Born in 1852 the son of H.M. Harris of Plymouth
School – Plymouth Grammar
Admitted to Clare College on 9 June 1870 as a pensioner
BA 3rd Wrangler 1874
MA 1877
Fellow 1875-88 and 1892-1904
Librarian from 1898-1902
Hon. Fellow 1909-41
Fellow British Academy 1927
Hon. LittD Dublin
Hon. LLD Haverford, USA
Hon. D.Theol. Leyden, Holland
Hon. LLD Birmingham
Hon. DD Glasgow
Professor of New Testament Greek: Sch: Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, Maryland, USA , 1882-86
Returned to Cambridge, 1893
University Lecturer in Palaeography, 1893-1903
Travelled extensively in the East in search of manuscripts and, as a result of his visits to Mount Sinai
Had two narrow escapes from drowning, his ship being torpedoed on both occasions, in the War of 1914-18
Moved to Manchester, 1918
Curator of Eastern, John Rylands Library 1918-25
Professor of Biblical Languages: Sch: Haverford College USA , 1886-92
Professor of Theology: at Sch: University of Leyden Leyden, Holland, 1903-04
Director of studies: Friends' Settlement for Social and Religious Study Woodbrooke, near Birmingham, 1903-18
Notice to marry, July 1880, at the Friends Meeting House in Plymouth, Helen Balkwill
Died in Selly Oak, Birmingham, on 1 March 1941
J Rendel Harris was one of the most prolific and influential New Testament scholars of his time and was responsible for bringing to light hitherto lost early Christian writings and gathered major collections of Syriac manuscripts and Greek papyri, especially the Syriac Bible. It was Dr Harris who provided Dr Agnes Smith Lewis and her sister Margaret Dunlop Gibson (twin sisters in Cambridge with interest in ancient Syriac writings) with the contacts in Egypt that enabled them to visit the Monastery of Saint Catherine on Mt. Sinai. This collaboration led to the discovery of the Sinaitic Palimpsest.
Admitted to Clare in October 1903 to read mathematics (First class).
Elected into a Fellowship in 1907 and was awarded the Smith's prize in 1908.
1910 married Ethel Marienne Harvey piper. They had two sons who also attended Clare as did their grandson.
WWI - served as Captain in the Royal Garrison Artillery and as Assistant Proof and Experimental Officer at Woolwich Arsenal. His services were recognised with the award of an MBE.
After lecturing in maths at Liverpool and then back in Cambridge he was commissioned as a Scientific Officer at Woolwich Arsenal in 1914. From 1919-1924 he continued scientific work in Cambridge and then changed direction to deal with administration of Clare College. He became Bursar, Financial Tutor and Steward and also dealt with the College Archives. This was the period when the College was run mainly by three men, Sir Henry Thirkill, Dr. W. Telfer and William Harrison who were known as the "Holy Trinity". Harrison retired in 1949 but continued his research in the Archives publishing books on the history of the College.
1929 - 1949 served as Bursar.
Obituary: The Clare Association Annual 1969, pp. 56-57.
Dr David Hartley is a chartered engineer in computing and information technology, who has combined many years as a senior manager in the
university environment with a wide range of consulting and advisory positions for government, education, research and industry. He worked in the Computer Laboratory on the early pioneering computers making contributions in programming languages, operating systems and other services. He was Director of the University Computing Service from 1970 to 1994, and was responsible for the University’s broadband facility linking all Colleges and Departments throughout Cambridge.
From 1994 to 1997 he was Chief Executive of the company developing the JANET national network, and from 1997 to 2002 was Executive Director of the Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre. He was then Steward of Clare College for three years, and worked with Toby Wilkinson to reform alumni relations into the force that it is today. He was President of the British Computer Society in millennium year 1999-2000.
Among external roles, he has advised many bodies including government departments. In the 1980’s he was a member of the Computer Board for Universities and Research Councils, and the Prime Minister’s Information Technology Advisory Panel, also spending a sabbatical year at the Department of Industry.
MA, Mathematics, 1959
Diploma in Numerical Analysis and Automatic Computing, 1959
PhD, Computer Science, 1963
FBCS, CEng, CITP
Medal of Merits, Nicholas Copernicus University, Poland, 1984
Donald Hearn served as Bursar of Clare from 2001 until 2013.
