Oriel College
Encyclopedia
Oriel College is a constituent college
of the University of Oxford
in Oxford
, England
. Located in Oriel Square
, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College
, whose claim of being founded by King Alfred
is no longer promoted). In recognition of this royal connection, the college has also been known as King's College and King's Hall.
The original medieval
foundation set up by Adam de Brome
, under the patronage of Edward II
, was called the House or Hall of the Blessed Mary at Oxford. The first design allowed for a Provost
and ten Fellows, called 'scholars', and the College remained a small body of graduate Fellows until the 16th century, when it started to admit undergraduates. During the English Civil War
, Oriel played host to high-ranking members of the King's Oxford Parliament
.
The main site of the College incorporates four medieval halls: Bedel Hall, St Mary Hall
, St Martin Hall and Tackley's Inn, the last being the earliest property acquired by the college and the oldest standing medieval hall in Oxford. The College has nearly 40 Fellows, about 300 undergraduates and some 160 graduates, the student body having roughly equal numbers of men and women. The College's MCR is rapidly growing, and in 2010, the college admitted roughly equal numbers of undergraduate and graduate students.
Oriel's notable alumni include two Nobel laureates; prominent Fellows have included John Keble
and The Blessed John Henry Newman, founders of the Oxford Movement
. Among Oriel's more notable possessions are a painting by Bernard van Orley
and three pieces of medieval silver plate. As of 2006, the college's estimated financial endowment
was £
77 million.
, Adam de Brome
, obtained a licence from Edward II
to found a "certain college of scholars studying various disciplines in honour of the Virgin" and to endow it to the value of £30 a year. De Brome bought two properties in 1324, Tackley's Hall, on the south side of the High Street
and Perilous Hall, on the north side of Broad Street
, and as an investment, he purchased the advowson
of a church in Aberford
.
De Brome's foundation was confirmed in a charter of 21 January 1326, in which the Crown, represented by the Lord Chancellor
, was to exercise the rights of Visitor
; a further charter drawn up in May of that year gave the rights of Visitor to Henry Burghersh
, Bishop of Lincoln
, Oxford at that time being part of the diocese of Lincoln
. Under Edward's patronage, de Brome diverted the revenue of the University Church to his college, which thereafter was responsible for appointing the vicar and providing four chaplains to celebrate the daily services in the church. The college lost no time in seeking royal favour again after Edward II's deposition, and Edward III
confirmed his father's favour in February 1327, but the amended statutes remained in force with the Bishop of Lincoln as Visitor. In 1329, the college received through royal grant a large house belonging to the crown, known as La Oriole, standing on the site of what is now First quad; it is from this property that the college acquired its common name, "Oriel", the name being in use from about 1349. The word referred to an oratoriolum, or oriel window
, forming a feature of the earlier property.
In the early 1410s several Fellows of Oriel took part in the disturbances accompanying Archbishop Arundel
's attempt to stamp out Lollardy
in the University; the Lollard belief that religious power and authority came through piety
and not through the hierarchy of the Church particularly inflamed passions in Oxford, where its proponent, John Wycliffe
, had been head of Balliol
. Disregarding the Provost's authority, Oriel Fellows fought bloody battles with other scholars, killed one of the Chancellor
's servants when they attacked his house, and were prominent among the group that obstructed the Archbishop and ridiculed his censures.
In 1442, Henry VI
sanctioned an arrangement whereby the town was to pay the college £25 a year from the fee farm in exchange for decayed property, allegedly worth £30 a year, which the college could not afford to keep in repair. The arrangement was cancelled in 1450.
In 1643 a general obligation was imposed on Oxford colleges to support the Royalist cause
in the English Civil War
, the King called for Oriel's plate and almost all of it was given, the total weighing . of gilt, and . of "white" plate. In the same year the College was assessed at £1 for the weekly sum of £40 charged on the colleges and halls for the fortification of the city. When the Oxford Parliament
was assembled during the Civil War in 1644, Oriel housed the Executive Committee of the Privy council, Parliament being held at neighbouring Christ Church
. Following the defeat of the Royalist cause, the University was scrutinised by the Parliamentarians, and five of the eighteen Oriel Fellows were removed. The Visitors, using their own authority, elected Fellows between 1648 and October 1652, when without reference to the Commissioners, John Washbourne was chosen; the autonomy of the College in this respect seems to have been restored.
In 1673 James Davenant, a Fellow since 1661, complained to William Fuller
, then Bishop of Lincoln, about Provost Say's conduct in the election of Thomas Twitty to a Fellowship. Bishop Fuller appointed a commission that included the Vice-Chancellor, Peter Mews
, the Dean of Christ Church, John Fell
, and the Principal of Brasenose
, Thomas Yates. On 1 August Fell reported to the Bishop that;
On 24 January 1674, Bishop Fuller issued a decree dealing with the recommendations of the commissioners — a majority of all the Fellows should always be insisted on, so the Provost could not push an election in a thin meeting, and Fellows should be admitted immediately after their election. On 28 January Provost Say obtained a recommendation for Twitty's election from the King, but it was withdrawn on 13 February, following the Vice-Chancellor's refusal to swear Twitty into the University and the Bishop's protests at Court.
During the early 1720s, a constitutional struggle began between the Provost and the Fellows, culminating in a lawsuit. In 1721, Henry Edmunds was elected as a Fellow by 9 votes to 3; his election was rejected by Provost George Carter, and on appeal, by the Visitor, Edmund Gibson
, then Bishop of Lincoln. Rejections of candidates by the Provost continued, fueling discontent among the Fellows, until a writ of attachment
against the Bishop of Lincoln was heard between 1724 and 1726. The opposing Fellows, led by Edmunds, appealed to the first set of statutes, claiming the Crown as Visitor, making Gibson's decisions invalid; Provost Carter, supported by Bishop Gibson, appealed to the second set, claiming the Bishop of Lincoln as Visitor. The jury decided for the Fellows, supporting the original charter of Edward II.
In a private printing of 1899 Provost Shadwell lists thirteen Gaudies
observed by the College during the 18th century; by the end of the 19th century all but two, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception
and the Purification of the Virgin, had ceased to be celebrated.
gained Oriel the reputation of being the most brilliant college of the day and the centre of the "Oriel Noetics" — clerical liberals such as Richard Whately
and Thomas Arnold
were Fellows, and the during the 1830s, two intellectually eminent Fellows of Oriel, John Keble
and The Blessed John Henry Newman, supported by Canon Pusey
(also an Oriel fellow initially, later at Christ Church
) and others, formed a group known as the Oxford Movement
, alternatively as the Tractarians, or familiarly as the Puseyites. The group were disgusted by the indolence
prevailing in the Church, and they sought to revive the spirit of early Christianity
, this caused tension in College as Provost Edward Hawkins
was a determined opponent of the Movement.
During World War I
, a wall was built dividing Third quad from Second quad to accommodate students of Somerville College
, while their college was being used as a military hospital. At this time Oxford separated male and female students as far as possible; Vera Brittain
, one of the Somerville students, recalled an amusing occurrence during her time there in her autobiography, Testament of Youth
;
In 1985, the college became the last all-male college in Oxford to admit women for matriculation
as undergraduates. In 1984, the Senior Common Room voted 23-4 to admit women undergraduates from 1986. The Junior Common Room president believed that "the distinctive character of the college will be undermined".
A second Feast Day was added in 2007 by a benefaction from Orielensis George Moody, to be celebrated on or near St George's Day
(23 April). The only remaining gaudy had been Candlemas, the new annual dinner will be known as the St. George's Day Gaudy. The dinner is black tie
and gowns, and by request of the benefactor, the main course will normally be goose. The inaugural event took place on Wednesday 25 April 2007.
Nothing survives of the original buildings, La Oriole and the smaller St Martin's Hall in the south-east; both were demolished before the quadrangle
was built in the artisan mannerist style during the 17th century. The south and west ranges and the gate tower were built around 1620 to 1622; the north and east ranges and the chapel buildings date from 1637 to 1642. The façade of the east range forms a classical E shape comprising the college chapel, hall and undercroft
. The exterior and interior of the ranges are topped by an alternating pattern of decorative gable
s. The gate house has a Perp portal and canted Gothic
oriel windows, with fan vaulting in the entrance. The room above has a particularly fine plaster ceiling and chimneypiece of stucco
caryatid
s and panelling
interlaced with studded bands sprouting into large flowers.
The cartouches
over staircases one, two, three, five and six and the chapel, bar and provost's lodgings entrances bear the arms of important figures in the College's history; (1) Anthony Blencowe (Provost 1574-1618) who left money that paid for building the west side of front quad. (2) Richard Dudley (Fellow 1495-1536) who gave property for Fellowships. (3) John Carpenter (Provost 1428-1435, later Bishop Carpenter) who gave property, plate, Fellowships and Exhibitions. (Chapel) John Frank (Master of the Rolls) gave property for Fellowships around 1441. (Bar) William Lewis (Provost 1618-1621) who canvassed successfully for donations for the rebuilding of college. (5) William Smith (Bishop of Lincoln) who gave property for a Fellowship around 1508. (Provost's lodgings) John Tolson who was Provost during the building of Front Quad. (6) Edward Hawkins (Provost 1828-1882).
of the hall entrance commemorates its construction during the reign of Charles I
with the legend "REGNANTE CAROLO", Charles, being King, in pierced stonework. The portico was completely rebuilt in 1897, and above it are statues of two Kings: Edward II on the left, and probably either Charles I or James I
, although this is disputed; above those is a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary after whom the College is officially named. The top breaks the Jacobean
tradition and has classical
pilaster
s, a shield with garlands, and a segmental pediment
.
The hall has a hammerbeam roof
; the louvre in the centre is now glazed, but was originally the only means of escape for smoke rising from a fireplace in the centre of the floor. The wooden panelling was designed by Ninian Comper
and was erected in 1911 in place of some previous 19th-century Gothic
type, though even earlier panelling, dating from 1710, is evident in the Buttery.
Behind the High Table is a portrait of Edward II; underneath is a longsword
brought to the college in 1902 after being preserved for many years on one of the college's estates at Swainswick
, near Bath. On either side are portraits of Sir Walter Raleigh
and Joseph Butler
. The other portraits around the hall include other prominent members of Oriel such as Cecil Rhodes
, Matthew Arnold
, Thomas Arnold
, James Anthony Froude
, John Keble
, John Henry Newman, Richard Whately
and John Robinson
.
The heraldic glass
in the windows display the coats of arms
of benefactors and distinguished members of the College; three of the windows were designed by Ninian Comper. The window next to the entrance on the East side contains the arms of Regius Professors of Modern History
who have been ex-officio Fellows of the College.
's visit to Oxford in that year. The present building was consecrated in 1642 and despite subsequent restorations it largely retains its original appearance.
The bronze lectern
was given to the College in 1654. The black and white marble paving dates from 1677–78. Except for the pew
s on the west, dating from 1884, the panelling, stalls and screens are all 17th-century, as are the altar and carved communion rails
. Behind the altar is Bernard van Orley
's The Carrying of the Cross
— a companion-piece to this painting is in the National Gallery of Scotland
. The organ case dates from 1716; originally designed by Christopher Schreider for St Mary Abbots
Church, Kensington, it was acquired by Oriel in 1884.
In the north-west window of the gallery there is a small piece of late medieval
glass, a figure of St Margaret of Antioch. In the south window of the gallery there is a painted window of "The Presentation of Christ in the Temple
", executed by William Peckitt
of York. It was originally set in the east window in 1767; a later version of his work can be seen in New College
Chapel. The rest of the stained glass
is Victorian
: the earliest is on the easternmost part of the south side; the rest date from after the 1884 restorations by Powell.
