Nuffield History

13 February 2023

As I prepare to head to Canada for the Contemporary Scholars Conference in Vancouver, I have been reading lots of Nuffield Scholar reports, international and Australian reports on agriculture education, engagement, and career development, as well as researching different initiatives, ideas and programs. Agriculture education has been the focus of other Nuffield Scholarships (Ian Beecher Jones, 2006, UK; Becky Parker, 2016, Canada; Karol Kissane, 2018, Ireland; Clare Peltzer, 2019, Australia), and has been a theme and recommendation through others (Ali Undorf-Lay, 2008, New Zealand; Daniel Kahl, 2017, Australia; Jamie Heinrich, 2017, Australia; Olabisi Oladele, 2018, Australia; Daniel Eb, 2021, New Zealand).

It is also interesting to reflect on the history of Nuffield, and how the Nuffield Scholarships came to be. When Nuffield Australia Scholarships were first awarded in 1950, Australian Scholars were sent on the boat to England and upon their arrival given a bicycle to undertake their research and travels. Seems very fitting when you learn of the history of Lord Nuffield.

Lord Nuffield, born William Morris in Worcester in 1877, founded the Morris Motor Company in 1910 in Oxford which went onto launch some 25 different models of Morris cars including the popular Morris Minor. But before Lord Nuffield was a car manufacturer, he was a bicycle maker and avid long distance cyclist. Morris Motor Company was the first car manufactured to offer a customer satisfaction guarantee with the inclusion of a spare tyre, lights, insurance and an owner's magazine. By 1968, Morris Motor Company had become Morris Garages and came under the umbrella of British Leyland.

Lord Nuffield used his business networks, capital and knowledge to invest in other enterprises including guaranteeing the British health scheme BUPA in 1941. In 1945, the Nuffield organisation was approached to produce a British built tractor, and by 1946 the first prototypes of the Nuffield tractor were being tested, with production beginning in 1948 when steel supplies had improved.

The Nuffield Farming Scholarships commenced in 1947 in the UK with the Nuffield Crest included in the logo. The crest includes a bull from the Arms of the City of Oxford and a wheel representing Lord Nuffield's significant contribution to the motor industry. Lord Nuffield died on 22nd August 1963.


​With thanks to Caroline Nixon for writing Nuffield The Man and Nuffield Crest - Keeping the Record Straight which provided such a great insight into Lord Nuffield.