall
1955 July 2 Newcastle King’s Hall
1955 September 24 Durham Applebey Lecture Theatre
1955 December 17 Newcastle Sutherland Dental School Library
1956 January 18 Sierra Leone Fourah Bay College
1956 June 29 Durham Castle Great Hall
1956 June 30 Newcastle King’s Hall
1956 September 22 Durham Applebey Lecture Theatre
1956 December 15 Durham Castle Great Hall
1957 January 17 Sierra Leone Fourah Bay College
1957 July 5 Durham Castle Great Hall
1957 July 6 Newcastle King’s Hall
1957 September 28 Durham Applebey Lecture Theatre
1957 December 14 Newcastle Sutherland Dental School Library
1958 January 16 Sierra Leone Fourah Bay College
1958 May 17 Newcastle King’s Hall
1958 July 4 Durham Castle Great Hall
1958 July 5 Newcastle King’s Hall
1958 September 27 Durham Applebey Lecture Theatre
1958 October 16 Newcastle King’s Hall
1958 October 16 Durham Castle Great Hall
1958 November 25 Barbados Codrington College
1958 December 13 Newcastle Sutherland Dental School Library
1959 March 6 Sierra Leone Fourah Bay College
1959 July 3 Durham Castle Great Hall
1959 July 4 Newcastle King’s Hall
1959 September 26 Durham Applebey Lecture Theatre
1959 December 19 Newcastle Medical School Sutherland Hall
1960 January 28 Sierra Leone Fourah Bay College
1960 July 1 Durham Castle Great Hall
1960 July 2 Newcastle King’s Hall
1960 September 24 Durham Applebey Lecture Theatre
1960 December 17 Newcastle Medical School Sutherland Hall
1961 April 28 Sierra Leone Fourah Bay College
1961 July 7 Durham Castle Great Hall
1961 July 8 Newcastle King’s Hall
1961 September 23 Durham Applebey Lecture Theatre
1961 November 30 Sierra Leone Fourah Bay College
1961 December 16 Newcastle Medical School Sutherland Hall
1962 July 5 Newcastle King’s Hall
1962 July 6 Durham Castle Great Hall
1962 July 7 Newcastle King’s Hall
1962 September 22 Durham Applebey Lecture Theatre
1962 December 15 Newcastle Medical School Sutherland Hall
1963 January 7 Newcastle Medical School Sutherland Hall
1963 February 1 Sierra Leone Fourah Bay College
1963 July 4 Newcastle King’s Hall
1963 July 5 Durham Castle Great Hall
1963 July 6 Newcastle King’s Hall
1963 September 28 Durham Applebey Lecture Theatre
1963 December 14 Durham Applebey Lecture Theatre
1964 January 18 Sierra Leone Fourah Bay College
1964 July 1 Durham Castle Great Hall
1964 July 7 Durham Castle Great Hall
1964 September 26 Durham Applebey Lecture Theatre
1964 November 30 Sierra Leone Fourah Bay College
1964 December 12 Durham Applebey Lecture Theatre
1965 June 30 Durham Castle Great Hall
1965 July 6 Durham Castle Great Hall
1965 September 25 Durham Applebey Lecture Theatre
1965 December 1 Sierra Leone Fourah Bay College
1965 December 11 Durham Applebey Lecture Theatre
1966 June 18 Durham St Aidan's College
1966 June 29 Durham Castle Great Hall
1966 July 4 Durham Dunelm House Hall
1966 September 24 Durham Applebey Lecture Theatre
1966 November 30 Sierra Leone Fourah Bay College
1966 December 10 Durham Applebey Lecture Theatre
1967 June 28 Durham Castle Great Hall
1967 September 23 Durham Applebey Lecture Theatre
1967 November 30 Sierra Leone Fourah Bay College
1967 December 9 Durham Applebey Lecture Theatre
1968 March Durham Trevelyan College
1968 June 26 Durham Castle Great Hall
1968 September 21 Durham Applebey Lecture Theatre
1968 November 30 Sierra Leone Fourah Bay College
1968 December 14 Durham Applebey Lecture Theatre
1969 June 25 Durham Castle Great Hall
1969 September 27 Durham Applebey Lecture Theatre
1969 November 29 Sierra Leone Fourah Bay College
1969 December 13 Durham Applebey Lecture Theatre.
1970 July 1-2 Durham Castle Great Hall
1970 September 5 Durham Castle Great Hall
1970 September 26 Durham Applebey Lecture Theatre
1970 December 5 Durham Applebey Lecture Theatre
1971 June 30-July 1 Durham Castle Great Hall
1971 September 25 Durham Applebey Lecture Theatre
1971 December 11 Durham Applebey Lecture Theatre
