page_title: Oriel College, Oxford
section_title: Heraldry
hierarchical_section_title: Oriel College, Oxford / Heraldry
context_page_description: 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. In recognition of this royal connection, the college has also been historically known as King's College and King's Hall. The reigning monarch of the United Kingdom is the official visitor of the college.
  The original medieval foundation set up in 1324 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 250 graduates.
context_section_description: The arms of the college are blazoned: Gules, three lions passant guardant or a bordure engrailed argent.
  The arms of the college are a differenced version of the royal arms of the founder King Edward II, namely the three gold lions of the Plantagenet arms on a red background. However, as no one may bear another's arms unaltered, an engrailed silver border was added "for difference".
  The Prince of Wales's feathers, often adopted as insignia by members of the college, appear as decorative elements within the college buildings and appear on the official college tie. It probably represents Edward, the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, who first adopted the device, the senior grandson of King Edward II, although it may represent King Charles I, who was Prince of Wales when the building of First Quad began in the 17th century.
  The College colours are two white stripes on navy, used on the college scarf, sports clothing, oar blades etc.
  The long-time informal emblem of the Tortoise Club (1st Summer VIII and 1st Torpid crews), was formalized in a grant to the college 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 grant is formulated to provide the college, the Boat Club, and the Oriel Society (Oriel's Alumni society) use of the badge in relation to Tortoise Club alumni activities; the Tortoise Club is not itself an incorporated entity and does not bear Arms in its own right; therefore it could not be granted such a heraldic Badge directly.
caption: The college's coat of arms: the royal arms of the founder King Edward II within a bordure engrailed argent for difference. 16th/17th c.[43] roof boss with escutcheon in a strapwork frame on vault of main entrance
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