Stanhope essay prize

The Stanhope essay prize was an undergraduate history essay prize created at Balliol College, Oxford, by Philip Henry Stanhope, 5th Earl Stanhope in 1855.

Notable winners

Notable Stanhope Prize winners:

• John Richard Magrath, 1860^[1]
• Francis Jeune, 1863, 1st Baron St Helier^[2]
• Thomas Pitt Taswell-Langmead, 1866^[3]
• Thomas Buchanan, 1868, Liberal politician^[4]
• Arthur Francis Leach, 1872
• Richard Lodge, 1875^[5]
• Charles Harding Firth, 1877, British historian
• Arthur Elam Haigh, 1878^[6]
• Holden Hutton, 1881^[7]
• John Bruce Williamson, 1883, barrister, historian and writer^[8]
• William Carr, 1884, biographer
• Owen Morgan Edwards, 1886^[9]
• George Arnold Wood, 1889, English Australian historian
• John Buchan, 1897, British novelist
• Robert Rait, 1899^[10]

• Robert Howard Hodgkin was proxime^[11]

• Alfred Eckhard Zimmern, 1902, New College, Oxford, British classical scholar and historian^[12]
• Archibald Main, 1903
• George Stuart Gordon, 1905^[13]
• Eustace Percy, 1st Baron Percy of Newcastle, 1907, British politician and public servant^[14]
• Vivian Hunter Galbraith, 1911, English historian
• Michael Sadleir, 1912^[15]
• Aldous Huxley, 1916, English writer
• Bruce McFarlane, 1924^[16]
• Bernard Miller, 1925, British businessman^[17]
• Maurice Ashley, editor of The Listener
• Derek Pattinson, 1951, Secretary-General of the General Synod of the Church of England^[18]

In fiction

In Max Beerbohm's satirical tragedy of undergraduate life at Oxford, Zuleika Dobson (1911), the hero Duke of Dorset^[19] was awarded, amongst others, the Stanhope:

At Eton he had been called "Peacock", and this nick-name had followed him up to Oxford. It was not wholly apposite, however. For, whereas the peacock is a fool even among birds, the Duke had already taken (besides a particularly brilliant First in Mods) the Stanhope, the Newdigate, the Lothian, and the Gaisford Prize for Greek Verse.^[20]

References

1. H. A. P. Sawyer, ‘Magrath, John Richard (1839–1930)’, rev. M. C. Curthoys, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004
2. Herbert Stephen, 'Jeune, Francis Henry, Baron St Helier (1843–1905)', rev. Sinéad Agnew, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004
3. J. M. Rigg, 'Langmead, Thomas Pitt Taswell (1840–1882), rev. Catherine Pease-Watkin, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004
4. Gordon F. Millar, 'Buchanan, Thomas Ryburn (1846–1911)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004
5. Geoffrey Best, 'Lodge, Sir Richard (1855–1936)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004
6. S. J. Low, 'Haigh, Arthur Elam (1855–1905)', rev. Richard Smail, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004
7. H. C. G. Matthew, 'Hutton, William Holden (1860–1930)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004
8. Sir Ivo d'Oyle Elliot. "Williamson, John Bruce". The Balliol College Register. Second Edition. Printed by John Johnson at the University Press. 1934. p 129. Google Books
9. Gareth Elwyn Jones, 'Edwards, Sir Owen Morgan (1858–1920)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004
10. D. M. Abbott, 'Rait, Sir Robert Sangster (1874–1936)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004
11. "Mr. R. H. Hodgkin: Provost of Queen's and Historian". Obituary. The Times. No. 52, 041. London. 30 June 1951. p. 8.
12. "University intelligence". The Times. No. 36770. London. 17 May 1902. p. 11.
13. R. H. Darwall-Smith, 'Gordon, George Stuart (1881–1942)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004
14. "Obituary: Lord Percy of Newcastle – a Stimulating Educationalist". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 4 April 1958. p. 8.
15. Derek Hudson, 'Sadleir , Michael Thomas Harvey (1888–1957)', rev. Sayoni Basu, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004
16. G. L. Harriss, 'McFarlane, (Kenneth) Bruce (1903–1966)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004
17. The Daily Telegraph "Obituary" 28 February 2003
18. The Times "Obituary" 14 October 2006
19. Or in full, John Albert Edward Claude Orde Angus Tankerton Tanville-Tankerton, fourteenth Duke of Dorset, Marquis of Dorset, Earl of Grove, Earl of Chastermaine, Viscount Brewsby, Baron Grove, Baron Petstrap, and Baron Wolock
20. Beerbohm, Max, Zuleika Dobson (Part 1 out of 5) online at fullbooks.com, accessed 16 August 2008