1972 June 28-29 Durham Castle Great Hall
1972 December 9 Durham Applebey Lecture Theatre
1973 July 6-7 Durham Castle Great Hall
1973 December 15 Durham Applebey Lecture Theatre
1974 July 3-4 Durham Castle Great Hall
1974 December 14 Durham Castle Great Hall
1975 July 2-3 Durham Castle Great Hall
1975 December 13 Durham Castle Great Hall
1976 June 30- July 1 Durham Castle Great Hall
1976 December 11 Durham Castle Great Hall
1977 June 29-30 Durham Castle Great Hall
1977 December 10 Durham Castle Great Hall
1978 June 28-29 Durham Castle Great Hall
1978 December 9 Durham Castle Great Hall
1979 June 27-28 Durham Castle Great Hall
1979 December 8 Durham Castle Great Hall
1980 June 25-26 Durham Castle Great Hall
1980 December 13 Durham Castle Great Hall
1981 July 1-2 Durham Castle Great Hall
1981 December 19 Durham Castle Great Hall
1982 July 7-8 Durham Castle Great Hall
1982 December 11 Durham Castle Great Hall
1983 June 29-30 Durham Castle Great Hall
1983 December 10 Durham Castle Great Hall
1984 July 4-5 Durham Castle Great Hall
1984 December 15 Durham Castle Great Hall
1985 July 3-4 Durham Castle Great Hall
1985 December 14 Durham Castle Great Hall
1986 July 2-3 Durham Castle Great Hall
1986 December 13 Durham Castle Great Hall
1987 July 1-2 Durham Castle Great Hall
1987 December 12 Durham Castle Great Hall
1988 June 29-30 Durham Castle Great Hall
1988 December 10 Durham Castle Great Hall
1989 June 28-29 Durham Castle Great Hall
1989 December 16 Durham Castle Great Hall
1990 July 4-5 Durham Castle Great Hall
1990 December 8 Durham Castle Great Hall
1991 June 26-27 Durham Castle Great Hall
1991 December 14 Durham Castle Great Hall
1992 July 1-2 Durham Castle Great Hall
1992 December 12 Durham Castle Great Hall
1993 June 30-July 1 Durham Castle Great Hall
1993 December 11 Durham Castle Great Hall
1994 June 29-30 Durham Castle Great Hall
1994 December 10 Durham Castle Great Hall
1994 December 18 Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
1995 May 13 Durham Castle Great Hall
1995 June 28-30 Durham Castle Great Hall
1995 July 14 Durham Castle Great Hall
1995 December 9 Durham Castle Great Hall
1996 May 14 Durham Castle Great Hall
1996 June 25 Stockton Church
1996 June 26-28 Durham Castle Great Hall
1996 December 14 Durham Castle Great Hall
1997 July 1 Stockton Church
1997 July 2-4 Durham Castle Great Hall
1997 December 13 Durham Castle Great Hall
1998 June 30 Stockton Church
1998 July 1-3 Durham Castle Great Hall
1998 December 5 Stockton Campus
1998 December 12 Durham Castle Great Hall
1999 June 29 Stockton Church
1999 June 30-July 2 Durham Castle Great Hall
1999 December 11 Durham Castle Great Hall
2000 July 4 Stockton Church
2000 July 5-7 Durham Castle Great Hall
2000 December 8-9 Durham Castle Great Hall
2001 June 26 Stockton Church
2001 June 27-29 Durham Castle Great Hall
2001 December 7-8 Durham Castle Great Hall
2002 June 17 Stockton Wolfson Building
2002 June 26-28 Durham Cathedral
2002 November 15 Durham Ogden Centre for Physics
2002 December 13 Durham Cathedral
2003 January 15 Durham Castle Tunstall Chapel
2003 July 2-4 Durham Cathedral
2003 October 15 Durham Castle Tunstall Chapel
2004 January 16 Durham Cathedral
2004 June 30-July 2 Durham Cathedral
2005 January 13-14 Durham Cathedral
2005 June 28-July 1 Durham Cathedral
2006 January 12-13 Durham Cathedral
2006 June 27-30 Durham Cathedral
2007 January 11-12 Durham Cathedral
2007 February 6 Durham Music School
2007 February 16 Sri Lanka University of Ruhuna
2007 June 26-29 Durham Cathedral
2007 October 22 Durham Trevelyan College
2008 January 10-11 Durham Cathedral
2008 June 24-27 Durham Cathedral
2009 January 15-16 Durham Cathedral
2009 June 30-July 3 Durham Cathedral
2010 January 14-15 Durham Cathedral
2010 June 29-July 2 Durham Cathedral
2011 January 14 Durham Cathedral
2011 April 11 London Lord’s Cricket Ground
2011 June 28-July 1 Durham Cathedral