Above the entrance to the chapel is an oriel that, until the 1880s, was a room on the first floor that formed part of a set of rooms that were occupied by Richard Whately
, and later by John Henry Newman. Whately is said to have used the space as a larder and Newman is said to have used it for his private prayers — when the organ was installed in 1884, the space was used for the blower. The wall that once separated the room from the ante-chapel
was removed, making it accessible from the chapel. The organ was built by J. W. Walker & Sons in 1988; in 1991 the space behind the organ was rebuilt as an oratory and memorial to Newman and the Oxford Movement
. A new stained glass window designed by Vivienne Haig and realised by Douglas Hogg was completed and installed in 2001.
During the late 1980s, the chapel was extensively restored with the assistance of donations from Lady Norma Dalrymple-Champneys. During this work, the chandelier, given in 1885 by Provost Shadwell while still a Fellow, was put back in place, the organ was restored, the painting mounted behind the altar, and the chapel repainted. A list of former chaplains and organ scholars was erected in the ante-chapel. The Chaplain is Rev Dr Robert Tobin and the Senior Organ Scholar for 2010-11 is Edwin Lock.
at the suggestion of his wife, as the inscription over the door records. Its twin block, the Carter Building, was erected on the west side in 1729, as a result of a benefaction by Provost Carter. The two buildings stood for nearly a hundred years as detached blocks in the garden, and the architectural elements of the First quad are repeated on them — only here the seven gables are all alike. Between 1817 and 1819, they were joined up to the Front quad with their present, rather incongruous connecting links. In the link to the Robinson Building, two purpose-built rooms have been incorporated - the Champneys Room, designed by Weldon Champneys, the nephew of Basil Champneys
, and the Benefactors Room, a panelled room honouring benefactors of the college. A Gothic oriel window, belonging to the Provost's Lodgings, was added to the Carter Building in 1826.
The north range houses the library and senior common rooms; designed in the Neoclassical
style by James Wyatt
, it was built between 1788 and 1796 to accommodate the books bequested by Edward, Baron Leigh
, formerly High Steward of the University and an Orielensis, whose gift had doubled the size of the library. The two-storey building has rusticated
arches on the ground floor and a row of Ionic
columns above, dividing the façade into seven bays — the ground floor contains the first purpose built senior common rooms in Oxford, above is the library.
On 7 March 1949, a fire spread from the library roof; over 300 printed books and the manuscripts on exhibition were completely destroyed, and over 3,000 books needed repair, though the main structure suffered little damage and restoration took less than a year.
, which was incorporated into Oriel in 1902; less than a decade later, the Hall's buildings on the northern side were demolished for the construction of the Rhodes Building. Bedel Hall in the south was formally amalgamated with St Mary Hall in 1505.
In the south range, parts of the medieval buildings survive and are incorporated into staircase ten — the straight, steep flight of stairs and timber framed partitions date from a mid-15th century rebuilding of St Mary Hall. The former Chapel, Hall and Buttery
of St Mary Hall, built in 1640, form part of the Junior Library and Junior Common Room. Viewed from the third quad, the Chapel, with its Gothic windows, can be seen to have been built neatly on top of the Hall, a unique example in Oxford of such a plan.
On the east side of the quad is a simple rustic style timber-frame building; known as "the Dolls House", it was erected by Principal King in 1743.
In 1826 an ornate range was erected in the Gothic Revival
style, incorporating the old gate of St Mary Hall, on the west side of the quad. Designed by Daniel Robertson
, it contains two quite ornate oriels placed asymmetrically, one is of six lights, the other four. They are the best example of the pre-archaeological Gothic in Oxford. The large oriel on the first floor at the north end was once the drawing room of the Principal of Hall. Parts of the street wall incorporated into this range show traces of blocked windows dating from the same period of rebuilding in the 15th century as staircase ten.
The Rhodes Building, pictured right, was built in 1911 using £100,000 left to the College for that purpose by former student Cecil Rhodes
. It was designed by Basil Champneys
and stands on the site of the Principal's house, on the High Street. Champney's first proposal for the building included an open arcade
to the High Street, a dome
d central feature and balustraded
parapet
. The left hand block and much of the centre was to be given up to a new Provost's Lodging, and the five windows on the first floor above the arcade were to light a gallery belonging to the Lodging. The college eventually decided to retain the existing Provost's Lodging and demanded detailing "more in accordance with the style which has become traditional in Oxford". It became the last building of the Jacobean revival style
in Oxford.
On the side facing the High Street, there is a statue of Rhodes over the main entrance, with Edward VII
and George V
beneath. The inscription reads: "e Larga MUnIfICentIa CaeCILII rhoDes", which, as well as acknowledging Rhodes' munificence, is a chronogram
giving the date of construction, MDCCCLLVIIIIII.
The staircases of the interior façade are decorated with cartouches similar to those found in First Quad, and likewise bear the arms of important figures in the College's history; (13) Sir Walter Raleigh who was an undergraduate from 1572 to 1574, (14) John Keble who was a Fellow between 1811 and 1835), (archway) Edward Hawkins who was Provost from 1828 until 1882 and (15) Gilbert White who was an undergraduate from 1739 until 1743 and a Fellow from 1744 until 1793.
The building was not entirely well received; William Sherwood, Mayor of Oxford and Master of Magdalen College School
, wrote:
, and the meeting of Oriel Street
and King Edward Street
in Oriel Square
. The site took six hundred years to acquire and although it contains teaching rooms and the Harris Lecture Theatre, it is largely given over to accommodation.
On the High Street
, No. 106 and 107 stand on the site of Tackley's Inn; built around 1295, it was the first piece of property that Adam de Brome acquired when he began to found the college in 1324. It comprised a hall and chambers leased to scholars, behind a frontage of five shops, with the scholars above and a cellar of five bays below. The hall, which was open to the roof, was 33 feet (10 m) long, 20 feet (6 m) wide, and about 22 feet (7 m) high; at the east end was a large chamber with another chamber above it. The south wall of the building, which survives, was partly of stone and contains a large two-light early 14th-century window. The cellar below is of the same date and is the best preserved medieval cellar in Oxford; originally entered by stone steps from the street, it has a stone vault
divided into four sections by two diagonal ribs, with carved corbel
s.
The Oriel Street
site was acquired between 1329 and 1392. No. 12, now staircases 19 and 20, is the oldest tenement acquired by the college; known as Kylyngworth's, it was granted to the college in 1392 by Thomas de Lentwardyn, Fellow and later Provost, having previously been let to William de Daventre, Oriel's fourth Provost, in 1367. A back wing to the property was added around 1600 and further work to the front was conducted in 1724–38. In 1985, funded by a gift from Edgar O'Brien and £10,000 from the Pilgrim Trust
, Kylyngworth's was refurbished along with Nos. 10, 9 and 7.
King Edward Street
was created by the college between 1872 and 1873 when 109 and 110 High Street were demolished. The old shops on each side of the road were pulled down and rebuilt, and to preserve the continuity, the new shops were numbered 108 and 109–112. Named after the college's founder, the road was opened in 1873. On the wall of the first floor of No. 6, there is a large metal plaque with a portrait of Cecil Rhodes; underneath is the inscription:
In the centre of the quad is the Harris Building, formerly Oriel court
, a real tennis
court where Charles I
played tennis with his nephew Prince Rupert
in December 1642 and King Edward VII
had his first tennis lesson in 1859. The building was in use as a lecture hall by 1923, and after modernisation between 1991 and 1994, funded by Sir Philip and Lady Harris, contains accommodation, a seminar room and the college's main lecture theatre. The bronze plaque in the lobby commemorates Sir Philip's father, Captain Charles William Harris, after whom the building is named. The building was opened by John Major
, then Prime Minister
, on 10 August 1993.
Whereas the staircases on the first three quadrangles are marked with Arabic numerals
, the Island site is marked with Roman numerals
. Both sites have the numbering running anticlockwise around each quadrangle and there are two staircase eighteens − Mary Quad's staircase numbering finishes at 18 and O'Brien Quad's staircase numbering begins with XVIII.
Bordered by the Cowley Road
, this site was formerly Nazareth House, a residential care home convent
— Goldie Wing (shown left) and Larmenier House are its surviving buildings. Nazareth House itself was demolished to make room for two purpose-built halls of residence, James Mellon Hall (shown right) and David Paterson House. The two new halls were opened by Queen Elizabeth II
on 8 November 2000.
As it is about ten minutes walk from College and more peaceful than the middle of the city, it has become the principal choice of accommodation for Oriel's graduates and finalists. The site has its own common rooms, squash
court, gym
nasium and support staff.
; it includes the sports grounds for Oriel, Jesus
and Lincoln
Colleges, along with landscaping for wildlife and small scale urban development.
In 1326 Provost Adam de Brome was appointed warden of St Bartholomew's; a leper hospital in Cowley Marsh
, the hospital was later granted to the college by Edward III
, along with the payments it had been receiving from the fee farm. It was increasingly used as a rest house for sick members of the college needing a change of air. In 1649 the college rebuilt the main hospital range north of the chapel, destroyed in the Civil War, as a row of four almshouse
s, called Bartlemas House. Bartlemas Chapel and two farm cottages are the other extant buildings.
In heraldic
terminology: Gules, three lions passant guardant Or within a bordure engrailed Argent.
The arms of the College are based on those of the founder Edward II
, the three gold lions of England on a red background. However, as no one may bear another's arms unaltered, an engrailed silver border was added "for difference".
The three feathers
, often adopted by members of the College, can be found in decorations around college and is the motif on the college crested tie. It probably represents Edward, the Black Prince, although it may represent King Charles I
, who was Prince of Wales
when the building of First quad began in the 17th century.
College colours
, used on the college scarf, sports clothing, oar blades
and the like, are two white stripes on navy.
A badge for the use of Oriel College Boat Club, the Tortoise Club and the Oriel Society was granted by Letters Patent dated 20 April 2009 of Garter
, Clarenceux
and Norroy and Ulster King of Arms
. The Badge is blazoned A Tortoise displayed the shell circular Azure charged with two concentric annulets Argent.
, the following Latin grace
is recited by one of the student bible clerks. The translation is reputedly by Erasmus
in his Convivium Religiosum of a grace recorded by St John Chrysostom
:
After the meal, the Provost, or a Fellow, usually recites a short Latin prayer [Benedicto benedicatur, per Jesum Christum, Let praise be given to/by the Blessed One] instead of the full post cibum grace:
Students are admitted to Oriel in line with the common framework the Oxford University Colleges adhere to, which lays down the principles and procedures for admission to Oxford University, which they all observe.
Accommodation is provided for all undergraduates, and for some graduates, though some accommodation is off-site. Members are generally expected to dine in hall, where there are two sittings every evening, one informal
and one formal
, except on Saturdays, where there is only an informal sitting. The Bar, situated underneath the Hall, serves food from mid-morning and drinks in the evening; its LCD TV was installed prior to the 2006 football World Cup
. There is both a Junior Common Room (JCR), between Second and Third quad, and a Middle Common Room (MCR), on the Island Site.
The college lending library supplements the university libraries; with over 100,000 volumes, it is one of the largest college libraries in the university and will purchase books needed for the course. Most undergraduate tutorials are carried out in the college, though for other specialist papers, undergraduates may be sent to tutors in other colleges.
Between 2001-2010, Oriel College students chose not to be affiliated to the University-wide Students' union
, OUSU
, although this did not stop some students from getting involved with OUSU and running for elected office. In a 2010 student referendum the JCR decided to reaffiliate.
Oriel College has its own drama society, the Oriel Lions, which funds college and Oxford University shows.