Prior to his appointment as Bursar, Donald was Finance Director at the Royal Horticultural Society for fifteen years. Following his retirement from Clare he continues to be actively involved with a number of charities, University Committees and pension schemes.
Admitted sizar at Clare, 20 August 1635.
Matriculated 1636.
B.A. 1639-40; M.A. 1643; D.D. 1661 (Lit. Reg.).
Fellow, 1642-4 (ejected); restored, 1660. He was one of 4 Fellows restored at the Restoration.
On 27 August 1661 he was required to go with Sir Richard Fanshaw to Portugal in connection with King Charles II's marriage to Catherine of Braganza.
Incorporated at Oxford, 1664.
Fellow of Eton College, 1661-70.
Canon of Windsor, 1662-70.
Vicar of New Windsor, 1662.
Died 23 June 1670. Buried in St George's Chapel, Windsor M.I.
He was a man of great generosity and was devoted to his College. He gave half of the profits of his Fellowship for the last year to the building fund and in his will left £700 to the same fund..
Master of Clare College 1993-2003.
Born in 1934 the son of Alexander Hepple (Leader of the South African Labour Party), and Josephine Zwarenstein.
Educated at Jeppe High School for Boys (1947–1951), the University of the Witwatersrand (B.A.,1954, LLB cum laude and Society of Advocates Prize for Best Law Graduate, 1957), and the University of Cambridge (LLB, 1966, LLD 1993).
1959-1962 - lecturer in law at the University of the Witwatersrand
1962-1963 - Advocate at the Johannesburg Bar
Active as a student leader against racial segregation in the universities, worked as an adviser and assistant in the South African Congress of Trade Unions, and participated in the underground struggle against apartheid. He acted as legal adviser to Nelson Mandela in his trial for incitement in 1962, and was arrested at Liliesleaf Farm, Rivonia, with leaders of the African National Congress and Communist Party on 11 July 1963. He was held in 90-day detention without trial. He was discharged on 30 October 1963 and managed to escape to England in November 1963.
1964-1966 - graduate student at Clare College
1966-1968 - lectureship in law at the University of Nottingham
1969-1976 - Fellow of Clare College and university lecturer
1976 - Professor of Social and Labour Law at the University of Kent
1977-1982 (full time), 1974-1977 (part time), 1982–1993 - chairman of Industrial Tribunals
1982-1993 - Professor of English Law at University College London
1989-1993 - Dean and Head of the Faculty of Laws
In 1993 he was elected Master of Clare College and was appointed Professor of Law at the University (1995–2001)
2003 - elected as a Fellow of the British Academy
Awarded Honorary Doctorates in Law by the University of the Witwatersrand, University of Cape Town, University College London, University of Kent, and the Universita degli Studi di Bari, Italy, and was Hon. Professor of Law in the University of Cape Town (1999–2006).
2004 - Knight Bachelor for services to legal studies
2013 - Awarded the first Labour Law Research Network Award for Distinguished Contributions to Labour Law
2014 - received the South African Order of Luthuli (Gold) for his exceptional contribution to the struggle for democracy and human rights
Barrister and Bencher of Gray's Inn
1996 - appointed Queen's Counsel (hon)
1994-1999 - served on the Lord Chancellor's advisory committee on Legal Education and Conduct
2000-2002 - served on the Legal Services Panel
2007-2009 - Judge and senior vice-president of the UN Administrative Tribunal
2000-2003 - member of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, chair from 2003 to 2007
2000-2002 - Chaired the council's Working Parties on Genetics and human behaviour and The forensic use of bioinformation (2006–2007)
1986-1990 - member of the Commission for Racial Equality
1989-2007 - trustee of the Canon Collins Educational Trust for South Africa
2001-2007 - Chair of the European Roma Rights Centre
2007-2014 - Chair of the Equal Rights Trust
2012 - elected Hon President of the Industrial Law Society
2014 - elected Hon President of the Equal Rights Trust
He died on 21 August 2015
Senior member of Clare with dining rights in the late 1960s/early 1970s. Was involved with establishing the University Centre and University College (now Wolfson College).