Dining Hall Portraits at The Queen's College, Oxford

HALL
PORTRAITS

THE HALL
The Hall
Built in 1715, the 60ft long, 30ft deep Hall, with an arched roof, is furnished with portraits of the
College’s Founder and benefactors. Over the screen is a gallery, part of the Senior Common
Room, from where the choir sings at certain gaudies.
The Hall seats up to 120 and includes an elevated High Table to seat 20 guests who are hosted
by the Provost, or a senior Fellow of the College.
The Fireplace
A bust of Aristotle (384 – 322 BCE) by unknown artist, is displayed on the mantel of the fireplace,
and may be contemporary with the building of the Hall. Aristotle was significant not only as a key
part of the undergraduate curriculum of the time, but also in the legend behind the Boar’s Head
gaudy; Copcot, a mythical student of Queen’s, was attacked by a wild boar in Shotover, and
defended himself by thrusting a book of Aristotle down the boar’s throat. The annual Christmas
gaudy supposedly commemorates the apocryphal incident. The fire is lit only on special
occasions, such as gaudies.
The High Table
The Founder prescribed that the Provost, or their stand-in, should sit in the middle of one side
of the High Table with the Fellows and other guests on either side, and no one should sit on the
other side of the table, with an extra table being added if necessary. This was probably to imitate
the Last Supper, though for many years a legend circulated that a murder had taken place at
High Table, and the Fellows therefore sat with their backs safely against the wall! This custom
was abolished in the 1860s and Fellows have since sat on both sides of the table.
The Stained-Glass Windows
The stained-glass windows in the Hall contain the coats of arms of nine benefactors to the
College. They were added in the early twentieth century to designs by Sir Reginald Blomfield,
who also designed the College’s First World War Memorial, though the lunettes (the half-moon
shaped top of the windows) are older, dating back to the eighteenth-century, and contain
portraits of royal figures or College benefactors.
Photo © David Fisher

ENTRANCE
2
Thomas
Tickell
4
Jeremy
Bentham
6
King
Charles I
7
Queen
Philippa
9
Robert de
Eglesfield
10
Queen
Charlotte
12
Cecilia
Killigrew
14
William
Thomson
16
Joseph
Addison
7
9
10
17 1 2 3
4
5 6 8
11 12 13 14 15 16
FIREPLACE
HIGH TABLE
17
Edmund
Gibson
1
John Michel
3
Isaac Fuller
5
Claire Diacoupolous
Craig
8
Queen
Caroline
11
Lady Elizabeth
Hastings
13
Sir Alan Budd
15
J.R. Magrath

THE HALL PORTRAITS:
THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE PAINTINGS
Since the sixteenth century, the Founder, Queen Philippa, and subsequent
Patronesses, Provosts, Fellows, Benefactors, and famous Old Members of
the College have been commemorated in the College’s collection of nearly
150 portraits.
The pictures have been acquired through gifts from Provosts, Fellows, Old
Members, and friends of the College, as well as through commissions and
purchases by the College itself. The paintings at Queen’s are not in public
ownership.
1
John Michel
Artist: Willem Wissing, or after Sir Peter Lely
Given by Provost Joseph Smith
What we know:
John Michel (1660-1739) had been a student at Queen’s in the 1670s, as had his father, also
John, and his uncle Humphrey in the 1630s; the brothers returned to live in Queen’s a decade
later during the Siege of Oxford in the Civil War. By his will of 1736, the younger Michel made
a bequest to the College on behalf of all three men.
The bequest created a new ‘Michel Foundation’, which was legally separate from the College
until it was merged into the College in 1858. Michel gave four substantial properties that
together provided the then vast sum of £700 per annum! Out of this were paid eight fellows,
four scholars and four exhibitioners (like scholars, but with a smaller stipend). The fund also
provided £2,000 towards building the southern range of Front Quad, on Queen’s Lane, the last
part of the College to be built.
What we say:
Michel’s new Fellows did not have to be ordained, as the Fellows in the original
foundation were. This caused some disgruntlement among the existing Fellows, but
they got their own back: rumour has it that the Michel Fellows were not allowed to sit in
the best armchairs in the Senior Common Room!