Oriel has a reputation for its success in rowing
, in particular the two intercollegiate bumps race
s, Torpids
and Eights Week
. In 2005 they remained "Head of the River
" in Torpids and rowed over second in Eights Week. Having been awarded spoons in Summer Eights 2006 after being bumped every day of racing, the Men's 1st VIII bumped twice in 2007 and twice again in 2008 to return to 2nd on the River, behind Balliol College. The women's 1st VIII has also had success in Summer Eights in recent years, winning blades in 2007 after bumping on all four days and finishing 2008 in Division I for the first time since 1994. In 2006 Oriel claimed the first ever double headship in Torpids, rowing over as Head of the River in both the men's and women's first divisions. Both Men's and Women's 1st VIIIs ceded the headship of Torpids in 2008 by being bumped; the positions remained unchanged in 2007 as Torpids were cancelled.
On the afternoons of the Thursday, Friday and Saturday of 7th week in Trinity Term
, the boat club hosts the annual Oriel Regatta; events in this competition include side-by-side racing for eights, coxed fours, pairs and single sculls. The course runs upstream from the Longbridges Boathouse to past the end of boathouses on Christ Church Island and are conducted in knock-out format.
Croquet
may be played in St Mary quad in the summer, as can bowls
on the south lawn of First quad. The sports ground is mainly used for cricket
, tennis
, rugby union
and football
. Rowing is carried out from the boat-house across Christ Church Meadow
.
to cricket
ers to industrialists; their most famous undergraduate is the 16th-century explorer
, Sir Walter Raleigh
. The College has produced many churchmen, bishops, cardinals, governors, and two Nobel Prize
recipients: Alexander Todd
(Chemistry) and James Meade
(Economics).
The Professorial Fellowships the College holds are: the Regius Professor of Modern History
, held by Robert Evans
and formerly by Sir John Elliott
and Thomas Arnold
, the Oriel Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture
, held by John Barton
, the Nolloth Professor of the Philosophy of the Christian Religion, held by Brian Leftow
, and the Nuffield Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
. The first is a French beaker and cover in silver gilt; past estimates on its dating from 1460–70 are thought mistaken, and circa 1350, with later decoration, was later expounded. It was bought in 1493 for £4.18s.1d., under the mistaken belief that it had belonged to Edward II
. In a college inventory of plate dated 21 December 1596, it is named as the Founder's Cup.
The second notable piece of plate is a mazer
of maplewood with silver gilt mounts, dating from 1470–85. On the edge of the rim is a row of grouped beads; below is an inscription in black letters:
This type of shallow drinking vessel was quite common in the Middle Ages, but the only other mazers in Oxford are three dating from the 15th century, and one standing mazer from 1529–30, all belonging to All Souls
. Thirdly is a coconut cup, one of six in Oxford; the Oriel cup has silver gilt mounts and dates from the first quarter of the 16th century.
Among the later plate are two flagons, two pattens and a chalice
which date from 1640–41. The larger pieces of Buttery Plate include the Sanford and Heywood grace cups
, dated 1654–55 and 1669–70, a rosewater ewer gifted in 1669, a punchbowl dating from 1735–36, and the great Wenman tankard presented in 1679, which holds a gallon and is the largest in Oxford. Many of the 17th- and 18th-century tankards were given by commensales and commoners as a form of admission fee.
's first film, Privileged
(1982), as well as Oxford Blues
(1984), True Blue
(1991) and The Dinosaur Hunter (2000).
The television crime series Inspector Morse
used the College in the episodes "Ghost in the Machine", under the name of 'Courtenay College', "The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn", "The Infernal Serpent", "Deadly Slumber", "Twilight of the Gods" and "Death is now My Neighbour", and in the one off follow on, Lewis, the Middle Common Room and Oriel Square
were used.
In the first series of Chancer
, broadcast in 1990, Oriel College was featured under its genuine name as the home of Lynsey Baxter
's character, Victoria Douglas. Filming was done on Staircase 14 in the Rhodes Building, and also featured prominent shots of the first and third quadrangles and of Oriel Square.
The quads and interiors were used in a 2006 documentary on Gilbert White
by Michael Wood, both being former students of the college.
In Tom Brown at Oxford
by Thomas Hughes
, Oriel's win in the 1842 Head of the River Race
, with Oriel bumping Trinity, was re-written as Tom's college, "St Ambrose" taking first place and "Oriel" in second place.
In The Covenant
, by James A. Michener
, the English characters all went to Oriel.
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. Located in Oriel Square
Oriel Square
Oriel Square, formerly known as Canterbury Square is a square in central Oxford, England, located south of the High Street. The name was changed after the Second World War at the request of Oriel College which maintained that the square had originally been known as Oriel Square.To the east at the...
, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College
University College, Oxford
.University College , is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2009 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £110m...
, whose claim of being founded by King Alfred
Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great was King of Wessex from 871 to 899.Alfred is noted for his defence of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of southern England against the Vikings, becoming the only English monarch still to be accorded the epithet "the Great". Alfred was the first King of the West Saxons to style himself...
is no longer promoted). In recognition of this royal connection, the college has also been known as King's College and King's Hall.
The original medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
foundation set up by Adam de Brome
Adam de Brome
Adam de Brome was an almoner to King Edward II and founder of Oriel College in Oxford, England.De Brome was probably the son of Thomas de Brome, taking his name from Brome near Eye in Suffolk; an inquisition held after the death of Edmund, 2nd Earl of Cornwall, in 1300, noted de Brome holding an...
, under the patronage of Edward II
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
, was called the House or Hall of the Blessed Mary at Oxford. The first design allowed for a Provost
Provost (education)
A provost is the senior academic administrator at many institutions of higher education in the United States, Canada and Australia, the equivalent of a pro-vice-chancellor at some institutions in the United Kingdom and Ireland....
and ten Fellows, called 'scholars', and the College remained a small body of graduate Fellows until the 16th century, when it started to admit undergraduates. During the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, Oriel played host to high-ranking members of the King's Oxford Parliament
Oxford Parliament (1644)
The Oxford Parliament was the Parliament assembled by King Charles I for the first time 22 January 1644 and adjourned for the last time on 10 March 1645, with the purpose of instrumenting the Royalist war campaign.Charles was advised by Edward Hyde and others not to dissolve the Long Parliament as...
.
The main site of the College incorporates four medieval halls: Bedel Hall, St Mary Hall
St Mary Hall, Oxford
St Mary Hall was an academic hall of the University of Oxford associated with Oriel College since 1326, but which functioned independently from 1545 to 1902.- History :...
, St Martin Hall and Tackley's Inn, the last being the earliest property acquired by the college and the oldest standing medieval hall in Oxford. The College has nearly 40 Fellows, about 300 undergraduates and some 160 graduates, the student body having roughly equal numbers of men and women. The College's MCR is rapidly growing, and in 2010, the college admitted roughly equal numbers of undergraduate and graduate students.
Oriel's notable alumni include two Nobel laureates; prominent Fellows have included John Keble
John Keble
John Keble was an English churchman and poet, one of the leaders of the Oxford Movement, and gave his name to Keble College, Oxford.-Early life:...
and The Blessed John Henry Newman, founders of the Oxford Movement
Oxford Movement
The Oxford Movement was a movement of High Church Anglicans, eventually developing into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose members were often associated with the University of Oxford, argued for the reinstatement of lost Christian traditions of faith and their inclusion into Anglican liturgy...
. Among Oriel's more notable possessions are a painting by Bernard van Orley
Bernard van Orley
Bernard van Orley , also called Barend or Barent van Orley, Bernaert van Orley or Barend van Brussel, was a Flemish Northern Renaissance painter and draughtsman, and also a leading designer of tapestries and stained glass...
and three pieces of medieval silver plate. As of 2006, the college's estimated financial endowment
Financial endowment
A financial endowment is a transfer of money or property donated to an institution. The total value of an institution's investments is often referred to as the institution's endowment and is typically organized as a public charity, private foundation, or trust....
was £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
77 million.
Middle Ages
On 24 April 1324, the Rector of the University ChurchUniversity Church of St Mary the Virgin
The University Church of St Mary the Virgin is the largest of Oxford's parish churches and the centre from which the University of Oxford grew...
, Adam de Brome
Adam de Brome
Adam de Brome was an almoner to King Edward II and founder of Oriel College in Oxford, England.De Brome was probably the son of Thomas de Brome, taking his name from Brome near Eye in Suffolk; an inquisition held after the death of Edmund, 2nd Earl of Cornwall, in 1300, noted de Brome holding an...
, obtained a licence from Edward II
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
to found a "certain college of scholars studying various disciplines in honour of the Virgin" and to endow it to the value of £30 a year. De Brome bought two properties in 1324, Tackley's Hall, on the south side of the High Street
High Street, Oxford
The High Street in Oxford, England runs between Carfax, generally recognized as the centre of the city, and Magdalen Bridge to the east. Locally the street is often known as The High. It forms a gentle curve and is the subject of many prints, paintings, photographs, etc...
and Perilous Hall, on the north side of Broad Street
Broad Street, Oxford
Broad Street is a wide street in central Oxford, England, located just north of the old city wall.The street is known for its bookshops, including the original Blackwell's bookshop at number 50, located here due to the University...
, and as an investment, he purchased the advowson
Advowson
Advowson is the right in English law of a patron to present or appoint a nominee to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a process known as presentation. In effect this means the right to nominate a person to hold a church office in a parish...
of a church in Aberford
Aberford
Aberford is a large village and civil parish on the eastern outskirts of the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 1,059 according to the 2001 census...
.
Lord Chancellor
The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom. He is the second highest ranking of the Great Officers of State, ranking only after the Lord High Steward. The Lord Chancellor is appointed by the Sovereign...
, was to exercise the rights of Visitor
Visitor
A Visitor, in United Kingdom law and history, is an overseer of an autonomous ecclesiastical or eleemosynary institution , who can intervene in the internal affairs of that institution...
; a further charter drawn up in May of that year gave the rights of Visitor to Henry Burghersh
Henry Burghersh
Henry Burghersh , English bishop and chancellor, was a younger son of Robert de Burghersh, 1st Baron Burghersh , and a nephew of Bartholomew, Lord Badlesmere, and was educated in France....
, Bishop of Lincoln
Bishop of Lincoln
The Bishop of Lincoln is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury.The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire. The Bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral...
, Oxford at that time being part of the diocese of Lincoln
Diocese of Lincoln
The Diocese of Lincoln forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. The present diocese covers the ceremonial county of Lincolnshire.- History :...
. Under Edward's patronage, de Brome diverted the revenue of the University Church to his college, which thereafter was responsible for appointing the vicar and providing four chaplains to celebrate the daily services in the church. The college lost no time in seeking royal favour again after Edward II's deposition, and Edward III
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
confirmed his father's favour in February 1327, but the amended statutes remained in force with the Bishop of Lincoln as Visitor. In 1329, the college received through royal grant a large house belonging to the crown, known as La Oriole, standing on the site of what is now First quad; it is from this property that the college acquired its common name, "Oriel", the name being in use from about 1349. The word referred to an oratoriolum, or oriel window
Oriel window
Oriel windows are a form of bay window commonly found in Gothic architecture, which project from the main wall of the building but do not reach to the ground. Corbels or brackets are often used to support this kind of window. They are seen in combination with the Tudor arch. This type of window was...
, forming a feature of the earlier property.
In the early 1410s several Fellows of Oriel took part in the disturbances accompanying Archbishop Arundel
Thomas Arundel
Thomas Arundel was Archbishop of Canterbury in 1397 and from 1399 until his death, an outspoken opponent of the Lollards.-Family background:...