2012 January 12-13 Durham Cathedral
2012 June 26-29 Durham Cathedral
2013 January 10-11 Durham Cathedral
2013 June 25-28 Durham Cathedral
2014 January 16-17 Durham Cathedral
2014 July 1-4 Durham Cathedral
2015 January 8-9 Durham Cathedral
2015 June 23-26 Durham Cathedral
2016 January 14-15 Durham Cathedral
2016 June 28-July 1 Durham Cathedral
2017 January 12-13 Durham Cathedral
2017 June 27-30 Durham Cathedral
2018 January 11-12 Durham Cathedral
2018 June 26-29 Durham Cathedral
2019 January 10-11 Durham Cathedral
2019 July 2-5 Durham Cathedral
2020 January 9-10 Durham Cathedral
Degrees, Diplomas etc awarded by Durham University
Honoraries
DCL Doctor of Civil Law 1838-date
DD Doctor of Divinity 1882-date
DMus Doctor of Music 1882-date
DHy Doctor of Hygiene 1891-1945
DLitt Doctor of Letters 1895-date
DSc Doctor of Science 1898-date
DCh Doctor of Surgery 1934-1961
DDSc Doctor of Dental Science 1959-1963
MA Master of Arts 1839-date
MSc Master of Science 1904-date
MCom Master of Commerce 1924
MDS Master of Dental Surgery 1934
MEd Master of Education 1954-1970
MMus Master of Music 1973-date
Ad Eundem (awarded to members of Oxford, Cambridge and Trinity College Dublin)
DD Doctor of Divinity 1838-1905
DCL Doctor of Civil Law 1838-1907
DMus Doctor of Music 1856-1900
MD Doctor of Medicine 1868-1898
DLitt Doctor of Letters 1897
MA Master of Arts 1837-1909
BCL Bachelor of Civil Law 1837-1905
BA Bachelor of Arts 1838-1898
BD Bachelor of Divinity 1839-1895
BMus Bachelor of Music 1863-1897
By Diploma
DD Doctor of Divinity 1840-1920
MD Doctor of Medicine 1852-1873
DCL Doctor of Civil Law 1858-1909
DMus Doctor of Music 1860-1909
MA Master of Arts 1861
By Vote of Convocation
DD Doctor of Divinity 1901-1929
DMus Doctor of Music 1908
DSc Doctor of Science 1913
MA Master of Arts 1902-1935
MSc Master of Science 1907-1924
MCom Master of Commerce 1914
By Examination
Doctorates
MD Doctor of Medicine 1861-1963
DCL Doctor of Civil Law 1876-1912
DSc Doctor of Science 1888-1977
DHy Doctor of Hygiene 1895-1938
DMus Doctor of Music 1897-1975
PhD Doctor of Philosophy 1922-date
DLitt Doctor of Letters 1922-1923
DD Doctor of Divinity 1923-1933
DPsych Doctor of Pyschology 1924
DHy Doctor of Hygiene 1932-1938
LLD Doctor of Laws 1956
DDSc Doctor of Dental Science 1957-1959
DBA Doctor of Business Administration 2004-date
DMin Doctor of Ministry 2006-date
Masters
MA Master of Arts 1837-date
MS Master of Surgery 1861-1963
MSc Master of Science 1881-date
MLitt Master of Letters 1910-1980
MCom Master of Commerce 1919-1958
MEd Master of Education 1930-1980
MDS Master of Dental Surgery 1935-1963
MMus Master of Music 1961-1980
MPhil Master of Philosophy 1972-1980
MEng Master of Engineering 1996-date
MJur Master of Jurisprudence by2003-date
MTheol Master of Theology by2003-date
MSci Master in Science by2003-date
MMaths Master of Mathematics by2003-date
LLM Master of Laws by2003-date
MBA Master of Business Administration by2003-date
MChem Master of Chemistry 2003-date
MRes Master in Research 2004-date
MPhys Master of Physics 2004-date
MSW Master in Social Work 2005-date
MPharm Master of Pharmacy 2010-date
Bachelors
BA Bachelor of Arts 1837-date
BD Bachelor of Divinity 1850-1979
BCL Bachelor of Civil Law 1858-1980
MB Bachelor of Medicine 1858-1968
BSc Bachelor of Science 1876-date
BS Bachelor of Surgery 1886-1968
BMus Bachelor of Music 1891-1980
BHy Bachelor of Hygiene 1891-1939
BLitt Bachelor of Letters 1897-1912
BCom Bachelor of Commerce 1916-1962
LLB Bachelor of Laws 1931-1965
BDS Bachelor of Dental Surgery 1932-1968
BArch Bachelor of Architecture 1934-1966
BEd Bachelor of Education 1969-1980
BEng Bachelor of Engineering by2003-date
BChem Bachelor of Chemistry 2004-date
BPhys Bachelor of Physics 2004-date
Associates
Associate in Physical Science 1873-1887
A.Sc. Associate in Science 1887-1906
Associate in Theology 1901-1902
Diplomas