2
Thomas Tickell
Artist: Sir Godfrey Kneller
Painted in 1722; given by Tickell’s nephew, Thomas, in 1793
What we know:
Thomas Tickell (1685-1740) came up to Queen’s from Cumberland in 1701, becoming a
Fellow in 1710. By then he was already a published poet, his first publication being a long
topographical poem called ‘Oxford’! He lectured on poetry in the University.
Tickell’s literary works brought him to the notice of his fellow Queensman, Joseph Addison
(see no 16 below). Addison became his patron, both by promoting his poetry and by giving
Tickell a job in his government department. Tickell continued to work for the government (in a
role part junior minister, part civil servant) for the rest of his life.
On Addison’s death, Tickell edited an edition of his literary works and wrote a lament for his
friend and patron:
“Slow comes the verse that real woe inspires:
Grief unaffected suits but ill with art,
Or flowing numbers with a bleeding heart.”
3
What we say:
Tickell wrote several poems about Oxford, and one, in 1733, explicitly praises the
rebuilding of Queen’s and Queen Caroline’s generous bequest (Tickell himself gave
£50 towards it). He goes so far as to hope that her son William, the future ‘Butcher’
Cumberland, might become a member of the College in emulation of the Black Prince
and Henry V who were both supposed (without evidence!) to have been members of
the medieval College.
Isaac Fuller
Artist: Isaac Fuller
Given to the College by George Clarke
What we know:
This is a self-portrait by Isaac Fuller (1606?-1672), an artist better known for painting historical
scenes. Fuller was in Oxford at some point during the Civil War or the Interregnum.
After the Restoration, he returned to Oxford. He painted five large history paintings, the
altarpieces in the chapels at All Souls and Magdalen, decorative paintings and mythological
scenes for London taverns, and three highly idiosyncratic self-portraits.
What we say:
Fuller has no connection to the College, but the picture was given to Queen’s by
George Clarke, Fuller’s patron at All Souls, where Clarke was a Fellow. Clarke also
gave a set of six portraits of queens to the College; this makes sense, but the portrait
of Fuller less so. Perhaps, after Clarke quarrelled with All Souls, he preferred to give
the portrait to a neighbouring college!

4
Jeremy Bentham (or is it?)
Artist: Andrew Geddes
Purchased 1922
What we know:
Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) was one of the greatest English philosophers. He was the
founder of modern utilitarianism, often defined as the system for providing the greatest benefit
(or utility) to the greatest number of people.
Considered a prodigy, he entered Queen’s at the tender age of 12 (which was unusually young
even then), which may help to explain why he was so critical of his time in the College. His
lack of enthusiasm wasn’t helped by the fact that his room overlooked the churchyard of St
Peter-in-the-East (now part of Teddy Hall), which gave him nightmares about ghosts!
Bentham also despised his tutor, described unflatteringly as a ‘Protestant monk’. However, he
does seem to have done some study, as suggested by notes in a manuscript in the College
Library - although the book (which can be viewed online via the Digital Bodleian) does also
include his various doodles and caricatures! He took his BA in 1764.
What we say:
The portrait was purchased by the College in 1922 and now has pride of place above
the fire, presumably in honour of Bentham’s fame and achievements. However, there
is some doubt about whether it actually depicts Bentham, largely because it doesn’t
look much like him! We know exactly what he looked like because his ‘auto-icon’
survives at UCL. This is his actual body, preserved after his death as Bentham insisted
(no-one is sure why), although the head is made of wax as the mummification process
failed to preserve his face properly.
The College has a pencil drawing by GF Watts (done in 1835) that is definitely of
Bentham, which is in the Senior Common Room.
What Claire says:
“As someone who has enjoyed photographic and video art for a long time, and who
has spent much of their life working in science-based futures, I had an instinctive
preference for a photographic portrait. I saw and was attracted to Bettina’s still life work
in the Ashmolean, and was pleased to find she also did portraits.