's attempt to stamp out Lollardy
Lollardy
Lollardy was a political and religious movement that existed from the mid-14th century to the English Reformation. The term "Lollard" refers to the followers of John Wycliffe, a prominent theologian who was dismissed from the University of Oxford in 1381 for criticism of the Church, especially his...
in the University; the Lollard belief that religious power and authority came through piety
Piety
In spiritual terminology, piety is a virtue that can mean religious devotion, spirituality, or a combination of both. A common element in most conceptions of piety is humility.- Etymology :...
and not through the hierarchy of the Church particularly inflamed passions in Oxford, where its proponent, John Wycliffe
John Wycliffe
John Wycliffe was an English Scholastic philosopher, theologian, lay preacher, translator, reformer and university teacher who was known as an early dissident in the Roman Catholic Church during the 14th century. His followers were known as Lollards, a somewhat rebellious movement, which preached...
, had been head of Balliol
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
. Disregarding the Provost's authority, Oriel Fellows fought bloody battles with other scholars, killed one of the Chancellor
Chancellor (education)
A chancellor or vice-chancellor is the chief executive of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as president or rector....
's servants when they attacked his house, and were prominent among the group that obstructed the Archbishop and ridiculed his censures.
In 1442, Henry VI
Henry VI of England
Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...
sanctioned an arrangement whereby the town was to pay the college £25 a year from the fee farm in exchange for decayed property, allegedly worth £30 a year, which the college could not afford to keep in repair. The arrangement was cancelled in 1450.
Early Modern
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
in the English Civil War
First English Civil War
The First English Civil War began the series of three wars known as the English Civil War . "The English Civil War" was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations that took place between Parliamentarians and Royalists from 1642 until 1651, and includes the Second English Civil War and...
, the King called for Oriel's plate and almost all of it was given, the total weighing . of gilt, and . of "white" plate. In the same year the College was assessed at £1 for the weekly sum of £40 charged on the colleges and halls for the fortification of the city. When the Oxford Parliament
Oxford Parliament (1644)
The Oxford Parliament was the Parliament assembled by King Charles I for the first time 22 January 1644 and adjourned for the last time on 10 March 1645, with the purpose of instrumenting the Royalist war campaign.Charles was advised by Edward Hyde and others not to dissolve the Long Parliament as...
was assembled during the Civil War in 1644, Oriel housed the Executive Committee of the Privy council, Parliament being held at neighbouring Christ Church
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
. Following the defeat of the Royalist cause, the University was scrutinised by the Parliamentarians, and five of the eighteen Oriel Fellows were removed. The Visitors, using their own authority, elected Fellows between 1648 and October 1652, when without reference to the Commissioners, John Washbourne was chosen; the autonomy of the College in this respect seems to have been restored.
In 1673 James Davenant, a Fellow since 1661, complained to William Fuller
William Fuller (bishop)
William Fuller was an English churchman.He was dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin , bishop of Limerick , and bishop of Lincoln . He was also the friend of Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn.-Life:...
, then Bishop of Lincoln, about Provost Say's conduct in the election of Thomas Twitty to a Fellowship. Bishop Fuller appointed a commission that included the Vice-Chancellor, Peter Mews
Peter Mews
Peter Mews was an English Royalist theologian and bishop.-Life:Mews was born at Caundle Purse in Dorset, and was educated at the Merchant Taylors' School, London, and at St John's College, Oxford, of which he was scholar and fellow.When the Civil War broke out in 1642, Mews joined the Royalist...
, the Dean of Christ Church, John Fell
John Fell (clergyman)
John Fell was an English churchman and influential academic. He served as Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, and later concomitantly as Bishop of Oxford.-Education:...
, and the Principal of Brasenose
Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College, originally Brazen Nose College , is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. As of 2006, it has an estimated financial endowment of £98m...
, Thomas Yates. On 1 August Fell reported to the Bishop that;
When this Devil of buying and selling is once cast out, your Lordship will, I hope, take care that he return not again, lest he bring seven worse than himself into the house after 'tis swept and garnisht.
On 24 January 1674, Bishop Fuller issued a decree dealing with the recommendations of the commissioners — a majority of all the Fellows should always be insisted on, so the Provost could not push an election in a thin meeting, and Fellows should be admitted immediately after their election. On 28 January Provost Say obtained a recommendation for Twitty's election from the King, but it was withdrawn on 13 February, following the Vice-Chancellor's refusal to swear Twitty into the University and the Bishop's protests at Court.
Edmund Gibson
Edmund Gibson was a British divine and jurist.-Early life and career:He was born in Bampton, Westmorland. In 1686 he was entered a scholar at Queen's College, Oxford...
, then Bishop of Lincoln. Rejections of candidates by the Provost continued, fueling discontent among the Fellows, until a writ of attachment
Writ of attachment
A writ of attachment is a court order to "attach" or seize an asset. It is issued by a court to a law enforcement officer or sheriff. The writ of attachment is issued in order to satisfy a judgment issued by the court. A prejudgment writ of attachment may be used to freeze assets of a defendant...
against the Bishop of Lincoln was heard between 1724 and 1726. The opposing Fellows, led by Edmunds, appealed to the first set of statutes, claiming the Crown as Visitor, making Gibson's decisions invalid; Provost Carter, supported by Bishop Gibson, appealed to the second set, claiming the Bishop of Lincoln as Visitor. The jury decided for the Fellows, supporting the original charter of Edward II.
In a private printing of 1899 Provost Shadwell lists thirteen Gaudies
Gaudy
Gaudy or gaudie is a term used to reflect student life in a number of the ancient universities in the United Kingdom...
observed by the College during the 18th century; by the end of the 19th century all but two, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception
Feast of the Immaculate Conception
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception celebrates belief in the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is celebrated on 8 December, nine months before the Nativity of Mary, which is celebrated on 8 September. It is the patronal feast day of the United States and the Republic of the...
and the Purification of the Virgin, had ceased to be celebrated.
Modern
In the early 19th century, the reforming zeal of Provosts John Eveleigh and Edward CoplestonEdward Copleston
Edward Copleston was an English churchman and academic, Provost of Oriel College, Oxford from 1814 and bishop of Llandaff from 1827.-Life:He was born at Offwell in Devon, and educated at Oxford University....
gained Oriel the reputation of being the most brilliant college of the day and the centre of the "Oriel Noetics" — clerical liberals such as Richard Whately
Richard Whately
Richard Whately was an English rhetorician, logician, economist, and theologian who also served as the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin.-Life and times:...
and Thomas Arnold
Thomas Arnold
Dr Thomas Arnold was a British educator and historian. Arnold was an early supporter of the Broad Church Anglican movement...
were Fellows, and the during the 1830s, two intellectually eminent Fellows of Oriel, John Keble
John Keble
John Keble was an English churchman and poet, one of the leaders of the Oxford Movement, and gave his name to Keble College, Oxford.-Early life:...
and The Blessed John Henry Newman, supported by Canon Pusey
Edward Bouverie Pusey
Edward Bouverie Pusey was an English churchman and Regius Professor of Hebrew at Christ Church, Oxford. He was one of the leaders of the Oxford Movement.-Early years:...
(also an Oriel fellow initially, later at Christ Church
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
) and others, formed a group known as the Oxford Movement
Oxford Movement
The Oxford Movement was a movement of High Church Anglicans, eventually developing into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose members were often associated with the University of Oxford, argued for the reinstatement of lost Christian traditions of faith and their inclusion into Anglican liturgy...
, alternatively as the Tractarians, or familiarly as the Puseyites. The group were disgusted by the indolence
Laziness
Laziness is a disinclination to activity or exertion despite having the ability to do so. It is often used as a pejorative; related terms for a person seen to be lazy include couch potato, slacker, and bludger....
prevailing in the Church, and they sought to revive the spirit of early Christianity
Early Christianity
Early Christianity is generally considered as Christianity before 325. The New Testament's Book of Acts and Epistle to the Galatians records that the first Christian community was centered in Jerusalem and its leaders included James, Peter and John....
, this caused tension in College as Provost Edward Hawkins
Edward Hawkins
Edward Hawkins was an English churchman and academic, a long-serving Provost of Oriel College, Oxford known as a committed opponent of the Oxford Movement from its beginnings in his college.-Life:...
was a determined opponent of the Movement.
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, a wall was built dividing Third quad from Second quad to accommodate students of Somerville College
Somerville College, Oxford
Somerville College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, and was one of the first women's colleges to be founded there...
, while their college was being used as a military hospital. At this time Oxford separated male and female students as far as possible; Vera Brittain
Vera Brittain
Vera Mary Brittain was a British writer, feminist and pacifist, best remembered as the author of the best-selling 1933 memoir Testament of Youth, recounting her experiences during World War I and the beginning of her journey towards pacifism.-Life:Born in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Brittain was the...
, one of the Somerville students, recalled an amusing occurrence during her time there in her autobiography, Testament of Youth
Testament of Youth
Testament of Youth is the first installment, covering 1900–1925, in the memoir of Vera Brittain . It was published in 1933. Brittain's memoir continues with Testament of Experience, published in 1957, and encompassing the years 1925–1950...
;
[...] the few remaining undergraduates in the still masculine section of Oriel not unnaturally concluded that it would be a first-rate "rag" to break down the wall which divided them from the carefully guarded young females in St. Mary Hall. Great perturbation filled the souls of the Somerville dons when they came down to breakfast one morning to find that a large gap had suddenly appeared in the protecting masonry, through which had been thrust a hilarious placard:
"'OO MADE THIS 'ERE 'OLE?"
"MICE!!!"
Throughout that day and the following night the Senior Common Room, from the Principal downwards, took it in turns to sit on guard beside the hole, for fear any unruly spirit should escape through it to the forbidden adventurous males on the other side.
In 1985, the college became the last all-male college in Oxford to admit women for matriculation
Matriculation
Matriculation, in the broadest sense, means to be registered or added to a list, from the Latin matricula – little list. In Scottish heraldry, for instance, a matriculation is a registration of armorial bearings...
as undergraduates. In 1984, the Senior Common Room voted 23-4 to admit women undergraduates from 1986. The Junior Common Room president believed that "the distinctive character of the college will be undermined".
A second Feast Day was added in 2007 by a benefaction from Orielensis George Moody, to be celebrated on or near St George's Day
St George's Day
St George's Day is celebrated by the several nations, kingdoms, countries, and cities of which Saint George is the patron saint. St George's Day is celebrated on 23 April, the traditionally accepted date of Saint George's death in AD 303...
(23 April). The only remaining gaudy had been Candlemas, the new annual dinner will be known as the St. George's Day Gaudy. The dinner is black tie
Black tie
Black tie is a dress code for evening events and social functions. For a man, the main component is a usually black jacket, known as a dinner jacket or tuxedo...
and gowns, and by request of the benefactor, the main course will normally be goose. The inaugural event took place on Wednesday 25 April 2007.
Front Quad (First quadrangle)
Quadrangle (architecture)
In architecture, a quadrangle is a space or courtyard, usually rectangular in plan, the sides of which are entirely or mainly occupied by parts of a large building. The word is probably most closely associated with college or university campus architecture, but quadrangles may be found in other...
was built in the artisan mannerist style during the 17th century. The south and west ranges and the gate tower were built around 1620 to 1622; the north and east ranges and the chapel buildings date from 1637 to 1642. The façade of the east range forms a classical E shape comprising the college chapel, hall and undercroft
Undercroft
An undercroft is traditionally a cellar or storage room, often brick-lined and vaulted, and used for storage in buildings since medieval times. In modern usage, an undercroft is generally a ground area which is relatively open to the sides, but covered by the building above.- History :While some...