DPH Public Health 1894-1964
DThPTTheory & Practice of Teaching 1903-1939
DipPsy Psychiatry 1913
DipTh Theology 1918-1980
Foreign Languages 1919-1926, 1956-1963
Arabic 1931-1976
Fine Art 1939
Architecture 1939-1966
Town Planning 1939-1964
Agriculture 1939
Public Administration 1939-1969
Public Health Engineering 1954-1963
Psychological Medicine 1954-1963
Anthropology 1953-1980
Landscape Design 1954-1963
Education 1955-1965
Electrical Power Engineering 1955-1960
Applied Electronics 1956-1963
Highway Engineering & Traffic Studies 1957-1963
Economic Studies 1958-1967
Numerical Analysis & Automated Computing 1960-1963
Biblical Studies 1960-1979
Archaeology 1965-1975
Advanced Studies in Education 1969-1973
Middle Eastern Studies 1975
Remedial Education 1979-1980
Primary Education 1979-1980
Education of Young Children 1979-1980
Chinese 1979
Archaeological Conservation 1979-1980
Licences
LTh Theology 1837-1968
LM Medicine 1856-1874
LS Surgery 1872
LSSc Sanitary Science 1887-1893
LDS Dental Surgery 1913-1962
Certificates
Science 1884
Proficiency in Sanitary Science 1884-1886
Biblical Studies 1953-1964
Social Studies 1954-1964
Postgraduate in Education 1979-1980
Theology 1979-1980
Others
Academic rank of civil engineer 1840-1852
Civil Engineer 1887-1894
Durham Student Theatre Venues
The recent reopening (January 2020) of the marvellously reconditioned Assembly Rooms as the main venue for much of Durham’s student theatre, perhaps prompts some consideration of the other venues where drama has been performed in and around Durham during recent years. Producers have been nothing if not creative in their readiness to embrace and adapt to a variety of spaces, both indoors and out. These have provided some memorable experiences for audiences and performers, and some challenges for all involved in putting on the shows, often in spaces not designed for performing in, with a paucity of technical support, such as lighting, and even the basic logistics of providing seating for audiences adding to the setup considerations. The success of the productions has been a tribute to the resolve, commitment and often no little guile of all the student drama community.
Within the vicinity of the Assembly Rooms are a number of other university buildings which, though not obviously theatre venues, have been successfully adapted for staging performances. The Union Society Debating Chamber is now frequently used for shows, recently by companies such as Letterbox Productions for Bronte In December 2019, but also by Durham Opera Ensemble who put on Handel’s Semele there back in June 2012. The space provides a very immersive experience for the audience, seated on 3 sides of the performers. The Pemberton Rooms below it also features small scale productions on occasion such as Aliya Gilmore’s Ophelia is Also Dead by Sightline Productions in June 2019. Across Palace Green is the Music Department which is of course a major concert venue for musical events, but which has also been used for the perhaps more technical demands of staging opera, by Durham Opera Ensemble with Jonathan Dove’s Mansfield Park in June 2016, and musicals, with Durham Improvised Musical group’s DIM Dong Merrily on High in December 2018. Over the river from the Assembly Rooms, Dunelm House has various spaces in which plays and musicals have been performed. The Fonteyn Ballroom saw Feather Theatre Co put on The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas in February 2019; Vane Tempest featured Wrong Tree Theatre’s Sounds of Solstice in June 2017; and more recently Kingsgate saw Buttered Toast put on Alexander Cohen’s The Human Flesh in May 2019. Perhaps the most unusual but arguably apposite, on this occasion, venue for a play in a university building has been the Ogden Centre for Fundamental Physics which hosted Nick Payne’s Constellations, put on by Letterbox Productions in June 2019.