The experience was delightful, which was a surprise to me as I have always previously
found that being the subject of a photograph makes me awkward. Bettina came
to College and saw the kinds of setting where the portrait would be hung. We also
discussed some possible clothes for me to wear. On the day, however, she had chosen
the most perfect outfits to try out, and we settled on the black tunic-dress and gown,
together with some of her jewellery.
She had booked a large studio in London, powerful lighting, and a make-up artist, and
I stood on the hand-painted backcloth in that gorgeous dark blue shade. It took about
three hours, I think, to find the right photo and a key moment was when we gave up
trying to include my hands. Hands are apparently often difficult to include in a portrait
and, for this one, they just kept being distracting. Once she had taken this picture she
stopped: we all knew that it was going to be the one.”
What the artist, Bettina von Zwehl, says:
“It was an honour to photograph Dr Claire Craig in what proved to be a quietly
reflective, joyful, and collaborative process. What began as a conversation gradually
assumed the presence and weight of a portrait. With the invaluable support of my
technical team, and within an atmosphere of calm, stillness, and continuity, I aimed to
create an image that stands in thoughtful dialogue with the oil paintings of The Queen’s
College—to gently break with tradition while gracefully bridging the disciplines of
photography and painting.”
Claire Diacopoulos Craig
Artist: Bettina von Zwehl
Photograph commissioned and taken in 2025
5 6
What we know:
Dr Claire Diacopoulos Craig (Provost, 2019-2025) became Provost of The Queen’s College
in 2019, following a career at the intersection of science, strategy, and public policy. She
was the College’s first female Provost. She held senior roles at the UK Government Office
for Science and was Chief Science Policy Officer at the Royal Society, where she led major
initiatives on AI, data ethics, and public engagement. Claire was awarded a CBE for her work
on the government’s strategic futures programme, Foresight, and is Vice President (Evidence)
of the International Network for Government Science Advice. She is the author of How Does
Government Listen to Scientists? and co-author of Storylistening: Narrative Evidence and
Public Reasoning.
King Charles I
Artist: A follower of Sir Anthony van Dyck
Painted in c.1632; possibly given by Provost Joseph Smith
What we know:
Like many kings of England, Charles I (1600-49), was connected to Queen’s by his wife,
Henrietta Maria, being Patroness.
He was a benefactor to the College and is included in the Benefactors’ Prayer. In 1626 he
gave six advowsons (the right to appoint a rector to a parish church) in Hampshire and the Isle
of Wight.
During the early years of the Civil War, he was resident in Oxford, and required Queen’s,
like all the colleges, to hand over its non-sacred silver to be melted down to raise war funds.
Queen’s gave plate worth £591 1s 9d, along with a further £800 in cash.

7
What we say:
The deed by which Charles gave the advowsons to the College is beautifully illustrated
and – unusually – in colour. It must have been very expensive. The King states that he
is making the gift at the request of his wife, and it may be that the deed was so lavishly
produced to show the material benefits of what was – because Henrietta Maria was
Catholic – a very unpopular marriage.
Queen Philippa
Artist: Thomas Murray
Painted in 1710; given by Stephen Green, Fellow
What we know:
Philippa of Hainault (1310?-69) was Queen Consort of Edward III. The portrait shows Philippa
pointing through an archway to the medieval buildings of the College, which were still standing
when the portrait was painted. When her chaplain, Robert de Eglesfield, founded the College
in 1341, he named it after Queen Philippa and it was his intention that she be recognised as
Foundress (or Fundatrix in Latin) rather than him. She maintained her generosity and goodwill
to the College after Eglesfield’s death and referred to it as ‘our foundation’.
Surviving inventories show that Philippa came from a background with strong literary interests.
She owned several illuminated psalters and also commissioned an illuminated manuscript
compilation as a wedding gift for Edward.
8
What we say:
Queen Philippa is often credited with introducing the herb rosemary to England, which
she brought from Hainault. Rosemary became popular in English gardens and was
used for culinary, medicinal, and decorative purposes. Here at Queen’s, it is used to
decorate the Boar’s Head during the annual Boar’s Head Gaudy, and features in the
Boar’s Head Carol:
“The Boar’s Head in hand bear I,
Bedeck’d with bays and rosemary”
Queen Caroline
Artist: after John Vanderbank
Painted in c.1739; given by Provost Joseph Smith
What we know:
Caroline (1683-1737), wife of George II, was Queen in 1727-37. Provost Joseph Smith,
formerly Caroline’s chaplain, successfully petitioned her for £1,000 to complete the High Street
façade and the building of Front Quad in 1733-4.
