Home › P › Pembroke College (At Oxford England Founded)

Pembroke College (At Oxford England Founded)

a college at Oxford, England. Founded in 1624, when Thomas Tesdale bequeathed a sum of money for the support of scholars in Oxford. Richard Wightwick added to Tesdale's bequest, and because the latter had indicated Balliol as his preference, that college claimed the endowment.

James I., however, determined to found a new college, and, with these two bequests, founded Pembroke, named after the then chancellor of the university.

The buildings are very picturesquely situated and are, for the most part, of modern construction. The college consisted of a master, 7 fellowships, and about 150 undergraduates. During the war the number of undergraduates lates was reduced to a third of that figure. Among its famous alumni are John Pym, George Whitefield, Beaumont, the dramatist, and Samuel Johnson. Some memorials to Johnson have been erected, and a number of relics from his student life are there.