In 1858 "Honorary Studentships" (i.e., fellowships) were created at Christ Church by the Commissioners' ordinances.

At the first election held, December 6th, 1858, there were chosen for the compliment Ruskin, Gladstone, Sir G.Cornewall Lewis, Dr.
(Sir) H.W.Acland, and Sir F.H.Gore Ouseley.

At the second, December 15th, 1858, were elected Henry Hallam, the Earl of Stanhope, the Earl of Elgin, the Marquis of Dalhousie and Viscount Canning.
Parallel with this movement for educating the "working-class," there was the scheme for the improvement of middle-class education, which was then going on at Oxford--the beginning of University Extension--supported by the Rev.F.Temple (later Archbishop of Canterbury), and Mr.( afterwards Sir) Thomas Dyke Acland.

Ruskin was heartily for them; and in a letter on the subject, he tried to show how the teaching of Art might be made to work in with the scheme.

He did not think that in this plan, any more than at the Working Men's College, there need be an attempt to teach drawing with a view to forming artists; but there were three objects they might hold in view: the first, to give every student the advantage of the happiness and knowledge which the study of Art conveys; the next, to enforce some knowledge of Art amongst those who were likely to become patrons or critics; and the last, _to leave no Giotto lost among hill shepherds._.