The College then amended its original plans for the cupola to include a marble statue of
Queen Caroline in recognition of her generosity.
9
What we say:
Queen Caroline did generously give £1,000 to the rebuilding of the College, but she
also promised a further £1,000. This, according to the College’s Benefactors’ Book, ‘is
not unexpected, but remains upaid’. We are still waiting…!
Robert de Eglesfield
Artist: Thomas Murray
Given in 1695 by Bernard Brougham, an Old Member
What we know:
Presiding over the High Table is the portrait of Robert de Eglesfield (c.1295-1349), Founder
(in 1341) of the College. Robert is probably the poorest man ever to found an Oxford college
and little is known about his life. He probably grew up in Eaglesfield near Cockermouth in
Cumberland, and was the third son of his family, which is why a star appears on one eagle in
the College’s coat of arms: in the language of heraldry, a star – technically, a mullet – is used
to denote that the bearer is the third son.
His founding vision for the College was for 13 scholars to study theology, with the twofold
aim of improving the quality of the clergy, particularly in Cumberland and Westmorland, and
securing the salvation of the souls of benefactors. In his statutes for the College, Eglesfield
required the Fellows to wear blood-red robes in Hall in memory of Christ’s death. They were to
be summoned to Hall by a trumpet, a custom which continues to this day on certain occasions.
Latin, the international language of scholarship, and French, the language of the Royal Court,
could both be spoken in Hall, but the more vulgar English was discouraged!
His remains are interred in the College’s crypt.
10
What we say:
There are just a handful of images of Robert de Eglesfield and they are remarkably
consistent. However, there are no contemporary likenesses and the earliest portrait –
in the Bodleian – dates to around 1670, about 25 years earlier than the portrait in Hall,
and around 320 years after his death. They are therefore almost certainly all imaginary
and we have no idea what he actually looked like!
Queen Charlotte
Artist: studio of Allan Ramsay
What we know:
Charlotte (1744-1818), Queen Consort of George III, has generally been remembered in two
guises: as the forbearing wife of ‘mad’ King George, and as the prudent and frugal wife of
‘Farmer George’ in the satirical prints of Gillray and his contemporaries.
Queen Charlotte, like her predecessor as Patroness, Queen Caroline, gave a contribution
of £1,000 to the College, for repair to the west side of Front Quad which had been damaged
by fire in 1779. Though there is no statue of her in College comparable to that of her

grandmother-in-law, Caroline, there is instead a fine portrait of her, painted in 1765, in which
she holds a drawing of Front Quad, which can be found in the Senior Common Room, in the
room affectionately known as The Charlotte Room.
11
What we say:
In more recent years, Charlotte has re-entered the public consciousness. The 1765
portrait was lent to the Yale Center for British Art, in 2017 for an exhibition which
presented Charlotte as one of three ‘Enlightened Princesses’ who influenced the art
and science of the nascent modern era. More popularly, the 2023 Netflix series Queen
Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, represented Charlotte as both a powerful matriarch and
determined young bride, and explored some of the more intriguing theories about her
racial identity.
Lady Elizabeth Hastings
Artist: circle of Michael Dahl
Given by Provost Joseph Smith
What we know:
Lady Betty (1682-1739), as she has always been known, wanted to support young men who
would become Anglican clergymen, and so bequeathed to the College after her death in 1739,
the manor of Wheldale, which is now subsumed into the town of Castleford. The income
from this land was used to fund five scholarships for ‘poor boys’ from 12 schools in Yorkshire,
Westmorland, and Cumberland.
The Hastings scholarships account for the high number of undergraduate students who came
from the north of England. Although the selective awards - previously limited to students from
certain schools - ended in the 1980s, the fund itself continues to exist and support students
more broadly. Less formal connections to the region endure today in the form of our access
and outreach work with schools in the North West.
