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Brasenose College

Tradition has it that Brasenose College takes its unusual name from its original 13th century door knocker (now in the college dining room), shaped like a snout, or nose. The knocker was made of brass, hence "Brazen Nose" or "Brasenose". That simple explanation may not tell the whole tale, however, as "brasenose" may also be a corruption of "brasenhuis", a brewery.

It has been speculated that the knocker signified a place of sanctuary, where escaped felons could remain safe from the clutches of the law. What is known more certainly is that the knocker was stolen from the front doors of Brasenose in the 14th century and installed on a house in Stamford Street.

The college was only able to retrieve its knocker in the Victorian period by purchasing the entire house! To preserve the famous nose from further indignity it was removed to the safety of the hall.

As with most Oxford colleges, Brasenose is seldom referrred to by its proper name. In this case the name of the college is abbreviated to BNC.

An educational hall, also called Brasenose, was on this site from the 13th century, but Brasenose College can properly be said to date from 1509, when it was founded by Sir Richard Sutton and William Smith, Bishop of Lincoln.

A later benefactress was Sarah, the Dowager Duchess of Somerset, who created 18 scholarships for students from Manchester, Marlborough, and Hereford Schools.

If you walk down Brasenose Lane that separates the college from neighbor Exeter College, you will see a chestnut tree leaning from the Exeter grounds toward the college walls. It is said that in any year that the tree touches the college wall, Exeter will defeat Brasenose at rowing.

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Text © David Ross and Britain Express 2004