Terræ filius explained

The terræ filius (son of the soil) was a satirical orator who spoke at public ceremonies of the University of Oxford, for over a century. There was official sanction for personal attacks, but some of the speakers overstepped the line and fell into serious trouble. The custom was terminated during the 18th century.^{[1] [2]} The comparable speaker at the University of Cambridge was called "prevaricator".^[3]

The bawdy poem The Oxford-Act (1693) contains a terræ filius speech, and is attributed to Alicia D'Anvers.^[4] Nicholas Amhurst took Terrae-filius, Or, The Secret History of the University of Oxford for the title of a series of periodical essays appearing from 1721, making up a 1726 book.^[5]

List of terræ filii

• 1591 Supposedly "Thomas Tomkins", although this individual cannot be traced. This is the earliest known terræ filius.^[6]
• 1592 John Hoskins, expelled^[7]
• 1637 "Mr. Masters," expelled
• 1651 William Levinz^[8] and Thomas Careles^[9]
• 1655 Robert Whitehall^[10] and John Glendall^[9]
• c. 1656 unnamed terræ filius was forcibly arrested at the podium and taken to Bocardo Prison due to offensive language
• 1657 Daniel Danvers^[11]
• 1657 Lancelot Addison, forced to retract^[12]
• 1658 Thomas Pittys, expelled^[11]
• 1661 (one of several) Arthur Brett^[13]
• 1663 John Edwards and Joseph Brooks^[9]
• 1664 William Cave and Richard Wood, "stopped in their regency"^[11]
• 1665-8 no terræ filius^[9]
• 1669 Thomas Hayes and Henry Gerard, both expelled^[11]
• 1670 no terræ filius^[9]
• 1671 John Roderham and Nicholas Hall^[9]
• 1673 John Shirley^[14]
• 1674 Charles Layfield^[9]
• 1675 Venables Keeling^[9]
• 1676 Balthazar Vigures, expelled,^[15] and John Crofts, chaplain of New College, who retracted after the speech so was not expelled^[11]
• 1681 John More, beaten with a cudgel following the speech^[11]
• 1682 Henry Boles^[16] and Jacob Allestry^[17]
• 1683 Michael Smith ^[16]
• 1684 Henry Walbanke and Thomas Easton^[16]
• 1693 Robert Turner and Henry Aldworth.^[16] Their full speeches (in Latin) survive in the notebook of Thomas Hearne.^[11]
• 1703 Robert Roberts;^[18] this year William Delaune was attacked^[19]
• 1706 Theodore Brooke^[11]
• 1713 Bernard Gardiner suppressed a Whig speech, as a threat to political stability.^[20] The speech was printed, but some copies were burned.^[11]
• 1713-33 No terræ filius^[11]
• 1733 No terræ filius but a speech was printed anonymously.^[11]
• 1763 Final appearance of the terræ filius, closely censored by the university and free of improper remarks.^[11]

Notes and References

1. Book: John Dougill. Oxford in English Literature: The Making, and Undoing, Of the English Athens. 19 October 2010. AuthorHouse. 978-1-4670-0467-1. 306.
2. Book: Cuthbert Bede. Cuthbert Bede. The Rook's Garden: Essays and Sketches. 1865. Sampson Low, Son, and Marston. 196.
3. Book: Dale B. J. Randall. Jackson C. Boswell. Cervantes in Seventeenth-Century England: The Tapestry Turned: The Tapestry Turned. 29 January 2009. OUP Oxford. 978-0-19-156158-0. 321 note 10.
4. 74080. D'Anvers, Alicia. Holly Faith. Nelson.
5. Book: Nicholas Amhurst. Terrae-filius, Or, The Secret History of the University of Oxford, 1721-1726. 2004. University of Delaware Press. 978-0-87413-801-6. 13–5.
6. https://www.academia.edu/1407300/Imagined_Universities_Public_Insult_and_the_Terrae_Filius_in_Early_Modern_Oxford Imagined Universities: Public Insult and the Terrae Filius in Early Modern Oxford
7. Hoskins, John (1566-1638). 27.
8. Levinz, William. 33.
9. Book: Wood . Anthony . Clark . Andrew . The life and times of Anthony Wood, antiquary of Oxford, 1632-1695 . 1891 . Oxford : Printed for the Oxford Historical Society at the Clarendon Press .
10. [Christopher Wordsworth]
11. Smith . Bromley . Ehninger . Douglas . The Terrafilial disputations at oxford . Quarterly Journal of Speech . October 1950 . 36 . 3 . 333–339 . 10.1080/00335635009381578.
12. Addison, Lancelot. 1.
13. 3342. Brett, Arthur. Jonathan. Pritchard.
14. Shirley, John (1648-1679). 52.
15. Book: Annals of the universe: containing an account of the most memorable actions, affairs, and occurrences which have happen'd in the world: but especially in Europe. From the year 1660. where Mr. Whitlock leaves off, to the year 1680. In two decades: with an index to the whole. Being a continuation of the said Mr. Whitlock's Memorials. 1709. printed for William Carter, and to be sold by John Morphew. London. 347. 18 October 2014.
16. Book: Wood . Anthony . The Life and Times of Anthony Wood, Antiquary, of Oxford, 1632-1695: 1682-1695 . 1894 . Oxford Historical Society, at the Clarendon Press . en.
17. Allestry, Jacob. 1.
18. Book: Bodleian Library. Catalogi codicum manuscriptorum bibliothecae Bodleianae .... 1860. 35.
19. Delaune, William (1659-1728). 14.
20. 10355. Gardiner, Bernard. William. Gibson.