Which Oxford college employed J.R.R. Tolkien as a professor?

Merton College employed J.R.R. Tolkien as a professor. He became the Merton Professor of English Language and Literature at Oxford in 1945 and held the position until his retirement in 1959.

Before moving to Merton, Tolkien taught at the University of Leeds and served at Oxford as the Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon. His academic career was therefore closely connected with the study of English and Germanic language history.

At Merton, Tolkien continued teaching and scholarship while writing and revising major works of fiction. The Lord of the Rings was published during his Merton years, with its three volumes appearing between 1954 and 1955.

Tolkien’s association with Oxford includes several institutions, which can cause confusion. He was a student at Exeter College and later taught at different Oxford posts, but Merton College was the college connected with his professorship from 1945 onward.