Moving outside university buildings, the cathedral is obviously a magnificent and much used venue for musical events, but it perhaps does not always work quite so well for more dramatic performances. However, plays have occurred in the nave (Romeo and Juliet by Castle Theatre Company in 2013), the Chapter House (Aeschylus’s Oresteia, adapted by Robert Icke, put on by Phoenix Theatre Co in March 2019), the Dormitory (Donnchadh O'Conaill and Andrew McFarlane’s Anonymous & Co. in October 2012), and the Prior’s Hall (Antonia Goddard’s The Night Watch in 2015). At perhaps the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of scale, a venue that has come on stream recently and works well with more intimate small-scale productions is Cafédral at the bottom of Owengate (Wrong Tree Theatre’s Souvenirs in June 2017 was among the first to utilise it). Almost opposite it in the street, on a similar scale, is Alington House which has also seen a number of productions recently (including Simon Stephens’s Sea Wall by Letterbox Productions in November 2018). Then, in the Market Place and on a grander scale is the Town Hall, used perhaps more frequently for concerts by student orchestras, but plays have been performed there (Hamlet by Castle Theatre Company in 2016). Below that in Fowler’s Yard is of course the purpose-made venue of the City Theatre, home to the Durham Dramatic Society, but also often now used for student drama performances (most recently Tom Basden’s Holes by Fourth Wall Theatre in February 2020). Another small scale theatre venue utilised has been Durham School’s Luce Theatre which was used by Ooook! for their production of Terry Pratchett’s Mort in February 2019. For more substantial productions, the Gala Theatre is the premier venue for performances in Durham in terms of facilities and audience experience. DULOG now has a lengthy run of their major January show there each year (Oklahoma in this January just past) and Durham Opera Ensemble has staged operas there (most recently Johan Strauss II’s Die Fledermaus in February 2019). Durham Revue have also performed there (ComedyFest 2019 in February) and the theatre’s Studio featured Keith’s Kevin show in October 2018. A number of bars in the town have also played host recently to student shows, such as Fabio’s Bar (Death to the Afterlife by Wrong Tree Theatre in March 2019) and Babylon (Keith’s Table for One in March 2020).
Other venues used in town have been the Methodist chapels, in North Road (most recently featuring the last student production before the lockdown, Rocket Theatre Company’s Dear Brutus in March 2020) and Elvet (generally used for concerts, but also featuring plays such as Father Ted by Ooook! in June 2019). Then the Masonic Hall made a very suitable setting for Durham University Classical Theatre’s production of Chekov’s Uncle Vanya in November 2018. The Empty Shop at the west end of Framwellgate Bridge is possibly the most intimate and characterful venue that has been used, with its audience green room incorporating a bar; it has featured such as Rumpelstiltskin put on by Wrong Tree Theatre in June 2016. A similar reinventing of spaces saw the former Three Tuns Hotel stage Dennis Kelly’s After The End by One Theatre Company in December 2016. Possibly the most atmospheric venue to stage a performance has been Crook Hall which saw Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber performed by First Theatre Company in February 2017, requiring quite an extensive logistical exercise just to get the audience into the medieval hall.
Then of course there are all the college venues, obviously mostly used by the particular college’s own drama group, but often used by others as well. A number of colleges have seen performances in more than one location within the college. Hild Bede has the Caedmon Hall, possibly the most capacious purpose-made performance venue in the university, with a main stage, extending down the side of the hall to provide additional or an alternative space, and also the floor of the hall itself. So it is ideal for those large productions put on by Hild Bede Theatre, such as musicals (Chicago The Musical, February 2014) and plays with many performers (Denise Deegan’s Daisy Pulls It Off, in November 2018). However, it has also worked for performances with fewer actors, (such as John Buchan’s The 39 Steps, November 2019), and then on occasion just the side stage has been used (Jonathan Harvey’s Beautiful Thing, June 2018), or the audience has been put on the stage with the actors below, or everything has been on the main stage with the hall itself curtained off (Durham Drama Festival February 2020). Also used in Hild Bede have been the Joachim Room (Jason Brown’s The Last Five Years, by Tone Deaf Theatre Company in November 2017), the old gym (DULOG’s Soho Cinders, June 2019) and especially in recent years Bede Chapel, used for concerts, concert opera (Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas in November 2019), and plays such as Alexander Cohen’s Blue Room, by Pitch Productions in January 2020. The newest purpose-made venue is the Mark Hillery Arts Centre at Collingwood College with now arguably the most technically proficient set-up in the university and a space that is infinitely adaptable (most recently showing there was Dorottya Farkas’s intriguing Lost Connections by Wrong