Royal Agricultural College
Encyclopedia
The Royal Agricultural College (RAC) is a higher education
institution located in Cirencester
, Gloucestershire
, UK. Established in 1845, it was the first agricultural college in the English speaking world . The College provides more than 30 land-based undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes to students from over 45 countries through the School of Agriculture, the School of Business and the School of Real Estate & Land Management. The RAC also delivers teaching with university partners in China, the USA, and the Netherlands .
Construction of the College, in the Victorian Gothic style, began in April 1845. Queen Victoria granted the Royal Charter
to the College in the same year and Sovereigns have been Patrons ever since, visiting the College in every reign. His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales
became President in 1984.
The College also uses numerous farms (such as a dairy enterprise at nearby Kemble Farms), estates and businesses, both locally and further afield, for visits and practical exercises. Students have full access to the physical and financial data generated by the various enterprises and this is used in project work for a wide range of subjects, from practical livestock and 'crop husbandry', to conservation and farm woodland management, farm buildings, equine enterprise diversification, and rural business management.
which recognised the importance of their research at national and, to a lesser extent, international levels.
s and a growing number of full-text databases. The main collection is supplemented by a support collection and a historical collection of texts, primarily on agriculture and estate/land management, dating back to the 16th century. The library also holds the college archive, a collection of documents relating to the college since its foundation.
, professor of geology, botany, and zoology from 1848 to 1863
Young Farmer Of The Year Award (James Price 2009 and Adrian Ivory 2008).
Notable students from the college include:
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
institution located in Cirencester
Cirencester
Cirencester is a market town in east Gloucestershire, England, 93 miles west northwest of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswold District. It is the home of the Royal Agricultural College, the oldest agricultural...
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, UK. Established in 1845, it was the first agricultural college in the English speaking world . The College provides more than 30 land-based undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes to students from over 45 countries through the School of Agriculture, the School of Business and the School of Real Estate & Land Management. The RAC also delivers teaching with university partners in China, the USA, and the Netherlands .
History
The seeds of the Royal Agricultural College were sown in 1842, at a meeting of the Fairford and Cirencester Farmers’ Club. Concerned by the lack of government support for education, Robert Jeffreys-Brown addressed the meeting on the "Advantages of a Specific Education for Agricultural Pursuits" . A prospectus was circulated, a general committee appointed and Earl Bathurst was elected President. Funds were raised by public subscription: much of the support came from the wealthy landowners and farmers of the day; there was no Government support. The first 25 students were admitted in September 1845.Construction of the College, in the Victorian Gothic style, began in April 1845. Queen Victoria granted the Royal Charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
to the College in the same year and Sovereigns have been Patrons ever since, visiting the College in every reign. His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
became President in 1984.
Farms
The college operates two farms:- Coates is predominantly arable cropped with some pasture land supporting equine activity; one set of farm buildings provides polo and hunter livery stabling and associated exercise facilities.
- Harnhill is managed organically and carries a 150-sow outdoor pig herd, managed as a joint venture with a business partner, alongside a 2400-ewe breeding flock. Arable cropping is rotated with forage crops grown to support the livestock enterprises. The farm benefits from being in the Organic Entry Level Scheme.
The College also uses numerous farms (such as a dairy enterprise at nearby Kemble Farms), estates and businesses, both locally and further afield, for visits and practical exercises. Students have full access to the physical and financial data generated by the various enterprises and this is used in project work for a wide range of subjects, from practical livestock and 'crop husbandry', to conservation and farm woodland management, farm buildings, equine enterprise diversification, and rural business management.
Research
Some of the staff have been evaluated in the Research Assessment ExerciseResearch Assessment Exercise
The Research Assessment Exercise is an exercise undertaken approximately every 5 years on behalf of the four UK higher education funding councils to evaluate the quality of research undertaken by British higher education institutions...
which recognised the importance of their research at national and, to a lesser extent, international levels.
Library
The college library holds around 40,000 print volumes, nearly 1,000 current journal subscriptions, more than 40,000 e-bookE-book
An electronic book is a book-length publication in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, and produced on, published through, and readable on computers or other electronic devices. Sometimes the equivalent of a conventional printed book, e-books can also be born digital...
s and a growing number of full-text databases. The main collection is supplemented by a support collection and a historical collection of texts, primarily on agriculture and estate/land management, dating back to the 16th century. The library also holds the college archive, a collection of documents relating to the college since its foundation.
Notable Faculty and Administrators
James BuckmanJames Buckman
James Buckman was a British pharmaceutical chemist, professor, museum curator, botanist, geologist, archaeologist, author and farmer....
, professor of geology, botany, and zoology from 1848 to 1863
Notable Alumni
Royal Agricultural College graduates have won a number of awards and prizes, including the Farmers WeeklyFarmers Weekly
Farmers Weekly is a magazine aimed at the British farming industry. It provides news; business features; a weekly digest of facts and figures about British, European and world agriculture; and Livestock, Arable and Machinery sections with reports on technical developments, farm sales and analysis...
Young Farmer Of The Year Award (James Price 2009 and Adrian Ivory 2008).
Notable students from the college include:
- Sir John Agnew, 6th Baronet
- Sir Euan Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe, 3rd BaronetSir Euan Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe, 3rd BaronetSir Euan Hamilton Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe, 3rd Baronet , a member of the Gough-Calthorpe family, is an English baronet and property manager who appears in the Sunday Times Rich List....
- Peregrine Armstrong-JonesPeregrine Armstrong-JonesPeregrine Thomas Owen Llewelyn Armstrong Jones is an international party and events organiser.The son of Ronald Armstrong-Jones Q.C. and a younger half brother of the Earl of Snowdon, Armstrong-Jones was educated at Eton College and the Royal Agricultural College...
- Derek Barber, Baron Barber of TewkesburyDerek Barber, Baron Barber of TewkesburyDerek Coates Barber, Baron Barber of Tewkesbury, Kt is a British member of the House of Lords and was a senior civil servant and agricultural expert.Barber was educated at the Royal Agricultural College and served in the Second World War...
- Richard BenyonRichard BenyonRichard Henry Ronald Benyon MRICS is a British Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for Newbury since 2005 and a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs since May 2010.-Early life:Benyon was born in...
- Alan Brooke, 3rd Viscount Brookeborough
- Julian Cayo-EvansJulian Cayo-EvansWilliam Edward Julian Cayo-Evans , was a Welsh political activist and one time leader of the Free Wales Army.-Life:...
- Patrick Chichester, Earl of BelfastPatrick Chichester, Earl of BelfastPatrick Chichester, 8th Marquess of Donegall , is the eldest son of the 7th Marquess of Donegall and succeeded his father in 2007. He was educated at Harrow School and the Royal Agricultural College. He is married to Caroline Philipson...
- Geoffrey Clifton-Brown
- Michael Coulson
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, England, British Lions and Bath rugby union player - Tim Payne, England, British Lions and Wasps rugby union player
- Basil FawltyBasil FawltyBasil Fawlty is the main character of the British sitcom Fawlty Towers, played by John Cleese. The character is often thought of as an iconic British comedy character, and has been deemed unforgettable despite only a dozen half-hour episodes ever being made....
, fictional comedy hotelier is often seen wearing an RAC tie - Hugo Horton, comedy character from The Vicar of DibleyThe Vicar of DibleyThe Vicar of Dibley is a British sitcom created by Richard Curtis and written for its lead actress, Dawn French, by Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer, with contributions from Kit Hesketh-Harvey. It aired from 1994 to 2007...
is often seen wearing an RAC tie during episodes