. The exterior and interior of the ranges are topped by an alternating pattern of decorative gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
s. The gate house has a Perp portal and canted Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
oriel windows, with fan vaulting in the entrance. The room above has a particularly fine plaster ceiling and chimneypiece of stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
caryatid
Caryatid
A caryatid is a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature on her head. The Greek term karyatides literally means "maidens of Karyai", an ancient town of Peloponnese...
s and panelling
Panelling
Panelling is a wall covering constructed from rigid or semi-rigid components. These are traditionally interlocking wood, but could be plastic or other materials....
interlaced with studded bands sprouting into large flowers.
The cartouches
Cartouche (design)
A cartouche is an oval or oblong design with a slightly convex surface, typically edged with ornamental scrollwork. It is used to hold a painted or low relief design....
over staircases one, two, three, five and six and the chapel, bar and provost's lodgings entrances bear the arms of important figures in the College's history; (1) Anthony Blencowe (Provost 1574-1618) who left money that paid for building the west side of front quad. (2) Richard Dudley (Fellow 1495-1536) who gave property for Fellowships. (3) John Carpenter (Provost 1428-1435, later Bishop Carpenter) who gave property, plate, Fellowships and Exhibitions. (Chapel) John Frank (Master of the Rolls) gave property for Fellowships around 1441. (Bar) William Lewis (Provost 1618-1621) who canvassed successfully for donations for the rebuilding of college. (5) William Smith (Bishop of Lincoln) who gave property for a Fellowship around 1508. (Provost's lodgings) John Tolson who was Provost during the building of Front Quad. (6) Edward Hawkins (Provost 1828-1882).
Hall
In the centre of the East range, the porticoPortico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
of the hall entrance commemorates its construction during the reign of Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
with the legend "REGNANTE CAROLO", Charles, being King, in pierced stonework. The portico was completely rebuilt in 1897, and above it are statues of two Kings: Edward II on the left, and probably either Charles I or James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
, although this is disputed; above those is a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary after whom the College is officially named. The top breaks the Jacobean
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
tradition and has classical
Classical order
A classical order is one of the ancient styles of classical architecture, each distinguished by its proportions and characteristic profiles and details, and most readily recognizable by the type of column employed. Three ancient orders of architecture—the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian—originated in...
pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s, a shield with garlands, and a segmental pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
.
The hall has a hammerbeam roof
Hammerbeam roof
Hammerbeam roof, in architecture, is the name given to an open timber roof, typical of English Gothic architecture, using short beams projecting from the wall.- Design :...
; the louvre in the centre is now glazed, but was originally the only means of escape for smoke rising from a fireplace in the centre of the floor. The wooden panelling was designed by Ninian Comper
Ninian Comper
Sir John Ninian Comper was a Scottish-born architect. He was one of the last of the great Gothic Revival architects, noted for his churches and their furnishings...
and was erected in 1911 in place of some previous 19th-century Gothic
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
type, though even earlier panelling, dating from 1710, is evident in the Buttery.
Behind the High Table is a portrait of Edward II; underneath is a longsword
Longsword
The longsword is a type of European sword designed for two-handed use, current during the late medieval and Renaissance periods, approximately 1350 to 1550 .Longswords have long cruciform hilts with grips over 10 to 15 cm length The longsword (of which stems the variation called the bastard...
brought to the college in 1902 after being preserved for many years on one of the college's estates at Swainswick
Swainswick
Swainswick is a small village and civil parish, north east of Bath, on the A46 in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority, Somerset, England. The parish has a population of 284...
, near Bath. On either side are portraits of Sir Walter Raleigh
Walter Raleigh
Sir Walter Raleigh was an English aristocrat, writer, poet, soldier, courtier, spy, and explorer. He is also well known for popularising tobacco in England....
and Joseph Butler
Joseph Butler
Joseph Butler was an English bishop, theologian, apologist, and philosopher. He was born in Wantage in the English county of Berkshire . He is known, among other things, for his critique of Thomas Hobbes's egoism and John Locke's theory of personal identity...
. The other portraits around the hall include other prominent members of Oriel such as Cecil Rhodes
Cecil John Rhodes
Cecil John Rhodes PC, DCL was an English-born South African businessman, mining magnate, and politician. He was the founder of the diamond company De Beers, which today markets 40% of the world's rough diamonds and at one time marketed 90%...
, Matthew Arnold
Matthew Arnold
Matthew Arnold was a British poet and cultural critic who worked as an inspector of schools. He was the son of Thomas Arnold, the famed headmaster of Rugby School, and brother to both Tom Arnold, literary professor, and William Delafield Arnold, novelist and colonial administrator...
, Thomas Arnold
Thomas Arnold
Dr Thomas Arnold was a British educator and historian. Arnold was an early supporter of the Broad Church Anglican movement...
, James Anthony Froude
James Anthony Froude
James Anthony Froude , 23 April 1818–20 October 1894, was an English historian, novelist, biographer, and editor of Fraser's Magazine. From his upbringing amidst the Anglo-Catholic Oxford Movement, Froude intended to become a clergyman, but doubts about the doctrines of the Anglican church,...
, John Keble
John Keble
John Keble was an English churchman and poet, one of the leaders of the Oxford Movement, and gave his name to Keble College, Oxford.-Early life:...
, John Henry Newman, Richard Whately
Richard Whately
Richard Whately was an English rhetorician, logician, economist, and theologian who also served as the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin.-Life and times:...
and John Robinson
John Robinson (1650-1723)
John Robinson was an English diplomat and prelate.-Early life:Robinson was born at Cleasby, North Yorkshire, near Darlington, a son of John Robinson . Educated at Brasenose College, Oxford, he became a fellow of Oriel College, and about 1680 chaplain to the British embassy to Stockholm, and...
.
The heraldic glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
in the windows display the coats of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of benefactors and distinguished members of the College; three of the windows were designed by Ninian Comper. The window next to the entrance on the East side contains the arms of Regius Professors of Modern History
Regius Professor of Modern History (Oxford)
The Regius Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford is an old-established professorial position. The first appointment was made in 1724...
who have been ex-officio Fellows of the College.
Chapel
The current chapel is Oriel's third, the first being built around 1373 on the north side of the front quadrangle. By 1566, the chapel was located on the south side of the quadrangle, as shown in a drawing made for Elizabeth IElizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
's visit to Oxford in that year. The present building was consecrated in 1642 and despite subsequent restorations it largely retains its original appearance.
Lectern
A lectern is a reading desk with a slanted top, usually placed on a stand or affixed to some other form of support, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon...
was given to the College in 1654. The black and white marble paving dates from 1677–78. Except for the pew
Pew
A pew is a long bench seat or enclosed box used for seating members of a congregation or choir in a church, or sometimes in a courtroom.-Overview:Churches were not commonly furnished with permanent pews before the Protestant Reformation...
s on the west, dating from 1884, the panelling, stalls and screens are all 17th-century, as are the altar and carved communion rails
Altar rails
Altar rails are a set of railings, sometimes ornate and frequently of marble or wood, delimiting the chancel in a church, the part of the sanctuary that contains the altar. A gate at the centre divides the line into two parts. The sanctuary is a figure of heaven, into which entry is not guaranteed...
. Behind the altar is Bernard van Orley
Bernard van Orley
Bernard van Orley , also called Barend or Barent van Orley, Bernaert van Orley or Barend van Brussel, was a Flemish Northern Renaissance painter and draughtsman, and also a leading designer of tapestries and stained glass...
's The Carrying of the Cross
Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross refers to the depiction of the final hours of Jesus, and the devotion commemorating the Passion. The tradition as chapel devotion began with St...
— a companion-piece to this painting is in the National Gallery of Scotland
National Gallery of Scotland
The National Gallery of Scotland, in Edinburgh, is the national art gallery of Scotland. An elaborate neoclassical edifice, it stands on The Mound, between the two sections of Edinburgh's Princes Street Gardens...
. The organ case dates from 1716; originally designed by Christopher Schreider for St Mary Abbots
St Mary Abbots
St Mary Abbots is an historic church located on Kensington High Street , London at a prominent intersection with Kensington Church Street. The present church was built in 1872 by the architect Sir George Gilbert Scott in neo-Gothic Early English style. It was the latest in a succession of churches...
Church, Kensington, it was acquired by Oriel in 1884.
In the north-west window of the gallery there is a small piece of late medieval
Late Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages was the period of European history generally comprising the 14th to the 16th century . The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern era ....
glass, a figure of St Margaret of Antioch. In the south window of the gallery there is a painted window of "The Presentation of Christ in the Temple
Presentation of Jesus at the Temple
The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, which falls on 2 February, celebrates an early episode in the life of Jesus. In the Eastern Orthodox Church and some Eastern Catholic Churches, it is one of the twelve Great Feasts, and is sometimes called Hypapante...
", executed by William Peckitt
William Peckitt
William Peckitt was an English glass-painter and stained glass maker. He was based in York throughout his working life, was one of the leading Georgian glass craftsmen in England and helped “keep the art of glass painting alive during the eighteenth century"...
of York. It was originally set in the east window in 1767; a later version of his work can be seen in New College
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
Chapel. The rest of the stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
is Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
: the earliest is on the easternmost part of the south side; the rest date from after the 1884 restorations by Powell.
Above the entrance to the chapel is an oriel that, until the 1880s, was a room on the first floor that formed part of a set of rooms that were occupied by Richard Whately
Richard Whately
Richard Whately was an English rhetorician, logician, economist, and theologian who also served as the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin.-Life and times:...
, and later by John Henry Newman. Whately is said to have used the space as a larder and Newman is said to have used it for his private prayers — when the organ was installed in 1884, the space was used for the blower. The wall that once separated the room from the ante-chapel
Ante-chapel
Ante-chapel is the term given to that portion of a chapel which lies on the western side of the choir screen.In some of the colleges at Oxford and Cambridge the ante-chapel is carried north and south across the west end of the chapel, constituting a western transept or narthex...
was removed, making it accessible from the chapel. The organ was built by J. W. Walker & Sons in 1988; in 1991 the space behind the organ was rebuilt as an oratory and memorial to Newman and the Oxford Movement
Oxford Movement
The Oxford Movement was a movement of High Church Anglicans, eventually developing into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose members were often associated with the University of Oxford, argued for the reinstatement of lost Christian traditions of faith and their inclusion into Anglican liturgy...
. A new stained glass window designed by Vivienne Haig and realised by Douglas Hogg was completed and installed in 2001.
During the late 1980s, the chapel was extensively restored with the assistance of donations from Lady Norma Dalrymple-Champneys. During this work, the chandelier, given in 1885 by Provost Shadwell while still a Fellow, was put back in place, the organ was restored, the painting mounted behind the altar, and the chapel repainted. A list of former chaplains and organ scholars was erected in the ante-chapel. The Chaplain is Rev Dr Robert Tobin and the Senior Organ Scholar for 2010-11 is Edwin Lock.
Back Quad (Second quadrangle)
Originally a garden, the demand for more accommodation for undergraduates in the early 18th century resulted in two free-standing blocks being built. The first block erected was the Robinson Building on the east side, built in 1720 by Bishop RobinsonJohn Robinson (1650-1723)
John Robinson was an English diplomat and prelate.-Early life:Robinson was born at Cleasby, North Yorkshire, near Darlington, a son of John Robinson . Educated at Brasenose College, Oxford, he became a fellow of Oriel College, and about 1680 chaplain to the British embassy to Stockholm, and...
at the suggestion of his wife, as the inscription over the door records. Its twin block, the Carter Building, was erected on the west side in 1729, as a result of a benefaction by Provost Carter. The two buildings stood for nearly a hundred years as detached blocks in the garden, and the architectural elements of the First quad are repeated on them — only here the seven gables are all alike. Between 1817 and 1819, they were joined up to the Front quad with their present, rather incongruous connecting links. In the link to the Robinson Building, two purpose-built rooms have been incorporated - the Champneys Room, designed by Weldon Champneys, the nephew of Basil Champneys
Basil Champneys
Basil Champneys was an architect and author whose more notable buildings include Newnham College, Cambridge, Manchester's John Rylands Library, Mansfield College, Oxford and Oriel College, Oxford's Rhodes Building.- Life :...