Tree Theatre in February 2020). Trevelyan College has the Dowrick Suite which places the audience on several sides of the action (in such as the college’s own Sixth Side Theatre Company’s production of The Merry Housewives of Windsor in June 2019). Fountains Hall at Grey College is another venue that has been recently refurbished (showing Sheridan’s Rivals by Ooook! in November 2018). The Ustinov Room at Van Mildert and the Kenworthy Hall at St Mary’s provide more limited staged facilities for such as, respectively, Feather Theatre Co’s production of Yasmina Reza’s The God of Carnage in December 2017 and Foot of the Hill Theatre Company’s production of Terence Rattigan’s Harlequinade in March 2019. College dining halls have been much used as theatre venues: the Woodplayers used to perform in Collingwood’s dining hall before the Arts Centre was built (such as Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler in June 2017); Trevelyan still use their dining hall for their Musical Society productions such as The Addams Family in February 2020. Other colleges also have a variety of options. At Hatfield, the chapel is used on occasion (Ionesco’s The Bald Prima Donna, by Raving Mask Theatre in June 2015), and also the Birley Room (Tom Wells’s The Kitchen Sink, by Fourth Wall Theatre Company in March 2020). At St John’s, its Bailey Theatre Company makes much use of Leech Hall (Arthur Miller’s The Crucible in December 2014), but again the college’s chapel has functioned as a venue (Polly Stenham’s That Face, December 2015), and also the Old Library (Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman in January 2020) and the Wallis Room (Tom Basden’s Party by Pitch Productions in November 2016). St Chad’s morphs its Cassidy Quad into a stage facility which does have to cope sometimes with being in the middle of a bustling college (Aimiee Dickinson and Olivia Swain’s Away by Wrong Tree Theatre in December 2019 had to compete with various offstage noises).
One of the most frequently used spaces for events of all sorts, and one of the most stunning in town, is of course the Great Hall of the Castle, the setting, amongst others, for lectures, concerts, and also opera (Durham Opera Ensemble’s production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute in February 2014) and plays (T.S. Eliot’s Murder in the Cathedral by Castle Theatre Company in 2009). But it is not the only space used in the Castle. A contender for the most atmospheric and intimate in town is the Norman Chapel, used to great effect by Castle Theatre Company in Antigone in 2008 and Dracula in 2018. Other performances in the Castle have been put on by them in the Tunstall Chapel (Macbeth in 2017), the current SCR or Senate Room (Carlo Goldini’s A Servant to Two Masters in 2015), the former SCR now Bishop’s Dining Room (Imogen Usherwood’s adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway in March 2020), the MCR (Willy Russell’s Educating Rita in December 2014), and even the Lowe Library (Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia in 2003).
Performances have not always been indoors, and Durham is also blessed with a range of attractive locations which have been utilised for the albeit sometimes hazardous and peculiarly challenging outdoor production. The Castle Fellows Garden is perhaps the most well used, seeing an annual Shakespeare production by the Castle Theatre Company in June (most recently Love’s Labour’s Lost in 2019). The gardens at St Chad’s have been used for Oscar Wilde’s Lady Windermere's Fan by Midsummer Madness Productions in June 2001, and at St John’s (more than one venue) for Durham Opera Ensemble productions of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and Come Ye Sons of Art in June 2014 and Will Todd and Maggie Gottlieb’s Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in June 2017. In fact, DOE have certainly been adventurous in this regard, utilising also a corner of the Botanic Gardens for their production of Purcell’s The Faerie Queene in June 2013. Aidan’s College Theatre used another corner for their production of Shaw’s The Importance of Being Earnest in June 2016. Collingwood’s amphitheatre outside its entrance was used by its own Woodplayers to put on The Tempest in June 2014. A similar space in the city’s Wharton Gardens was the venue for DU Classical Theatre’s production of Simon Armitage’s The Last Days of Troy in June 2019. Castle Theatre Company even took its production of Twelfth Night to the main quad at Ushaw College in June 2018.
Reviews of most of these productions, often commenting on the ingenuity or otherwise with which the production has utilised the space, can be found on the websites of Durham Student Theatre (https://www.durhamstudenttheatre.org/category/reviews/), Bubble (https://www.thebubble.org.uk/category/culture/drama/) and Palatinate’s Indigo (https://www.palatinate.org.uk/category/indigo/stage/), and also the websites/Facebook pages of many of the groups. There is also hard copy of such reviews and performance ephemera such as posters and programmes to be found listed in the university archive (university groups in http://reed.dur.ac.uk/xtf/view?docId=ark/32150_s19w0323082.xml and college groups in such as http://reed.dur.ac.uk/xtf/view?docId=ark/32150_s1dn39x157v.xml for Castle) ordinarily accessible at Palace Green Library.
