Unveiling the new sculpture 
From left: Jim Rogers (Balliol 1964), Alex Wenham (artist), Dame Helen Ghosh (Master) 
A striking new statue of Dervorguilla of Galloway has been installed in the courtyard of Master’s Field, thanks to the generosity of Jim Rogers (Balliol 1964).
Honouring Balliol’s co-founder and first benefactor, the piece was commissioned from artist Alex Wenham as part of the public art requirement for the Master’s Field project. The work makes a valuable contribution to Oxford’s public art, where statues of women – particularly those outside royal or religious contexts – remain sadly rare.
Carved from a single block of limestone, Dervorguilla sits six feet above the courtyard, gazing into the distance with a copy of the 1282 Statutes she gave to the College in her hand.
An installation ceremony was held on 20 September 2025 to mark the statue’s arrival at Master’s Field and to thank Jim for making the commission possible. Although now in place, the piece is still a work in progress. In the coming months, Alex will complete the final details, including carving a ‘bookshelf’ and explanatory plaque on the reverse, including some symbols reflecting the area’s historic agricultural setting. A dedication ceremony will follow in spring 2026 to celebrate the final completion of the work.
Dame Helen Ghosh (Master) commented: ‘Balliol’s foundation was a result of the punishment imposed on John de Balliol by King Henry III for his campaign against the Bishop of Durham. But we might just as appropriately have been called “Dervorguilla College” after John’s wife, who did the practical work to set us up, writing our foundational Statutes and financing our first buildings on Broad Street. So, the statue seems a fitting – but much delayed – tribute to her. We are enormously grateful to Alex Wenham for the care and imagination with which he approached the commission, and to those experts who advised us on what a 13th-century woman of her status would have looked like.’
If you would like to read more, The Oxford Sausage has published a photo story of the creative process behind the sculpture.