Oxford and Cambridge Colleges Trivia Quiz

Answer: Cambridge

Churchill College was founded in 1960 and named after Sir Winston Churchill - the former British Prime Minister. It was unusual at that time because it accepted both men and women as students.

Answer: Both

Corpus Christi College, Oxford was founded in 1517 for training monks. Fortunately the education had been expanded to include sciences and humanities, or the college might have succumbed during the dissolution of the monasteries in the reign of Henry VIII.
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge dates from 1352. Its original purpose was the training of priests. It is unusual in that it was established by the people of two guilds in the town.

Answer: Cambridge

Girton College was founded in 1869. It is about two miles outside the city of Cambridge, and was named after the adjacent village. It was the first residential college for women.

Answer: Oxford

Templeton College began life as the Centre for Management Studies in 1965. It changed its name in 1984, but did not get full College status until 1995. Green College was one of the newest colleges at Oxford, having been established in 1979 for graduates in medicine and related subjects.

The two colleges merged to become Green Templeton College in 2008. At the heart of its site, the former Green College on the Woodstock Road, is the Radcliffe Observatory. This building was built in the eighteenth century with money provided by the trustees of Dr. John Radcliffe, whose estate financed many other buildings around the university.

Answer: Neither

Grey College is part of Durham University. The colleges at Durham differ from those at Oxford and Cambridge because they are purely residential and social - all teaching is done centrally at the university. Undergraduates at Oxford have regular tutorials with one of the fellows in their college, and Cambridge students have supervisions which are very similar.

Answer: Oxford

Harris Manchester College began life in Manchester as an educational establishment for Non-Conformists, who were not allowed to take degrees at Oxford or Cambridge. After moving to York and London, it came to Oxford in 1889.

Answer: Neither

Imperial College is in London, and was established in 1907 as part of London University. The London colleges and institutes are all independent bodies, and they organise their own teaching and examinations. In 2007, Imperial College was granted a royal charter making it an independent university.

Answer: Both

Jesus College, Oxford is the only college in the university to have received its royal charter in the reign of Elizabeth I. The college has always had strong connections with Wales, and until 1915 only one principal did not have Welsh blood.
Jesus College, Cambridge was founded in 1496, and was called 'The College of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist and the glorious Virgin Saint Radegund, near Cambridge'. It subsequently took the name of the chapel which served the nunnery which had previously occupied its site.

Answer: Cambridge

King's College, Cambridge was founded in 1441 by Henry VI. It is probably best known for the annual service of nine lessons and carols which is broadcast around the world from the chapel every Christmas Eve.
There is also a King's College in London.
Cambridge has a Queens' College - it is named for its two founders, the wife of Henry VI and the wife of Edward IV. The Queen's College at Oxford was named after the queen consort of Edward III. These two colleges are an example of where punctuation can indicate a different university.

Answer: Oxford

Lincoln College was founded in 1427 by the Bishop of Lincoln. He named it after his cathedral as 'The College of the Blessed Mary and All Saints', Lincoln, in the University of Oxford, commonly called Lincoln College'.

Answer: Cambridge

This is an example of where spelling matters. Both Magdalen College, Oxford and Magdalene College, Cambridge were named after Mary Magdalen. However Magdalene only acquired that name in 1542, having been known previously as Buckingham College.
Another example of spelling making a difference is St. Catherine's College at Oxford and St. Catharine's College at Cambridge.

Answer: Cambridge

Peterhouse was founded in 1284 by the Bishop of Ely (Hugo de Balsham), making it the oldest college at Cambridge University. Its formal title is 'The Scholars of the Bishop of Ely, Saint Peter’s College'.
St. Peter's College, Oxford is also called after St. Peter, It was founded as St. Peter's Hall in 1929, becoming St. Peter's College in 1961.

Answer: Oxford

The Society of Home-Students came into being in 1879; in 1942 it became St. Anne's Society, and it was granted full collegiate status in 1952 when it received its royal charter. It was one of the original five women's colleges at Oxford - the others being Lady Margaret Hall, St. Hilda's College, St. Hugh's College and Somerville College.