Michael Stansfield
April 2020
Faculties at Durham University
Agriculture 1888-1963 (thence Newcastle)
Applied Science 1891-1963 (thence Newcastle)
Arts (and Humanities from 2002) 1833-date
Business (2019-date)
Commerce (Economic Studies in 1952) 1913-1963 (thence Newcastle)
Education 1944-1985
Health, Medicine and the Environment 2000-2002
Law 1938-1963 (at Newcastle) and 1970-1985 (at Durham)
Letters 1898-1916 (thence united with Arts)
Medicine 1870-1963 (thence Newcastle)
Music 1897-1985
Science 1871-date
Social Sciences (and Health from 2002) 1968-date
Theology (Divinity in 1963) 1833-1985
Boards administering the faculties and their sub-faculties, and their various standing committees:
Board of Faculties 1892-1937
Boards of Faculties
Theology (Divinity from 1963) 1905-1984
Arts (& Letters 1916-1937) 1905-
Sub-faculties:
- Fine Art, Architecture and Town & Country Planning 1947-1962
- Oriental Studies 1950-1962
Arts Standing Committees:
- Economic Studies Qualifications for Fourah Bay Candidates 1965-1967
- Degree of BA in General Studies 1966-1986
- Planning 1978-
- Degree of BA with Honours in Combined Studies 1984-1986
- Degree regulations (just Regulations 1987) 1984-
- Certificate in Theology (Divinity Fac SC 1979-1984) 1979-
- Centre for the Study of Literature & Theology 1987-
Medicine 1905-1962
Sub-faculties:
-Dental Surgery 1952-1962
Science 1905-
Sub-faculties:
- Applied Physics 1960-1961
Science Standing Committees:
- Degree of BSc 1970-1971, 1984-
- Quinquennial Review (Planning 1984) 1972-
Sub-Committees:
- Planning 1987-
- Science & Mathematics Teaching in the BEd 1972-1981
- Relationships between technological & other subjects in the faculty 1966-1974
Letters 1905-1915 (then see Arts)
Applied Science 1928-1962
Music 1907-1984
Commerce (Economic Studies from 1952) 1913-1962
Law 1925-1962, 1970-1984
Education 1944-1984
Agriculture 1947-1962
Social Sciences 1968-
Social Sciences Standing Committees:
- Quinquennial Planning (Policy & Review 1980, Planning 1986) 1972-
- Centre for the North-East Area Study 1972-1976
- Teacher Education (Education Fac SC 1979-1984) 1979-
- Degree Regulations 1987-
- BEd (Education Faculty SC 1972-1984) 1972-1984, 1988
Durham University for its first half-century or so was very much an all-male institution with the only women around being amongst the domestic staff of its first colleges, or the wives of some of its academic staff, and probably of some of its maturer Unattached students by the later 19th century. It was then that things began to change, as chronicled below, with indications fo some of the sources recording this.
The Case for Women to be allowed into Durham University
Petitions for the admission of women to the university were presented to Senate in 1881 from various parts of the country.
UND/AA3/2A
Senate decided by one vote in November 1886 to reject an offer by Canon Brereton to convert Hatfield Lodge into a suitable habitation for a women’s college as counsel’s advice was that the university was not entitled to award degrees to women under the original 1837 charter.
UND/BA1/6
Senate petitioned for a supplementary charter, which was received in 1895, allowing the university to award degrees to women in all the degrees which men received, except for Divinity.
UND/AA3/1
The First Women Students
Some women had attended lectures or even whole courses at the university's College of Science in Newcastle, but Martha Anne Thomas was the first woman to matriculate in Durham when she signed in the register as an Arts student on 23 October 1896. She was also awarded a foundation scholarship then on admission of £30. Martha was followed the next term by Edith Grace Lockey and Frances Jane Lambton as Arts students and Mary Hannah Gibson, Dora Heslop and Winifred Hindmarch as students in Letters, all signing on 3 February 1897.
UND/CF1/D2
The First Female Graduates
Rosa Spencer Hick, at Durham’s College of Science in Newcastle, technically gained a qualification from Durham University when she was awarded an Associate of Science on 20 June 1893. Ella Mary Bryant of the College of Science in Newcastle was the first female graduate under the new supplementary charter in 1895, being awarded a BSc.
UND/CF3/B12
Mary Gibson, Dora Heslop, and Winifred Hindmarch all graduated on 21 June 1898 with BLitts as the first university female graduates in Durham. Their achievement was celebrated at a special congregation in 1995.
UND/CF6/C1995A
The First Female Doctorates
Jane Ellen Harrison seems to have been the first woman to receive a doctorate of any sort from this university, being awarded an honorary DLitt on 25 September 1897.
