Snell Exhibition facts for kids
The Snell Exhibition is a special scholarship given every year to students from the University of Glasgow in Scotland. This scholarship helps them continue their studies at Balliol College, Oxford, which is a famous university in England. It's a great way for talented students to get a top-notch education.
This scholarship was started a long time ago by a man named Sir John Snell. He left money for it in his will back in 1677. Sir John Snell passed away in 1679. However, there were some disagreements about his will. Because of this, it took almost 20 years for the first scholarships to be given out. The first four students who received the Snell Exhibition started at Balliol College in 1699.
Why the Scholarship Was Created
Sir John Snell was a supporter of the King during the English Civil War. He later worked for the Duke of Monmouth, managing his lands in Scotland. Sir John wanted his money to help educate Scottish clergymen for the Scottish Episcopal Church. This was the main church in Scotland at that time.
Over time, the scholarship's purpose changed a bit. By the time the famous thinker Adam Smith received it, it was seen more as a way to help students get a good education. Even though the original rules said students should become Anglican clergymen and return to Scotland, this rule was not always followed. Many students, including Adam Smith, did not have to do this. Sir John Snell is buried in St Cross Church, Oxford. This church is now part of Balliol College's library.
The Annual Dinner
Every year, there is a special dinner held at Balliol College. People from Balliol, the University of Glasgow, and St John's College, Cambridge attend this dinner. It's a way to remember Sir John Snell and celebrate the scholarship he created.
Famous Snell Exhibitioners
Many important people have received the Snell Exhibition over the years. Here are some of them:
- W. G. S. Adams: A political scientist and public servant.
- Hely Hutchinson Almond: A headmaster.
- Matthew Baillie: A doctor and expert in diseases.
- Captain Robert Blair: A brave soldier.
- Sir Drummond Bone: A leader at Balliol College and the University of Liverpool.
- Denis Brogan: A historian.
- Robert Browning: An expert on the Byzantine Empire.
- Edward Caird: A philosopher.
- Professor Tom Campbell: A legal philosopher.
- John Douglas: A bishop.
- Sir William Hamilton: A philosopher who studied the nature of reality.
- Andrew Lang: A writer.
- John Gibson Lockhart: A writer.
- Professor Sir Neil MacCormick: A legal expert and a member of the European Parliament.
- Martin McLaughlin: A professor of Italian at Oxford.
- Archibald Main: A historian of the church.
- J. H. Muirhead: A philosopher.
- John Nichol: A writer who writes about people's lives.
- Herbert James Paton: A philosopher.
- Murray Pittock: An academic.
- Robert Ranken: A cricketer.
- John Campbell Shairp: A literary critic.
- Adam Smith: A very famous moral philosopher and economist.
- John Smith: A professor of geometry at Oxford.
- James Stirling: A mathematician.
- Richard Susskind: An expert in law and information technology.
- Archibald Campbell Tait: An Archbishop of Canterbury.
- Diane Watt: An expert on the Middle Ages.
- W. S. Watt: An expert on classical languages.