, and the Benefactors Room, a panelled room honouring benefactors of the college. A Gothic oriel window, belonging to the Provost's Lodgings, was added to the Carter Building in 1826.
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
style by James Wyatt
James Wyatt
James Wyatt RA , was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the neoclassical style, who far outdid Adam in his work in the neo-Gothic style.-Early classical career:...
, it was built between 1788 and 1796 to accommodate the books bequested by Edward, Baron Leigh
Edward Leigh, 5th Baron Leigh
Edward Leigh, 5th Baron Leigh was descended from Thomas Leigh, Lord Mayor of London in 1558, and inherited the Leigh family seat at Stoneleigh Abbey, Stoneleigh, Warwickshire following the death of father Thomas Leigh, 4th Baron Leigh in 1749....
, formerly High Steward of the University and an Orielensis, whose gift had doubled the size of the library. The two-storey building has rusticated
Rustication (architecture)
thumb|upright|Two different styles of rustication in the [[Palazzo Medici-Riccardi]] in [[Florence]].In classical architecture rustication is an architectural feature that contrasts in texture with the smoothly finished, squared block masonry surfaces called ashlar...
arches on the ground floor and a row of Ionic
Ionic order
The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...
columns above, dividing the façade into seven bays — the ground floor contains the first purpose built senior common rooms in Oxford, above is the library.
On 7 March 1949, a fire spread from the library roof; over 300 printed books and the manuscripts on exhibition were completely destroyed, and over 3,000 books needed repair, though the main structure suffered little damage and restoration took less than a year.
St. Mary's Quad (Third quadrangle)
The south, east and west ranges of third quadrangle contain elements of St Mary HallSt Mary Hall, Oxford
St Mary Hall was an academic hall of the University of Oxford associated with Oriel College since 1326, but which functioned independently from 1545 to 1902.- History :...
, which was incorporated into Oriel in 1902; less than a decade later, the Hall's buildings on the northern side were demolished for the construction of the Rhodes Building. Bedel Hall in the south was formally amalgamated with St Mary Hall in 1505.
In the south range, parts of the medieval buildings survive and are incorporated into staircase ten — the straight, steep flight of stairs and timber framed partitions date from a mid-15th century rebuilding of St Mary Hall. The former Chapel, Hall and Buttery
Buttery (shop)
In the Middle Ages, a buttery was a storeroom for liquor, the name being derived from the Latin and French words for bottle or, to put the word into its simpler form, a butt, that is, a cask. A butler, before he became able to take charge of the ewery, pantry, cellar, and the staff, would be in...
of St Mary Hall, built in 1640, form part of the Junior Library and Junior Common Room. Viewed from the third quad, the Chapel, with its Gothic windows, can be seen to have been built neatly on top of the Hall, a unique example in Oxford of such a plan.
On the east side of the quad is a simple rustic style timber-frame building; known as "the Dolls House", it was erected by Principal King in 1743.
In 1826 an ornate range was erected in the Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
style, incorporating the old gate of St Mary Hall, on the west side of the quad. Designed by Daniel Robertson
Daniel Robertson
-Career:Robertson may have worked under Robert Adam in London, England; later he worked at Kew and Oxford. Robertson was an early exponent of the Norman Revival, designing both St Clement's Church, Oxford and St Swithun's parish church in Kennington, Berkshire in this style as early as...
, it contains two quite ornate oriels placed asymmetrically, one is of six lights, the other four. They are the best example of the pre-archaeological Gothic in Oxford. The large oriel on the first floor at the north end was once the drawing room of the Principal of Hall. Parts of the street wall incorporated into this range show traces of blocked windows dating from the same period of rebuilding in the 15th century as staircase ten.
Cecil John Rhodes
Cecil John Rhodes PC, DCL was an English-born South African businessman, mining magnate, and politician. He was the founder of the diamond company De Beers, which today markets 40% of the world's rough diamonds and at one time marketed 90%...
. It was designed by Basil Champneys
Basil Champneys
Basil Champneys was an architect and author whose more notable buildings include Newnham College, Cambridge, Manchester's John Rylands Library, Mansfield College, Oxford and Oriel College, Oxford's Rhodes Building.- Life :...
and stands on the site of the Principal's house, on the High Street. Champney's first proposal for the building included an open arcade
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
to the High Street, a dome
Dome
A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....
d central feature and balustraded
Baluster
A baluster is a moulded shaft, square or of lathe-turned form, one of various forms of spindle in woodwork, made of stone or wood and sometimes of metal, standing on a unifying footing, and supporting the coping of a parapet or the handrail of a staircase. Multiplied in this way, they form a...
parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
. The left hand block and much of the centre was to be given up to a new Provost's Lodging, and the five windows on the first floor above the arcade were to light a gallery belonging to the Lodging. The college eventually decided to retain the existing Provost's Lodging and demanded detailing "more in accordance with the style which has become traditional in Oxford". It became the last building of the Jacobean revival style
Jacobethan
Jacobethan is the style designation coined in 1933 by John Betjeman to describe the mixed national Renaissance revival style that was made popular in England from the late 1820s, which derived most of its inspiration and its repertory from the English Renaissance , with elements of Elizabethan and...
in Oxford.
On the side facing the High Street, there is a statue of Rhodes over the main entrance, with Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
and George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
beneath. The inscription reads: "e Larga MUnIfICentIa CaeCILII rhoDes", which, as well as acknowledging Rhodes' munificence, is a chronogram
Chronogram
A chronogram is a sentence or inscription in which specific letters, interpreted as numerals, stand for a particular date when rearranged. The word, meaning "time writing", derives from the Greek words chronos and gramma . In the pure chronogram each word contains a numeral, the natural chronogram...
giving the date of construction, MDCCCLLVIIIIII.
The staircases of the interior façade are decorated with cartouches similar to those found in First Quad, and likewise bear the arms of important figures in the College's history; (13) Sir Walter Raleigh who was an undergraduate from 1572 to 1574, (14) John Keble who was a Fellow between 1811 and 1835), (archway) Edward Hawkins who was Provost from 1828 until 1882 and (15) Gilbert White who was an undergraduate from 1739 until 1743 and a Fellow from 1744 until 1793.
The building was not entirely well received; William Sherwood, Mayor of Oxford and Master of Magdalen College School
Magdalen College School, Oxford
Magdalen College School is an independent school for boys aged 7 to 18 and girls in the sixth form, located on The Plain in Oxford, England. It was founded as part of Magdalen College, Oxford by William Waynflete in 1480....
, wrote:
Oriel [has] broken out into the High, ... destroying a most picturesque group of old houses in so doing, and, to put it gently, hardly compensating us for their removal.
O'Brien Quad (Island site)
A convex quadrilateral of buildings, bordered by the High StreetHigh Street, Oxford
The High Street in Oxford, England runs between Carfax, generally recognized as the centre of the city, and Magdalen Bridge to the east. Locally the street is often known as The High. It forms a gentle curve and is the subject of many prints, paintings, photographs, etc...
, and the meeting of Oriel Street
Oriel Street
Oriel Street is a narrow but historic street running between the High Street to the north and Oriel Square to the south in central Oxford, England. The street is now blocked off to traffic by bollards at the High Street end....
and King Edward Street
King Edward Street
King Edward Street is a street running between the High Street to the north and Oriel Square to the south in central Oxford, England.To the east is the "Island" site of Oriel College, one of the colleges of Oxford University...
in Oriel Square
Oriel Square
Oriel Square, formerly known as Canterbury Square is a square in central Oxford, England, located south of the High Street. The name was changed after the Second World War at the request of Oriel College which maintained that the square had originally been known as Oriel Square.To the east at the...
. The site took six hundred years to acquire and although it contains teaching rooms and the Harris Lecture Theatre, it is largely given over to accommodation.
On the High Street
High Street
High Street, or the High Street, is a metonym for the generic name of the primary business street of towns or cities, especially in the United Kingdom. It is usually a focal point for shops and retailers in city centres, and is most often used in reference to retailing...
, No. 106 and 107 stand on the site of Tackley's Inn; built around 1295, it was the first piece of property that Adam de Brome acquired when he began to found the college in 1324. It comprised a hall and chambers leased to scholars, behind a frontage of five shops, with the scholars above and a cellar of five bays below. The hall, which was open to the roof, was 33 feet (10 m) long, 20 feet (6 m) wide, and about 22 feet (7 m) high; at the east end was a large chamber with another chamber above it. The south wall of the building, which survives, was partly of stone and contains a large two-light early 14th-century window. The cellar below is of the same date and is the best preserved medieval cellar in Oxford; originally entered by stone steps from the street, it has a stone vault
Vault (architecture)
A Vault is an architectural term for an arched form used to provide a space with a ceiling or roof. The parts of a vault exert lateral thrust that require a counter resistance. When vaults are built underground, the ground gives all the resistance required...
divided into four sections by two diagonal ribs, with carved corbel
Corbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
s.
The Oriel Street
Oriel Street
Oriel Street is a narrow but historic street running between the High Street to the north and Oriel Square to the south in central Oxford, England. The street is now blocked off to traffic by bollards at the High Street end....
site was acquired between 1329 and 1392. No. 12, now staircases 19 and 20, is the oldest tenement acquired by the college; known as Kylyngworth's, it was granted to the college in 1392 by Thomas de Lentwardyn, Fellow and later Provost, having previously been let to William de Daventre, Oriel's fourth Provost, in 1367. A back wing to the property was added around 1600 and further work to the front was conducted in 1724–38. In 1985, funded by a gift from Edgar O'Brien and £10,000 from the Pilgrim Trust
Pilgrim Trust
The Pilgrim Trust is a London-based charitable trust. It was founded in 1930 by a two million pound grant by Edward Harkness, an American philanthropist. The trust's first secretary was former civil servant, Thomas Jones....
, Kylyngworth's was refurbished along with Nos. 10, 9 and 7.
King Edward Street
King Edward Street is a street running between the High Street to the north and Oriel Square to the south in central Oxford, England.To the east is the "Island" site of Oriel College, one of the colleges of Oxford University...
was created by the college between 1872 and 1873 when 109 and 110 High Street were demolished. The old shops on each side of the road were pulled down and rebuilt, and to preserve the continuity, the new shops were numbered 108 and 109–112. Named after the college's founder, the road was opened in 1873. On the wall of the first floor of No. 6, there is a large metal plaque with a portrait of Cecil Rhodes; underneath is the inscription:
In this house, the Rt. Hon Cecil John Rhodes kept academical residence in the year 1881. This memorial is erected by Alfred Mosely in recognition of the great services rendered by Cecil Rhodes to his country.
In the centre of the quad is the Harris Building, formerly Oriel court
Oriel Square tennis court
In Oriel Square, Oxford, England, the remains of a real tennis court can be recognised. The Liber Albus mentions the Oriel court being in Vinehall Lane in 1577...