Durham University Journal (1897 volume 12, parts 1-18), p.395
The first women to receive one after examination were Annie Tombleson Brunyate and Flora Murray [of the College of Medicine in Newcastle] who were made Doctors of Medicine on 29 April 1905.
UND/CF3/B18
The first woman technically to receive a doctorate in Durham was Janet Mary Emma Salsbury who was made a Doctor of Music on 24 September 1910. However, this was a degree for professional musicians which had no residence requirements. Two other women failed at the same time, including possibly her sister.
UND/CF3/C19
PhDs were only first awarded in this university in 1922 and the first woman to receive one was Phyllis Gwendoline Hatton who received hers on 24 June 1924 in Durham Castle. However, she was at Armstrong College in Newcastle, so was not actually a student in Durham.
The first student in Durham to gain a PhD was Clara Enid Robertson whose thesis ‘An analysis of the bases and nature of the experience of listening to Music’ was accepted on 14 February 1936. She took her degree on 30 June 1936 in the Chapter House at the cathedral. She was a Home student (the precursor of what is now St Aidan’s College); that is, she was living at home and was not resident in a college (St Mary’s, St Hild’s or Neville’s Cross were the options then for women in Durham). The next female PhD was Barbara N. Wilson of St Mary’s College, whose thesis ‘The Changes of the Reformation period in Durham and Northumberland’ was accepted on 30 August 1939.
The First Women’s Colleges
The first college for women in Durham was St Hild’s founded in 1858 as the Durham Diocesan Female Training School. However, it had nothing to do with the university in its early period. It became St Hild’s in 1896 and admitted its first university women in 1897. It only became part of the university in 1979 after its amalgamation with the male equivalent of Bede College 4 years previously. The other initial university female students apart from those at St Hild’s would have been technically “Home” students; that is in theory living at home. This grouping was formalised as St Aidan’s Society in 1947, which in turn became the current St Aidan’s College in 1961. The first formal housing of women students was provided by the university in 1899 when the Women’s Hostel was established. This became St Mary’s College in 1919. The only other women’s college established by the university was Trevelyan in 1967 which went mixed in 1990.
Conveyance of the site of St Hild’s in 1858 UND/F9/C3/B1/1
Basil Spence plan for the new 1963 St Aidan’s College UND/F13/C6/6
Constitution for St Mary’s precursor the Women’s Hostel 1904 UND/F8/A1
The First Mixed Colleges
St Cuthbert’s Society was the first of the all-male institutions in the university to go mixed when it admitted women in 1969, followed by Van Mildert College in 1972 and St John’s College in 1973. The last single sex institution to go mixed was St Mary’s College which admitted its first male undergraduates in 2005, though it had had male graduate students before then.
First women at St Cuthbert’s Society 1970 UND/F12/FA1970
The First Female Academics
Kathleen Lambley was the first woman appointed to a lectureship in Durham, in French, in 1914. Elisabeth Frances Stevenson (assistant lecturer in Economics at Armstrong 1916/7) was deputy professor of Economics and acting secretary of the Faculty Board of Commerce during the absence on military service of the David Dale Professor of Economics, Harry M. Hallsworth in 1918/19. He returned in 1919/20 and she reverted to just lecturer, though she is only listed as such in 1920/21. Mary Williams was acting Professor of French Language and Literature 1948-52, having already held a chair when she came to Durham from University College Swansea. Rosemary Cramp was hailed as the first female professor in Durham on her appointment to the chair in Archaeology in 1971.
Prof Rosemary Cramp UND/CK1/C11
The First Female Senior Officers
Beatrice Mary Hamilton Thompson was acting University Librarian 1940-1943 during the wartime service of University Librarian Henry Acomb, but it was Nance McAulay's appointment as University Librarian in 1967 that heralded the first woman as one of the principal officers of the university. Mary Holdsworth followed in 1973 as the first woman to be appointed to the senior university administrative post of pro-vice-chancellor. She served just one year, and Irene Hindmarsh was the next woman appointed in 1982. Paulina Lubacz was appointed Treasurer in 1988.
First Female Vice Chancellor
The long wait for a female Vice-Chancellor and Warden ended when Professor Karen O'Brien arrived to lead the university in January 2022. Professor O'Brien heads a leadership team of 7 men and 9 women.
The First Female Chancellor
Dame Margot Fonteyn, the former ballet star, was appointed Chancellor in 1982. She is so far the only woman to have been appointed to the titular headship of the university.
UND/CK1/F19
The First Female Chair of Council
Mrs Anne Galbraith, OBE, served on the university's governing body (Council) from 2000 to 2012, and was appointed as its first female Chairman (sic) in 2006.
