What was J.R.R. Tolkien’s Oxford academic title from 1945 until his retirement in 1959?

J.R.R. Tolkien was the Merton Professor of English Language and Literature from 1945 until his retirement in 1959.

The professorship was based at Merton College, University of Oxford. Tolkien took the position after leaving the Rawlinson and Bosworth Professorship of Anglo-Saxon, which he had held since 1925 at Pembroke College. The change reflected a broader academic chair in English language and literature.

Tolkien’s Oxford career combined teaching, historical linguistics and literary scholarship. Although his fantasy fiction later made him famous worldwide, his professional reputation was first established through work on medieval and Old English texts. He continued writing Middle-earth material during his academic years.

The title can be confused with Tolkien’s earlier Oxford position because both were professorships. The Rawlinson and Bosworth chair ended for Tolkien in 1945; the Merton chair was the post he held until retiring in 1959. Tolkien was later named an emeritus fellow of Merton College.