There are two Merton Professorships of English in the University of Oxford: the Merton Professor of English Language and Literature, and the Merton Professor of English Literature. The second was created in 1914 when Sir Walter Raleigh's chair was renamed. At the present day both professorships are associated with Merton College, but Dame Helen Gardner held her post in association with Lady Margaret Hall. The occupants of the chairs have been:
Merton Professor of English Language and Literature
1885–1916: Arthur S. Napier 1916–1920: vacant 1920–1945: H. C. K. Wyld 1945–1959: J. R. R. Tolkien 1959–1980: Norman Davis 1980–1984: vacant 1984–2014: Suzanne Romaine 2018 onwards: Helen Small
Merton Professor of English Literature
1904–1922: Walter Raleigh 1922–1928: George Stuart Gordon 1929–1946: David Nichol Smith 1947–1957: F. P. Wilson 1957–1966: Nevill Coghill 1966–1975: Helen Gardner 1975–2002: John Carey 2002–2014: David Norbrook 2016–present: Lorna Hutson
References
Sources Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. The Times.