• History of Oriel College
• St. Mary Hall
• The College buildings
• The name and arms of the College
• Some famous Oriel alumni
• Using the College Archives
• Document of the month

'Oriel'

The full official name of the College is 'the House of Blessed Mary the Virgin in Oxford commonly called Oriel College'. The nickname 'Oriel' was in use within fifty years of the foundation. It almost certainly came from a property called 'Le Oriole' which occupied most of what is now Front Quad before the College was founded. Le Oriole was a substantial house which had belonged to the Archbishop of Canterbury in the twelfth century and to Queen Eleanor, wife of Edward I, in the thirteenth. The 'oriole' referred to was probably a balcony, but the placing of an oriel window on the new Tower in the 1620s has caused some later confusion.

 

The College Arms

are

gules three lions passant guardant or within a bordure engrailed argent

 

which means

A red ('gules') background with three lions in gold (or) walking (passant) and looking out towards the viewer (guardant), within an indented border (bordure engrailed) in silver (argent).

 

The arms of the College are basically those of the founder Edward II, the three gold lions of England. However, as no-one can bear another's arms unaltered, a silver border was added 'for difference'.

The Feathers

The badge of the Prince of Wales, first used by the Black Prince [died 1376], has often been adopted by members of the College. It probably represents the founder, Edward II, who was the first Prince of Wales in the present line. However, it has been suggested that it stands for Charles I, who was Prince of Wales when the College was rebuilt in the seventeenth century.