Answer: Cambridge

St. Edmund's College was founded in 1896 after the repeal of the Test Act in 1871, which allowed the admission of Jews, Non-Conformists and Roman Catholics to study at Cambridge University.
St. Edmund Hall in Oxford is named after a thirteenth century Archbishop of Canterbury. Its first known Principal was appointed in 1315.

Answer: Oxford

St. Hugh's College was founded by Elizabeth Wordsworth in 1886. She was the great-niece of the poet William Wordsworth. She named it after a twelfth century Bishop of Lincoln - Hugh of Avalon.

Answer: Neither

St. Ignatius College was invented by Margery Allingham, and set in Cambridge. It is the former college of both her detective, Albert Campion, and his friend, Marcus Featherstone. Other fictional Cambridge colleges include Lancaster College created by Simon Raven, Porterhouse College invented by Tom Sharpe and St. Matthew's College in the writings of Stephen Fry.

Answer: Both

St. John's College, Oxford was established in 1555 by a wealthy London merchant - Sir Thomas White.
St. John's College, Cambridge also dates from the sixteenth century. It owes its origins to Lady Margaret Beaufort, who was the mother of Henry VII.

Answer: Neither

There are many educational establishments bearing the name of St. Mary's College, including colleges in both Durham and London. However neither Oxford nor Cambridge University boasts one which uses the name commonly. The official name of New College, Oxford is 'the College of St Mary', which could be confused with 'the House of Blessed Mary the Virgin in Oxford commonly called Oriel College', so it became known as 'the new college of St Mary' or New College for short. Both Compton Mackenzie in "Sinister Street" and Tony Strong in "The Poison Tree" created fictional St. Mary's Colleges at Oxford.

Answer: Neither

Shrewsbury College, Oxford was created by Dorothy L. Sayers, in "Gaudy Night", as Harriet Vane's college. Other fictional Oxford colleges include Elizabeth Gaskell's All Saints College, Max Beerbohm's Judas College, Edmund Crispin's St. Christopher's College and Evelyn Waugh's Scone College. Beaumont College, Lonsdale College and Wolsey College are some of the colleges invented for Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse series.

Answer: Cambridge

Sidney Sussex College was founded in 1596 and named after its benefactor - Frances Sidney, the Countess of Sussex. Although he never graduated, due to the illness of his father, Oliver Cromwell was among one of Sidney Sussex's earliest students.

Answer: Both

Trinity College, Oxford was established in 1555 by Sir Thomas Pope, one of a family of Oxfordshire landowners.
Trinity College, Cambridge was founded by Henry VIII in 1546. It should not be confused with Trinity Hall, which was founded by Bishop Bateman of Norwich in 1350.
There are also Trinity Colleges in London, Bristol, Wales and Dublin.

Answer: Oxford

University College dates back to 1249 making it the oldest college in the University of Oxford. There is a fourteenth century legend that the college was founded by Alfred the Great in 872, but that has been discounted nowadays. Dr. John Radcliffe, whose name lives on in many Oxford buildings, is an old member of the college.
There was a University College at Cambridge from 1965 until 1972, when it changed its name; there are also University Colleges in London and Durham.

Answer: Neither

Winchester College, while as old as many Oxford and Cambridge colleges, is actually a boys' public school in Hampshire. Richard II's Chancellor, William of Wykeham, also founded New College, Oxford as well as the school at Winchester; both establishments date from the fourteenth century.

Answer: Both

Wolfson College, Oxford was established in 1965 as a graduate college.
Wolfson College, Cambridge was also established in 1965 as a graduate college, although it was known as University College until 1972.
Both colleges received large endowments from the Wolfson Foundation, which was founded in 1955 by Sir Isaac Wolfson. Apart from the two colleges bearing the Wolfson name, there are many buildings in both universities which received generous grants, and have thus been called Wolfson.

Answer: Oxford

Worcester College was founded in 1714 on the site of Gloucester College, which was in existence from 1283 until 1539. The college has extensive grounds, which include playing fields and a lake. The JCR President is the honorary owner of the ducks which live there.