Education

School Terms

The names of the terms were taken from the church calendar– as were the times when the courts were open.

Michaelmas term — Eight weeks after the Feast of St. Michael  which was September 29.  Michaelmas term usually started after the first of October.

Hilary Term is the second academic term of Oxford University's and Dublin University's academic year. It runs from January to March and is so named because the feast day of St Hilary of Poitiers, 14 January, falls during this term. All the other terms are dated from this day in the following way: Hilary term — 1 Sunday to 9 Sundays after the feast day of St Hilary (10 weeks)

Trinity term — 15 Sundays to 21 Sundays after the feast day of St Hilary (6 Sundays) Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost or Whitsunday as it is called in the UK. Pentecost is celebrated seven weeks (50 days) after Easter Sunday, hence its name. Pentecost falls on the tenth day after Ascension Thursday.

From A Pocket Companion for Oxford.
1804

• Michaelmas Term begins Oct. 10. Ends Dec. 17
• Hilary Term begins January 14. Ends on Saturday before Palm-Sunday.
• Easter Term begins on Wednesday after Low Sunday and  Ends on Thursday before Whitsunday. Low Sunday is the Sunday after Easter.
• Act Term begins on Wednesday after Trinity Sunday Ends on Saturday after Act Sunday.

From http://www.newmanreader.org/works/oxford/sermon1.html

Act Sunday. "The candidate," says Huber on the English Universities, "emancipated from his teacher, makes himself known to the other teachers by taking part in the disputations in the schools. These services afterwards become formal public acts, disputationes, responsiones, lectur cursori . A more especially solemn Act formed the actual close of the whole course of study. The licence was then conferred on him by the Chancellor. A custom arose that all the final and solemn exercises should fall in the second term of the year (hence called the Act Term), and be closed on the last Saturday in term by a solemn general Act, the Vesperi , by keeping which the candidates of all degrees in their different Faculties were considered qualified and entitled to begin the exercises connected with their new degree upon the following Monday. This fresh beginning (inceptio) took place with the greatest solemnity, and formed the point of richest brilliancy in the scholastic year. In Oxford it was called emphatically 'the Act,' in Cambridge 'the Commencement.'" {Abridged from F. W. Newman's translation.) The Act Sunday is or was the Sunday next before the Act, which falls in the first week of July.

Oxford 1806

• Hilary Term begins January 14. Ends on Saturday before Palm-Sunday.
• Easter Term begins on Wednesday after Low 'Sunday -Ends on Thursday before Whitsunday.
• Act Term begins on Wednesday after Trinity Sunday, ends on Saturday after Act Sunday.
• Michaelmas Term begins Oct. 10. Ends Dec. 17.

Oxford 1810

• Hilary Term begins January 14.—Ends on Saturday before Palm-Sunday.
• Easter Term begins on Wednesday after Low Sunday—Ends on Saturday before Whitsunday.
• Act Term begins on Wednesday after Whitsunday——Ends on Saturday after Act Sunday.
• Michaelmas Term begins Oct. 10. Ends Dec. 17.
  

Oxford 1815

• Hilary Term begins January 14.- Ends on Saturday before Palm-Sunday.
• Easter Term begins on Wednesday after Low Sunday— Ends on Saturday before Whitsunday.
• Act Term begins on Wednesday after Whitsunday. Ends on Saturday after Act Sunday. Vacation until October 10
• Michaelmas term Oct. 10- Dec. 17.Term ends on December 17.

Oxford 1819

• Hilary Term begins January 14 and goes to April 3
• Easter term April 21 to May 26
• Trinity Term June 2 to July 19th
• Michaelmas Term Oct 11 - December 17

* They are home between terms and from July 19th to October 11.

Cambridge 1819

• Hilary term Jan 13 to April 2
• Easter Term April 21 to July 9
• Michaelmas term Oct 11 to December 16

Eton seems to have called terms "halves", though there were at least three of them in the school year.

Eton terms vaguely:

• September to two weeks before Christmas
• Christmas holidays: a fortnight before and after Christmas
• January to Palm Sunday.
• Easter holidays were a fortnight from Palm Sunday.
• Week after Easter to end of July The Summer holiday from the end of July for five weeks.
  

* Senior boys returned later.