Watercolour of All Souls College, Oxford. The College is a unique constituent college of the University of Oxford founded in 1438 by Henry VI and Archbishop Henry Chichele to commemorate victims of the Hundred Years’ War. It is primarily an academic research institution with no student members; instead, it offers prestigious fellowships through a famously rigorous examination open to recent graduates, sometimes called “the hardest exam in the world”. Successful candidates receive a seven-year fellowship to pursue research or study without typical academic burdens.
The college is known for its wealth, with a financial endowment of £486.7 million as of 2023, mostly funding its activities without relying on tuition fees. Architecturally, it features a historic chapel built between 1438 and 1442, with medieval elements and Victorian renovations
 
Interesting facts…
The Mallard Ceremony. The most famous tradition is the “Hunting of the Mallard,” held only once every 100 years. After a commemorative feast, fellows parade around the college at night with flaming torches, singing the Mallard Song, and following a “Lord Mallard” carried in a chair. The procession is led by someone holding a mallard (now wooden) on a pole, commemorating a legend that a giant duck flew from the college’s foundations during its construction. The last ceremony was in 2001; the next will be in 2101