Hertford College Archives

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

We can usually confirm academic details such as dates of matriculation and degrees awarded. However please note that the Archives rarely contain biographical information about individual students. We have a small number of records relating to College servants.

We have a good collection of College photographs dating from the end of the 19^th century, all of which are available for viewing by visitors in person. 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 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 at if you wish to order reproductions.

Please do not reproduce any archival material which appears on this website without prior permission from the Archivist.

The Hertford College Magazine – the official annual record of the college – has been published in most years since 1910. The full archive of issues, uploaded as searchable and indexed PDFs, is available on our Hertford College Magazine page.

The Library which formerly belonged to Magdalen Hall is still kept at Hertford College. For further information about this collection go to our Rare books page or contact the Librarian.

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.

Yes, please see the ‘accessing the collections’ page for more information.

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.

Digital cameras may be used to make personal research copies, with the prior permission of the Archivist and on completion of a self-photography form.

Researchers wishing to reproduce material for publication or commercial use must obtain permission from the copyright holder. Where the copyright is held by Hertford College the researcher must complete a copyright permission form. If the copyright is held elsewhere it is the responsibility of the researcher to seek permission from the copyright holder before a reproduction can be made.