Hertford College Archives
Thank you for visiting the Hertford College Archives webpages. Access to the College Archives is now restricted due to the requirements of the Library & Archives Redevelopment Project; and the majority of our records are now in specialist off-site storage. We have digitised many of our most frequently consulted records and retained a small proportion of records on site. If you have a query about college history, alumni or family history or anything else we will try to provide an answer remotely or by supplying digital images. Under some circumstances we can recall a record for consultation, so please do contact us for further information. You can email us at archives@hertford.ox.ac.uk, telephone 01865 279356 (voicemail out of hours) or write to Hertford College Archives, Hertford College, Catte Street, Oxford, OX1 3BW.
The College Archives contain the records created by Hart Hall, Magdalen Hall and Hertford College. Today’s Hertford College is the successor of two medieval halls of the University of Oxford – Hart Hall and Magdalen Hall – and a previous ‘Hertford College’ which existed from 1740 to 1816. To find out more about the history of Hertford College and our alumni, visit the College History page.
Please note that Magdalen Hall is a separate institution from Magdalen College, so please check carefully whether your enquiry relates to Magdalen Hall. If your enquiry relates to Magdalen College, please contact their Library and Archive.
About our collections
The majority of the records in the Archives are those created by Hertford College from its foundation in 1874 and consist mainly of official administrative records, records relating to works to the College buildings as well as some personal papers and collections of photographs and drawings. The survival of records created by Hertford College’s predecessor bodies has been more haphazard and these bodies are not so well represented. There are no records prior to the 17th century.
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Our records
The collection consists of:
- Records of Hart Hall and its successor Hertford College 1716–1820: Governance records and statutes, Library catalogues
- Records of Magdalen Hall 1661–1874: Governance records, Admissions registers (1849–1874), Library catalogues, Buttery Books (1661–1874 – please note that due to conservation considerations most of the Magdalen Hall Buttery Books are not available for consultation)
- Records of Hertford College 1874 onwards: administrative, financial and fabric records of Hertford College from 1874 onwards, some personal papers of former Hertford College staff and students, records of student life and societies, prints, engravings & photographs
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Family history and alumni research
For former students we can confirm academic details such as dates of matriculation and degrees awarded; however, please note that the Archives rarely contain much detailed biographical information about individuals. Individual student record files are closed for 100 years from date of birth.
We hold a small number of records relating to college servants and from the 20th century can usually confirm the dates that an individual worked for the college.
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College photographs
We have a good collection of college photographs dating from the end of the 19th century. These are all currently in off-site storage but we have digitised copies available for many of them. There are gaps for some years, so we are always glad to hear from alumni who have photographs which they might consider donating. Please note that most of our official matriculation and group photographs have been taken by the Oxford-based photography firm Gillman & Soame. Photographs taken 70 years ago or less are still in copyright so please visit the Gillman & Soame website if you wish to order reproductions or reproduce an image.
Please do not reproduce any archival material which appears on this website without prior permission from the Archivist.
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The Hertford College Magazine
The Hertford College Magazine – the official annual record of the college – has been published in most years since 1910, with exception of the years 1915–1920. The full archive of issues, available as PDFs, is available on our Hertford College Magazine pages.
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Rare books
Much of the Library which formerly belong to Magdalen Hall, and some books from Hart Hall and the first version of Hertford College (1740-1816) are still part of the library collection. For further information about this collection go to our Rare books page or contact the Librarian.
Using the Archives FAQs
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Will I have to pay to access your collections?
No, we do not charge for answering straightforward enquiries from academic researchers or members of the public. We will not normally charge for supplying digital images for academic or other non-commercial purposes such as publications, exhibitions or websites, but we may make a charge if reproducing and editing the images is particularly time consuming. We reserve the right to charge to cover the costs of any photocopying or printing.
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Can I visit in person?
Yes, please see the ‘accessing the collections’ page for more information.
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Are reproductions available?
No photocopying, scanning or any other form of reproduction may be carried out without prior permission from the Archivist. Researchers may request copies to be made of documents in the Archives for the purposes of private research, subject to the physical condition of the records and any legal restrictions. Please complete a Reproduction Permission Form and return to the Archivist.
We will normally charge a fee for reproduction and usage of images in the case of commercial publication; in this case please contact the Librarian or Archivist to discuss your project. We will normally ask for a copy of publications to be donated to the Library and Archives.
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Can I use my phone or digital camera?
You may use your phone or digital camera to take images for personal research, with the prior permission of the archivist and on completion of a self-photography form. Please follow the archivist’s instructions on how to take images safely without damage to the documents. Flash photography and tripods are not permitted.
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Are your collections covered by copyright?
A large proportion of the records in the archives will be in copyright and the copyright will either be held by Hertford College or by another institution or individual. You are allowed to take images for personal and research purposes and you will have to sign a disclaimer for this. If you want to reproduce an image for a publication or online via social media or a website, you will have to ask the copyright holder’s permission. If the copyright is not held by Hertford College, it is your responsibility to get permission from the copyright holder before a reproduction can be made.
Further resources
We’ve compiled a list of suggestions for further reading about the history of Hertford College. You can look at the research guides on our Online Catalogue and explore our Library & Archives blog.
If you are researching a student who matriculated at Oxford up to 1932, then Oxford University Archives may have more detailed information about their academic career. From 1932 onwards, this information is held by the University’s Central Administration: please contact the Degree Conferrals Office who may be able to help with your enquiry. Information about individuals can sometimes be found through the National Archives online Discovery catalogue which contains detailed information on records held at the National Archives and other UK archives. Ancestry UK and other family history sites can often be searched for free on site at your local library.
You can search for information about manuscripts and archives held at Oxford University through the MARCO website which brings together a range of searchable catalogues from across the University.
Useful advice and further links with contact details for all the Oxford college archives can be found through the Oxford Archivists’ Consortium. For the history of the city of Oxford and its people, contact the Oxfordshire History Centre.