12
What we say:
Lady Betty was incredibly pious and the rules for her scholarships declared that the
12 boys (one from each school) would be reduced to eight by examination. However,
the final five would be chosen by lot. She said that though this ‘may be called by some
superstitious’, she preferred to believe it ‘as leaving something to Providence’.
Cecilia Killigrew
Artist: after Sir Anthony van Dyck
Given by Provost Joseph Smith
What we know:
This portrait was given to the College, like many others in Hall, by Joseph Smith, Provost
1730-56. It was given as a portrait of Henrietta Maria (1609-69), queen to Charles I, who,
as Patroness, was responsible for her husband’s gift of six advowsons to the College
(see no.6 above).
The portrait continued to be known in the College as a painting of Queen Henrietta Maria
until 2002. It is now known to be of Cecilia Killigrew (née Crofts, d.1638), Maid of Honour to
Henrietta Maria, who married Thomas Killigrew, the Queen’s Vice-Chamberlain, in 1636. A
number of other copies exist, some also misidentified as being of Henrietta Maria.
13
What we say:
Other than her resemblance to Henrietta Maria, Cecilia has no obvious ties to the
College! The College does also have two portraits of Henrietta Maria, one of which
can be found in the Old Lodgings staircase in Front Quad. It is probable that Cecilia’s
portrait was hung in Hall rather than either of the genuine portraits of Henrietta Maria,
simply because it was the largest!
Sir Alan Budd
Artist: Antony Williams
Painted in 2005
What we know:
The College commissioned the artist Antony Williams to paint this portrait in 2005 of Sir
Alan Budd (1937-2023), Provost from 1999-2008. Sir Alan was an economist who worked at
HM Treasury in the 1970s, returning in 1991 to be Chief Economic Advisor and Head of the
Government Economic Service, before moving in 1997 to be a member of the Monetary Policy
Committee at the Bank of England. After his retirement from Queen’s, he was the first Chair of
the Office for Budget Responsibility.
Sir Alan was one of just a handful of Provosts to have had no prior connection with Queen’s. He
had studied at the London School of Economics and Churchill College, Cambridge, and in the
1980s was Professor of Economics and Director of the Centre for Economic Forecasting at the
London Business School.
14
What we say:
Bursar Andrew Timms, at Sir Alan’s memorial service, observed that: ‘One of Alan’s
greatest achievements at the College was to open it up to the outside world, and to
do so in ways that seemed both gentle but inevitable, rewarding as well as necessary.
Under his leadership, the College, which had become known for a degree of insularity,
became a vastly more enterprising and friendly institution. … The breadth of his
knowledge and interests was something to behold; he was intense and thoughtful even
at his most relaxed and gregarious. Conversation with him was very rewarding and
never idle.’
William Thomson
Artist: Cyrus Johnson after W. W. Ouless
Painted in c.1886; given by E. B. Elliott, former Fellow, in 1892
What we know:
William Thomson (1819-90) was one of the last generation of men from the Two Counties
(Cumberland and Westmorland) to move up through the ranks of student, scholar and Fellow,

which had been restricted to Cumbrians since the 1380s. He also moved rapidly through the
ranks of College officers: Chaplain, Tutor, Dean, Bursar, and finally Provost from 1855 until
1862, when he became Archbishop of York.
Thomson’s short Provostship was nevertheless one of energetic reform. A keen musician with
a deep bass voice, he reintroduced the choir to chapel services for the first time since the
Reformation and had an organ installed. He also oversaw the introduction of new Ordinances
for the College in 1858, the first time that the College’s statutes had been changed since 1341!
Perhaps most notably, Fellows could be elected from outside Queen’s for the first time, a
major change which both opened the College up to wider talent, and abolished the monopoly
of the Two Counties, despite the advantage Thomson himself had gained from it.
15
What we say:
Thomson was a vain man. He was born William Thompson, but dropped the ‘p’ as he
regarded Thomson as ‘less plebeian’, which resulted in much mocking throughout his
time at Queen’s. He also once gave his name in a hotel register as ‘His Grace, the
Lord Archbishop of York’!