, a real tennis
Real tennis
Real tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original indoor racquet sport from which the modern game of lawn tennis , is descended...
court where Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
played tennis with his nephew Prince Rupert
Prince Rupert of the Rhine
Rupert, Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke of Bavaria, 1st Duke of Cumberland, 1st Earl of Holderness , commonly called Prince Rupert of the Rhine, KG, FRS was a noted soldier, admiral, scientist, sportsman, colonial governor and amateur artist during the 17th century...
in December 1642 and King Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
had his first tennis lesson in 1859. The building was in use as a lecture hall by 1923, and after modernisation between 1991 and 1994, funded by Sir Philip and Lady Harris, contains accommodation, a seminar room and the college's main lecture theatre. The bronze plaque in the lobby commemorates Sir Philip's father, Captain Charles William Harris, after whom the building is named. The building was opened by John Major
John Major
Sir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
, then Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
, on 10 August 1993.
Whereas the staircases on the first three quadrangles are marked with Arabic numerals
Arabic numerals
Arabic numerals or Hindu numerals or Hindu-Arabic numerals or Indo-Arabic numerals are the ten digits . They are descended from the Hindu-Arabic numeral system developed by Indian mathematicians, in which a sequence of digits such as "975" is read as a numeral...
, the Island site is marked with Roman numerals
Roman numerals
The numeral system of ancient Rome, or Roman numerals, uses combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet to signify values. The numbers 1 to 10 can be expressed in Roman numerals as:...
. Both sites have the numbering running anticlockwise around each quadrangle and there are two staircase eighteens − Mary Quad's staircase numbering finishes at 18 and O'Brien Quad's staircase numbering begins with XVIII.
Rectory Road
Cowley Road, Oxford
Cowley Road is an arterial road in the city of Oxford, England, following a southeasterly route from the city centre at The Plain roundabout near Magdalen Bridge, through the inner city area of East Oxford, and into the industrial suburb of Cowley...
, this site was formerly Nazareth House, a residential care home convent
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
— Goldie Wing (shown left) and Larmenier House are its surviving buildings. Nazareth House itself was demolished to make room for two purpose-built halls of residence, James Mellon Hall (shown right) and David Paterson House. The two new halls were opened by Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
on 8 November 2000.
As it is about ten minutes walk from College and more peaceful than the middle of the city, it has become the principal choice of accommodation for Oriel's graduates and finalists. The site has its own common rooms, squash
Squash (sport)
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
court, gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
nasium and support staff.
Bartlemas
Bartlemas is a conservation area that incorporates the remaining buildings of a leper hospital founded by Henry IHenry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
; it includes the sports grounds for Oriel, Jesus
Jesus College, Oxford
Jesus College is one of the colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship Street, Cornmarket Street and Market Street...
and Lincoln
Lincoln College, Oxford
Lincoln College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is situated on Turl Street in central Oxford, backing onto Brasenose College and adjacent to Exeter College...
Colleges, along with landscaping for wildlife and small scale urban development.
In 1326 Provost Adam de Brome was appointed warden of St Bartholomew's; a leper hospital in Cowley Marsh
Cowley, Oxford
Cowley in Oxford, England, is a residential and industrial area that forms a small conurbation within greater Oxford. Cowley's neighbours are central Oxford to the northwest, Rose Hill and Blackbird Leys to the south, New Headington to the north and the villages of Horspath and Garsington across...
, the hospital was later granted to the college by Edward III
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
, along with the payments it had been receiving from the fee farm. It was increasingly used as a rest house for sick members of the college needing a change of air. In 1649 the college rebuilt the main hospital range north of the chapel, destroyed in the Civil War, as a row of four almshouse
Almshouse
Almshouses are charitable housing provided to enable people to live in a particular community...
s, called Bartlemas House. Bartlemas Chapel and two farm cottages are the other extant buildings.
Coat of arms
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
terminology: Gules, three lions passant guardant Or within a bordure engrailed Argent.
The arms of the College are based on those of the founder Edward II
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
, the three gold lions of England on a red background. However, as no one may bear another's arms unaltered, an engrailed silver border was added "for difference".
The three feathers
Prince of Wales's feathers
The Prince of Wales's feathers is the heraldic badge of the Heir Apparent to the British and Commonwealth Realms thrones. It consists of three white feathers emerging from a gold coronet. A ribbon below the coronet bears the motto Ich dien...
, often adopted by members of the College, can be found in decorations around college and is the motif on the college crested tie. It probably represents Edward, the Black Prince, although it may represent King Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
, who was Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
when the building of First quad began in the 17th century.
College colours
School colors
School colors are the colors chosen by a school to represent it on uniforms and other items of identification. Most schools have two colors, which are usually chosen to avoid conflicts with other schools with which the school competes in sports and other activities...
, used on the college scarf, sports clothing, oar blades
Oar (sport rowing)
In rowing, oars are used to propel the boat. Oars differ from paddles in that they use a fixed fulcrum to transfer power from the handle to the blade, rather than using the athlete's shoulders or hands as the pivot-point as in canoeing and kayaking. Typical Sculling oars are around 284 cm -...
and the like, are two white stripes on navy.
A badge for the use of Oriel College Boat Club, the Tortoise Club and the Oriel Society was granted by Letters Patent dated 20 April 2009 of Garter
Garter Principal King of Arms
The Garter Principal King of Arms is the senior King of Arms, and the senior Officer of Arms of the College of Arms. He is therefore the most powerful herald within the jurisdiction of the College – primarily England, Wales and Northern Ireland – and so arguably the most powerful in the world...
, Clarenceux
Clarenceux King of Arms
Clarenceux King of Arms is an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. Clarenceux is the senior of the two provincial kings of arms and his jurisdiction is that part of England south of the River Trent. The office almost certainly existed in 1420, and there is a fair degree of...
and Norroy and Ulster King of Arms
Norroy and Ulster King of Arms
Norroy and Ulster King of Arms is one of the senior Officers of Arms of the College of Arms, and the junior of the two provincial Kings of Arms. The current office is the combination of two former appointments...
. The Badge is blazoned A Tortoise displayed the shell circular Azure charged with two concentric annulets Argent.
Grace
Before formal HallFormal (university)
Formal Hall or Formal Meal is the meal held at some of the oldest , universities in the United Kingdom at which students dress in formal attire and often gowns to dine...
, the following Latin grace
Grace (prayer)
Grace is a name for any of a number of short prayers said or an unvoiced intention held prior to or after eating, thanking God and/or the entities that have given of themselves to furnish nutrients to those partaking in the meal. Some traditions hold that grace and thanksgiving imparts a blessing...
is recited by one of the student bible clerks. The translation is reputedly by Erasmus
Desiderius Erasmus
Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus , known as Erasmus of Rotterdam, was a Dutch Renaissance humanist, Catholic priest, and a theologian....
in his Convivium Religiosum of a grace recorded by St John Chrysostom
John Chrysostom
John Chrysostom , Archbishop of Constantinople, was an important Early Church Father. He is known for his eloquence in preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority by both ecclesiastical and political leaders, the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, and his ascetic...
:
Benedicte Deus, qui pascis nos a juventute nostra et praebes cibum omni carni, reple gaudio et laetitia corda nostra ut nos affatim quod satis est habentes abundemus in omne opus bonum, per Jesum Christum Dominum nostrum, cui, tecum et Spiritu Sancto, sit omnis honos, laus et imperium, in saecula saeculorum.
Blessed God, who feeds us from our youth and provides food for all flesh, fill our hearts with joy and gladness, that we, having enough to satisfy us, may abound in every good work. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with You and the Holy Spirit, be all honour, praise, and power for all ages.
After the meal, the Provost, or a Fellow, usually recites a short Latin prayer [Benedicto benedicatur, per Jesum Christum, Let praise be given to/by the Blessed One] instead of the full post cibum grace:
Domine Deus, resurrectio et vita credentium, qui semper es laudandus cum in viventibus tum in defunctis, agimus tibi gratias pro Eduardo secundo, Fundatore nostro, pro Adamo De Brome, praecipuo benefactore caeterisque benefactoribus nostris, quorum benficiis hic ad pietatem et ad studia bonarum literarum alimur; rogantes ut nos his donis tuis recte utentes, ad resurrectionis gloriam immortalem perducamur, per Jesum Christum Dominum nostrum.
Lord God, the resurrection and life of all who believe in thee, who art always worthy to be praised by both the living and the dead, we give thee thanks for Edward the Second, our Founder, for Adam de Brome, our principal benefactor and for all our other benefactors, by whose benefits we are here maintained in godliness and learning; and we beseech thee that using these thy gifts rightly we may be led to the immortal glory of resurrection, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Student life
Accommodation is provided for all undergraduates, and for some graduates, though some accommodation is off-site. Members are generally expected to dine in hall, where there are two sittings every evening, one informal
Informal Hall
At traditional Oxbridge colleges, there may be two dinners in the college hall each evening, named informal hall and formal hall. Informal hall normally takes place before formal hall and does not require the wearing of a gown. It is typically self-service rather than being served by college servants...
and one formal
Formal (university)
Formal Hall or Formal Meal is the meal held at some of the oldest , universities in the United Kingdom at which students dress in formal attire and often gowns to dine...
, except on Saturdays, where there is only an informal sitting. The Bar, situated underneath the Hall, serves food from mid-morning and drinks in the evening; its LCD TV was installed prior to the 2006 football World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
. There is both a Junior Common Room (JCR), between Second and Third quad, and a Middle Common Room (MCR), on the Island Site.
The college lending library supplements the university libraries; with over 100,000 volumes, it is one of the largest college libraries in the university and will purchase books needed for the course. Most undergraduate tutorials are carried out in the college, though for other specialist papers, undergraduates may be sent to tutors in other colleges.
Between 2001-2010, Oriel College students chose not to be affiliated to the University-wide Students' union
Students' union
A students' union, student government, student senate, students' association, guild of students or government of student body is a student organization present in many colleges and universities, and has started appearing in some high schools...
, OUSU
Oxford University Student Union
The Oxford University Student Union is the official students' union of the University of Oxford. It is better known in Oxford by its acronym, OUSU . It exists to represent Oxford University students in the University's decision-making, to act as the voice for students in the national higher...
, although this did not stop some students from getting involved with OUSU and running for elected office. In a 2010 student referendum the JCR decided to reaffiliate.
Oriel College has its own drama society, the Oriel Lions, which funds college and Oxford University shows.
Sport rowing
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
, in particular the two intercollegiate bumps race
Bumps race
A bumps race is a form of rowing race in which a number of boats chase each other in single file, each boat attempting to catch and "bump" the boat in front without being caught by the boat behind....
s, Torpids
Torpids
Torpids is one of two series of bumping races held yearly at Oxford University, the other being Eights. Over 130 men's and women's crews race for their colleges in six men's divisions and five women's; almost 1200 participants in total...
and Eights Week
Eights Week
Eights Week, also known as Summer Eights, is a four-day regatta of bumps races which constitutes the University of Oxford's main intercollegiate rowing event of the year. The regatta takes place in May of each year, from the Wednesday to the Saturday of the fifth week of Trinity term...
. In 2005 they remained "Head of the River
Head of the River
A Head of the River race is a rowing race, held as a procession race against the clock, with the winning crew receiving the title of "Head of the River"...
" in Torpids and rowed over second in Eights Week. Having been awarded spoons in Summer Eights 2006 after being bumped every day of racing, the Men's 1st VIII bumped twice in 2007 and twice again in 2008 to return to 2nd on the River, behind Balliol College. The women's 1st VIII has also had success in Summer Eights in recent years, winning blades in 2007 after bumping on all four days and finishing 2008 in Division I for the first time since 1994. In 2006 Oriel claimed the first ever double headship in Torpids, rowing over as Head of the River in both the men's and women's first divisions. Both Men's and Women's 1st VIIIs ceded the headship of Torpids in 2008 by being bumped; the positions remained unchanged in 2007 as Torpids were cancelled.
