Timeline
St Antony’s was founded in 1950 as the result of the gift of Antonin Besse of Aden, a merchant of French descent. Its role was “to be a centre of advanced study and research in the fields of modern international history, philosophy, economics and politics and to provide an international centre within the University where graduate students from all over the world can live and work together in close contact with senior members of the University who are specialists in their fields”. The College opened its doors to its first students in Michaelmas Term 1950.
The first Warden of the College was Sir William Deakin (1950-68), a young Oxford academic who in the Second World War became an adventurous soldier and aide to Winston Churchill. He won Antonin Besse’s confidence and played the key role in turning his vision into the centre of excellence that St Antony’s has become.
The college’s arms, granted in 1952, were designed in such a way so as to reflect the college’s namesake – Anthony ‘the Great’ of Egypt. The red represents the Red Sea, whilst the gold was chosen to reflect desert sands. The mullets were borrowed from the founder’s trademark, whilst the T-shaped elements are traditional crosses of St Antony. The heraldic blazon for these arms is as follows:
Or on a chevron between three tau crosses gules as many pierced mullets of the field.
The college’s motto ‘plus est en vous’ is sometimes added in complement to its arms. When this is the case, they are typically placed upon a scroll beneath the escutcheon (shield); this version of the arms is most commonly found on the cover of St Antony’s Papers issues. The motto itself can be translated literally as ‘there is more in you’, although it is commonly taken to imply the following English expression: ‘There is more to you than meets the eye’.
St Antony’s received its Royal Charter on 1st April 1953.
A Supplementary Charter in 1962 was granted to allow the College to admit women as well as men.
In 1963 the College was made a full member of the University.