J. R. Magrath
Artist: Hon. John Collier
Painted in 1898
What we know:
John Richard Magrath (1839-1930) is a man of near-mythical status at Queen’s. He served as
Provost for 52 years, having previously taken turns as Chaplain, Dean, and Bursar. He also
wrote a two-volume history of Queen’s, which remains the standard work on the College.
A graduate of Oriel College and a native of Guernsey in the Channel Islands, he was an early
beneficiary of the Ordinances of 1858, as just the second Fellow in almost 500 years to be
elected from outside modern-day Cumbria.
While Provost, Magrath served Oxford University on virtually all its major boards: University
Chest, Common University Fund, University Press (where he oversaw the establishment of the
New York office), Hebdomadal Council, Sheldonian Theatre, and the University Museum. As well
as being Vice-Chancellor, he was also the first don to sit on the City Council.
It is Magrath who is responsible for the fact we refer to ourselves as The Queen’s College. On
receiving a draft of the new College Statutes in 1881, he proceeded to place ‘The’ before every
instance of ‘Queen’s College’. Having thus formally changed the name of the College he added
the ‘The’ everywhere else, including the College’s stationery. We have continued to refer to The
Queen’s College ever since, often to the amusement of other members of the University.
What we say:
Magrath retired in 1911 after his attempt to turn St Edmund Hall into an annexe of
Queen’s ended in ignominy. However, because he had become Provost in 1878, three
years before the Statutes of 1881 introduced a retirement age, he continued to be
Provost until he died, aged 90, in 1930. By the 1920s, and despite living in the Old
Lodgings in Front Quad, he was seen by students just once a year when he took his
place as Provost ‘without a noticeable blush’ in the College photograph!
16
Joseph Addison
Artist: Bartholomew du Pan
Given by Thomas Tickell’s nephew, Thomas, in 1793
What we know:
Swiss artist Bartholomew du Pan worked in England from 1743 to 1751, during which time he
presumably painted this portrait of Joseph Addison (1672-1719).
Addison came up to Queen’s in 1687 before moving to Magdalen two years later, where he
became a Fellow – largely due to his talent at composing Latin verse. He became a member of
Parliament (having impressed all 13 voters in the town of Malmesbury!) and was a member of
several Whig governments under Queen Anne and George I. He was appointed Secretary of
State in 1717, a position similar to that of modern-day Foreign Secretary.
Addison’s enduring fame, however, rests with his editorship of The Spectator magazine, which
he founded with his friend Richard Steele in 1711. Despite its relatively short life – just a year
and a half, coinciding with Addison’s time in political opposition – this daily satirical and literary
periodical, with its promise ‘to enliven morality with wit, and to temper wit with morality’, helped to
transform political and cultural discourse long into the eighteenth century.
17
What we say:
In 1876, a group of Queen’s students formed the Addison Society as a forum for
members to give papers and lead discussion on English literature; beginning with The
Spectator itself. The Society still exists, though its scope has widened beyond literature
to involve discussion and debate about a wide range of contemporary issues.
Edmund Gibson
Artist: attributed to John Vanderbank
Painted in 1753; given by his son, George Gibson
What we know:
Edmund Gibson (1669-1748) entered Queen’s from Westmorland in 1686 before becoming a
Fellow in 1696. Ordained the following year, he was later bishop of Lincoln, and then London.
In the latter role, he was effectively the link between the Church of England and the Whig
government, acting as whip to the bishops in the House of Lords; to his enemies he was
‘Walpole’s pope’.
What we say:
For about a generation in c.1700 the College was the principal centre for Anglo-Saxon
studies, and Gibson was part of a small group of members who researched and
published on Anglo-Saxon language, history and laws. As a Fellow, he published a series
of books on classical, Anglo-Saxon, and antiquarian subjects, including an edition of the
‘Anglo-Saxon Chronicle’ which remained the standard version for over a century.
Compiled by Michael Riordan
With Emily Downing, Amy Ebrey, and Sandra Smith

The Queen’s College
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www.queens.ox.ac.uk
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