About the Society

The Stubbs Society is the oldest historical society in the University of Oxford, named in honour of the great Victorian historian, William Stubbs. When an American, Samuel Brearly, introduced the idea of the 'seminar' to Oxford in 1882, his initiative became, first, the Oxford Historical Seminar, and then, in 1884, the Stubbs Society. Functioning as a 'proving ground for future leaders and the founders of new fields of enquiry', the Stubbs fostered critical thinking and intellectual curiosity, under the aegis of dons such as Sir Charles Oman, E. A. Freeman, and with members including such future doyens of the historical profession as James Tait, Sir Charles Harding Firth, and Frederick York Powell.


The society's 'Transactions', largely extant from 1894 in the Bodleian Library, reveal much about its character; but the society resists easy characterisation. The early model may have overtones of the gentleman's club, with one blackball in six enough to prevent election as a member; yet when the idea of a club tie was mooted, only one member voted in its favour, and women were invited to join with alacrity. Equally, if some of the talks and debates are replete with naivety and sui generis moral judgement, discussion was often insightful, sophisticated, and culturally inflected: for instance, a paper on Lollardy, delivered in the 1910s, provoked suggestions that Lollardy was a rhetorically-constructed vehicle for the condemnation of the enemies of the Lancastrian regime—a thesis broadly similar to that advanced by recent historians of the Lollards such as Paul Strohm. The Stubbs Society, then, seems to have been a vigorous intellectual space, necessarily coloured by its setting, but nonetheless (indeed, in some respects, all the more) worthy of attention.

In over a century of continual activity, the Stubbs was addressed by a series of eminent historians in meetings famous, sometimes notorious, for the combative discussion that ensued after a paper had been read. Conrad Russell recalled an occasion when Geoffrey Elton was the speaker:

The first time I met Geoffrey Elton was when I was a postgraduate in 1960. After addressing the Stubbs Society in Oxford, he faced a concerted assault, begun "while Lawrence is getting his anti-tank gun into position". I rashly wandered into the cross-fire and defended him.

Senior members included historians of such diverse political persuasions as Christopher Hill and Hugh Trevor-Roper, and speakers were equally diverse, ranging from Joseph Needham on the history of Chinese science, to Veronica Wedgwood on the Seventeenth Century. Today, the society's purpose is much the same as it was in its heyday: to provide students with an opportunity to meet the greatest names in the historical profession, and to broaden intellectual horizons in a convivial atmosphere. Undergraduates, postgraduates, visiting students and fellows are all welcome at the society's meetings, which include regular speaker events, dinners and receptions. The society seeks to emphasize the contemporary relevance of history, and cultivates links with the arts, current affairs, law and politics.