History of the Clarendon Fund
History
The Clarendon Fund was established in 2000 by Oxford University's Council, the executive policy-forming body of the University consisting of the Vice-Chancellor, heads of departments and other University members. The Fund is financed by Oxford University Press, and dedicated resources to its continuation have increased dramatically since its inception: from £2m per annum in the year of its establishment to £7.5m per annum since 2008.
The original aim of the Fund, as agreed by Council in 2000, was to 'assist the best overseas [graduate] students who obtain places to study in the University'. The academic excellence and potential of the students supported by the Clarendon Fund remain its key strength. Whilst other scholarship programmes at Oxford provide significant opportunities for many scholars to study at Oxford, the Clarendon Fund is unique in its ability to provide assistance to students from a wide variety of countries who are selected based solely on their excellent abilities related to their field of study.
In 2011, the year of the Scholarships' 10th anniversary, it was decided that the remit of the Clarendon Fund would be expanded to include all nationalities. From 1 September 2011, all graduate applicants to degree-bearing courses are eligible for this prestigious scholarship funding which was, up until this point, only open to candidates with overseas fee status.
About the donor
Oxford University Press (OUP) is one of the departments of the University of Oxford; a publishing house which printed its first book in 1478, only two years after William Caxton established the first printing press in England. It is the largest University Press in the world, publishing in multiple academic fields with offices all over the world. Through its activities, OUP furthers Oxford University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education.
Why is the scholarship called the Clarendon Fund?
Edward Hyde, later Earl of Clarendon and also Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1660-1667, wrote a famous and highly profitable work, History of the Great Rebellion, about the English Civil War of the 17th century. The profits of his book were used to construct the University-owned Clarendon Building on Broad Street in central Oxford. The Clarendon Building was designed to house Oxford University Press (OUP), and so the Clarendon Fund was named in honour of this famous building and its historic linkages to OUP, the main benefactor of the Clarendon Scholarships.About the logo
The Clarendon Fund logo was designed in 2009 in the run-up to the Fund's 10th anniversary. It celebrates both the long history and traditions of Oxford and of OUP, as well as welcoming the Clarendon scholars who will write the pages of the University's future.
It shows the statues of the Muses at the top of the Clarendon building, which are perhaps the building's most recognisable feature and an iconic part of the Oxford skyline. The building was constructed in the classical style from 1711-13 on the design of Nicholas Hawksmoor, a pupil of the famous architect Sir Christopher Wren.
The font used with the logo is called Trajan Pro and has its origins in the roman lettering found on Trajan's Column, which was completed in 113 CE. It was chosen specifically to complement the architectural style of the Clarendon building. Trajan remains one of the most widely used fonts in book jacket cover design, a further link to the Clarendon Building's original use as the home of OUP.
(With thanks to Toby Whiting)
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