On the afternoons of the Thursday, Friday and Saturday of 7th week in Trinity Term
Trinity term
Trinity term is the name of the third and final term of Oxford University's and the University of Dublin's academic year. It runs from about mid April to about the end of June and is named after Trinity Sunday, which falls eight weeks after Easter, in May or June.At the University of Sydney, it was...
, the boat club hosts the annual Oriel Regatta; events in this competition include side-by-side racing for eights, coxed fours, pairs and single sculls. The course runs upstream from the Longbridges Boathouse to past the end of boathouses on Christ Church Island and are conducted in knock-out format.
Croquet
Croquet
Croquet is a lawn game, played both as a recreational pastime and as a competitive sport. It involves hitting plastic or wooden balls with a mallet through hoops embedded into the grass playing court.-History:...
may be played in St Mary quad in the summer, as can bowls
Bowls
Bowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...
on the south lawn of First quad. The sports ground is mainly used for cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
and football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
. Rowing is carried out from the boat-house across Christ Church Meadow
Christ Church Meadow, Oxford
Christ Church Meadow is a famous flood-meadow, and popular walking and picnic spot in Oxford, England.Roughly triangular in shape it is bounded by the River Thames , the River Cherwell, and Christ Church. It provides access to many of the college boat houses which are on an island at the confluence...
.
People associated with the College
Many notable and famous people have passed through Oriel's gates, from statesmenStatesman
A statesman is usually a politician or other notable public figure who has had a long and respected career in politics or government at the national and international level. As a term of respect, it is usually left to supporters or commentators to use the term...
to cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
ers to industrialists; their most famous undergraduate is the 16th-century explorer
Age of Discovery
The Age of Discovery, also known as the Age of Exploration and the Great Navigations , was a period in history starting in the early 15th century and continuing into the early 17th century during which Europeans engaged in intensive exploration of the world, establishing direct contacts with...
, Sir Walter Raleigh
Walter Raleigh
Sir Walter Raleigh was an English aristocrat, writer, poet, soldier, courtier, spy, and explorer. He is also well known for popularising tobacco in England....
. The College has produced many churchmen, bishops, cardinals, governors, and two Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
recipients: Alexander Todd
Alexander R. Todd, Baron Todd
Alexander Robertus Todd, Baron Todd, OM, PRS FRSE was a Scottish biochemist whose research on the structure and synthesis of nucleotides, nucleosides, and nucleotide coenzymes gained him the 1957 Nobel Prize for Chemistry.Todd was born near Glasgow, attended Allan Glen's School and graduated from...
(Chemistry) and James Meade
James Meade
James Edward Meade CB, FBA was a British economist and winner of the 1977 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences jointly with the Swedish economist Bertil Ohlin for their "Pathbreaking contribution to the theory of international trade and international capital movements."Meade was born in...
(Economics).
The Professorial Fellowships the College holds are: the Regius Professor of Modern History
Regius Professor of Modern History (Oxford)
The Regius Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford is an old-established professorial position. The first appointment was made in 1724...
, held by Robert Evans
Robert John Weston Evans
Professor Robert John Weston Evans FLSW FBA is a historian, whose speciality is the post-medieval history of Central and Eastern Europe. He was educated at Dean Close School, Cheltenham and Jesus College, Cambridge. Evans is Regius Professor of Modern History in the University of Oxford, and a...
and formerly by Sir John Elliott
John Huxtable Elliott
Sir John Huxtable Elliott, FBA , who normally publishes as J.H. Elliott, is an eminent historian, Regius Professor Emeritus in the University of Oxford and Honorary Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford and Trinity College, Cambridge....
and Thomas Arnold
Thomas Arnold
Dr Thomas Arnold was a British educator and historian. Arnold was an early supporter of the Broad Church Anglican movement...
, the Oriel Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture
Oriel Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture
The Oriel Professor of the Interpretation of the Holy Scripture at the University of Oxford is an old-established professorial position.The Oriel Professor is ex officio a Fellow of Oriel College....
, held by John Barton
John Barton (theologian)
The Revd Professor John Barton is the Oriel and Laing Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture. He is a Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford, a Fellow of the British Academy and a foreign member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters...
, the Nolloth Professor of the Philosophy of the Christian Religion, held by Brian Leftow
Brian Leftow
Brian Leftow is the Nolloth Professor of the Philosophy of the Christian Religion at Oriel College, Oxford, succeeding Richard Swinburne, who retired in 2002. Leftow's research interests include metaphysics, medieval philosophy, and philosophical theology. He is a graduate of Grove City College,...
, and the Nuffield Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
- See also Former students of Oriel College and Fellows of Oriel College
Silver plate
Oriel has three notable pieces of medieval plateSterling silver
Sterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by mass of silver and 7.5% by mass of other metals, usually copper. The sterling silver standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925....
. The first is a French beaker and cover in silver gilt; past estimates on its dating from 1460–70 are thought mistaken, and circa 1350, with later decoration, was later expounded. It was bought in 1493 for £4.18s.1d., under the mistaken belief that it had belonged to Edward II
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
. In a college inventory of plate dated 21 December 1596, it is named as the Founder's Cup.
The second notable piece of plate is a mazer
Mazer (drinking vessel)
In the Germanic tradition, a mazer is a special type of drinking vessel, properly made of maple wood, and so-called from the spotted or birdseye marking on the wood In the Germanic tradition, a mazer is a special type of drinking vessel, properly made of maple wood, and so-called from the spotted...
of maplewood with silver gilt mounts, dating from 1470–85. On the edge of the rim is a row of grouped beads; below is an inscription in black letters:
- Vir racione vivas non quod petit atra voluptas sic caro casta datur lis lingue suppeditatur
- Man, in thy draughts let reason be thy guide, and not the craving of perverted lust;
- So honest nourishment will be supplied, and strife of tongue be trampled in the dust
This type of shallow drinking vessel was quite common in the Middle Ages, but the only other mazers in Oxford are three dating from the 15th century, and one standing mazer from 1529–30, all belonging to All Souls
All Souls College, Oxford
The Warden and the College of the Souls of all Faithful People deceased in the University of Oxford or All Souls College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England....
. Thirdly is a coconut cup, one of six in Oxford; the Oriel cup has silver gilt mounts and dates from the first quarter of the 16th century.
Among the later plate are two flagons, two pattens and a chalice
Chalice (cup)
A chalice is a goblet or footed cup intended to hold a drink. In general religious terms, it is intended for drinking during a ceremony.-Christian:...
which date from 1640–41. The larger pieces of Buttery Plate include the Sanford and Heywood grace cups
Grace Cup
A Grace Cup is a silver bowl or tankard with two handles that was traditionally passed round the table after grace at all banquets in London. According to Brewer's Phrase and Fable, the Grace Cup is still seen at the Lord Mayor's feasts, at college, and occasionally in private banquets...
, dated 1654–55 and 1669–70, a rosewater ewer gifted in 1669, a punchbowl dating from 1735–36, and the great Wenman tankard presented in 1679, which holds a gallon and is the largest in Oxford. Many of the 17th- and 18th-century tankards were given by commensales and commoners as a form of admission fee.
Film and fiction
The buildings of Oriel College were used as a location for Hugh GrantHugh Grant
Hugh John Mungo Grant is an English actor and film producer. He has received a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and an Honorary César. His films have earned more than $2.4 billion from 25 theatrical releases worldwide. Grant achieved international stardom after appearing in Richard Curtis's...
's first film, Privileged
Privileged (1982 film)
Privileged is a 1982 film, the first theatrical release from the Oxford Film Foundation and was Hugh Grant's screen debut playing Lord Adrian...
(1982), as well as Oxford Blues
Oxford Blues
Oxford Blues is a 1984 film written and directed by Robert Boris and starred Rob Lowe, Ally Sheedy and Amanda Pays. It is a remake of the 1938 MGM film A Yank at Oxford.-Plot:...
(1984), True Blue
True Blue (film)
True Blue is a 1996 British sports film based on the book True Blue: The Oxford Boat Race Mutiny by Daniel Topolski and Patrick Robinson. It follows the 1987 Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race and the disagreement amongst the Oxford team known as the "Oxford mutiny". For the US DVD release, the film was...
(1991) and The Dinosaur Hunter (2000).
The television crime series Inspector Morse
Inspector Morse (TV series)
Inspector Morse is a detective drama based on Colin Dexter's series of Chief Inspector Morse novels. The series starred John Thaw as Chief Inspector Morse and Kevin Whately as Sergeant Lewis. Dexter makes a cameo appearance in all but three of the episodes....
used the College in the episodes "Ghost in the Machine", under the name of 'Courtenay College', "The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn", "The Infernal Serpent", "Deadly Slumber", "Twilight of the Gods" and "Death is now My Neighbour", and in the one off follow on, Lewis, the Middle Common Room and Oriel Square
Oriel Square
Oriel Square, formerly known as Canterbury Square is a square in central Oxford, England, located south of the High Street. The name was changed after the Second World War at the request of Oriel College which maintained that the square had originally been known as Oriel Square.To the east at the...
were used.
In the first series of Chancer
Chancer
Chancer is a British television serial produced by Central Television for ITV. It tells the story of a likable conman and rogue at the end of the yuppie eighties...
, broadcast in 1990, Oriel College was featured under its genuine name as the home of Lynsey Baxter
Lynsey Baxter
Lynsey Baxter is an English actress. Born in London, she began as a child actress in 1974 and later trained at Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts...
's character, Victoria Douglas. Filming was done on Staircase 14 in the Rhodes Building, and also featured prominent shots of the first and third quadrangles and of Oriel Square.
The quads and interiors were used in a 2006 documentary on Gilbert White
Gilbert White
Gilbert White FRS was a pioneering English naturalist and ornithologist.-Life:White was born in his grandfather's vicarage at Selborne in Hampshire. He was educated at the Holy Ghost School and by a private tutor in Basingstoke before going to Oriel College, Oxford...
by Michael Wood, both being former students of the college.
In Tom Brown at Oxford
Tom Brown at Oxford
Tom Brown at Oxford is a novel by Thomas Hughes, first published in 1861. It is a sequel to the better-known Tom Brown's Schooldays...
by Thomas Hughes
Thomas Hughes
Thomas Hughes was an English lawyer and author. He is most famous for his novel Tom Brown's Schooldays , a semi-autobiographical work set at Rugby School, which Hughes had attended. It had a lesser-known sequel, Tom Brown at Oxford .- Biography :Hughes was the second son of John Hughes, editor of...
, Oriel's win in the 1842 Head of the River Race
Head of the River Race
The Head of the River Race is a processional rowing race held annually on the River Thames in London, England, on the 4.25 mile Championship Course from Mortlake to Putney.-History:...
, with Oriel bumping Trinity, was re-written as Tom's college, "St Ambrose" taking first place and "Oriel" in second place.
In The Covenant
The Covenant (novel)
The Covenant is a historical novel by American author James A. Michener, published in 1980.-Plot summary:The novel is set in South Africa, home to five distinct populations: Bantu , Coloured The Covenant is a historical novel by American author James A. Michener, published in 1980.-Plot summary:The...
, by James A. Michener
James A. Michener
James Albert Michener was an American author of more than 40 titles, the majority of which were sweeping sagas, covering the lives of many generations in particular geographic locales and incorporating historical facts into the stories...
, the English characters all went to Oriel.
External links
- Official website
- Oriel JCR — the undergraduate body of the college
- Oriel MCR — the graduate body of the college
- Virtual Tour
- Oriel College Boat Club
- The Oriel Lions — Oriel College Drama Society