Terms of the University in the eighteenth/nineteenth centuries
Four terms in the academic year (to 1917)
There were originally four terms in the academic year of the University of Oxford, whose names matched those of the legal year:
- Michaelmas Term (named after the feast day of St Michael & All Angels on 29 September)
- Hilary Term (named after the feast day of St Hilary on 14 January
- Easter Term (often abbreviated to Term Pasch.)
- Act Term (named after the Act)*. This was sometimes known as Trinity term
(named after Trinity Sunday, which falls eight weeks after Easter).
* The Act (mentioned by Anthony Wood in 1691) used to be a big ceremony that included Encaenia, musical works and a satirical speech by an anonymous speaker known as Terrae Filius, but after 1733 it comprised mostly the Encaenia.
As early as 1806 it was recommended that the Easter and Act terms should be consolidated, but it did not happen for another 111 years.
This extract from the University Calendar of 1859 spells out the relevant dates of the above terms for that particular academic year:
University terms, and how many are required to be kept for each degree.
MICHAELMAS TERM, which begins on the 10th of October, and ends on the 17th of December.
HILARY TERM, which begins on the 14th of January, and ends the day before Palm-Sunday.
But if the Saturday before Palm-Sunday should be a festival, in that case the Term does not end till the Monday following.EASTER TERM, which begins on the tenth day after Easter-Sunday, and ends on the day before
Whit-Sunday.TRINITY TERM, which begins on the Wednesday after Whit-Sunday, and ends the Saturday after the Act,* which is always on the first Tuesday in July.
If the day on which the beginning or end of any Term should take place happen to be a festival, the beginning or end of such Term shall be deferred till the day after. This rule, however, is not to apply to Easter Term; for if the day on which it should end happen to be a festival, the Term shall end the day before.
The full Term is understood to begin on the first day of the week after the first Congregation is held; so that if the Congregation be held on the Monday, the Sunday after is considered the first day of the full Term.
In 1868 the short vacation between the Easter and Trinity (or Act) Terms was abolished, so the two terms ran straight on from each other and were virtually one term (except that they still counted as two terms for the purpose of residence).
In 1901/2 the dates of the four Oxford terms were as follows:
Michaelmas Term: Monday 14 October to Tuesday 17 December 1901
Hilary or Lent Term: Tuesday 14 January to Saturday 22 March 1902
Easter Term: Wednesday 2 April (two days after Easter Monday) to Friday 16 May 1902
Trinity or Act Term: From Saturday 17 May 1902
Three terms each academic year (1917–present)
On 8 May 1917 the question of a statute “to combine Easter and Trinity Terms in a single term for all purposes”, which had been carried through Convocation by a small majority, came before Congregation. The Guardian of 9 May 1917 reported:
In a statement put out on behalf of the statute, it was explained that Easter and Trinity terms have in a sense formed one term since 1868; before that date they were severed by a short vacation. At present Trinity succeeds Easter term without any break perceptible to the “plain, honest man.” But for the purposes of residence they still count as two and may be kept separately, in which case the University requires 21 days of residence in either of them, but if both be kept together not less than 48 days will suffice. As a result it is possible for a man to keep a term's residence by residing 21 days only, whereas for an ordinary term 42 are required.
The statute combining the two terms was carried by 59 to 49.
Later in the twentieth century the University the short Trinity and Act Terms which ran continuously on from each other without a break were merged and so that henceforth there were only three terms:
- MICHAELMAS TERM (between October and December, followed by Christmas break)
- HILARY TERM (between January and Easter, followed by Easter break)
- TRINITY TERM (between April and June, followed by the Long Vacation)
These names for the terms are still used today:
The High Courts, however, still have the old four-term year.
