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Oxford University - Oriel College (England)

imageby Klaus-Michael Schneider, 9 February 2019
Based on: http://www.flickr.com/photos/darrellg/3581381790/

Description of the flag
Boat Club flag
Blades

Description of the flag

This Flickr photo by “miltonmic” (uploaded 17 Feb 2008) shows the banner of arms of Oriel College, Oxford University: http://www.flickr.com/photos/miltonmic/2273277982/. Another image, provided by Corbis this time, shows it too (indifferent caption): http://pro.corbis.com. The website of this small but very old (1324/26) College shows the arms: http://www.oriel.ox.ac.uk/. More on the name – its origin and its long official form – and the arms on this page: http://www.oriel.ox.ac.uk/content/147/the-name-and-arms-of-the-college:
“gules three lions passant guardant or within a bordure engrailed argent”. These refer to Edward II, founder, with the bordure added for difference.
Jan Mertens, 26 February 2009

The flag is a banner of arms (ratio 1:1). Shield Gules, three lions passant guardant Or in pale, a bordure engrailed Argent.
Oriel.
Meaning:
The college was founded in 1326 by Adam de Brome, but the environment required was already bought in 1324. Titular founder is King Edward II, and thus the college uses the royal arms of England, differenced by the engrailed bordure, taken from the arms of Adam de Brome.
This College bears the Royal Arms of England, differenced by a bordure engrailed argent. The College was really founded in 1324 by Adam de Brome, but Edward II is the titular founder and hence the Royal Arms are used. The Bordure may have been chosen as a reference to Brome who bore a bordure engrailed argent, but in any case the Royal Arms would have to have some suitable mark of difference. Through the centuries Oriel has absorbed St. Mary’s Hall and Bedel Hall.

Source: John P. Brooke-Little: Oxford University and its Colleges, Oxford 1962(?), available online at https://www.theheraldrysociety.com/articles/oxford-university-and-its-colleges/.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 9 February 2019

Current Boat Club flag

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 9 March 2019

It is a navy blue flag with ratio approx. 2:3, displaying three white ostrich feathers with the quill superimposed by a scroll with the motto: “ICH DIEN”.
This pattern, however on a black shield, appeared first as the “peace shield” of Edward the Black Prince (1330 – 1347) and is afterwards known as “Prince of Wales's feathers”. The pattern was probably inherited from his mother Countess Philippa of Hainault, whose eldest son bore the title "Count of Ostrevent". The ostrich (French: autruche, Old French spellings including ostruce) here is a punning element. The motto is German (current: “Ich diene” = I serve). Due to anti-German resentments during WW1 it had been considered to change the motto into Welsh "Eich Dyn" (= Your Man), what obviously didn’t happen, as the personal arms of the current Prince of Wales (Charles) already display the German motto.
Sources: http://rowing.oriel.ox.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Eights17M1W1.jpg and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_of_Wales's_feathers
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 9 March 2019

Blades

Current
image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 18 March 2019
Blade is blue with two white stripes..

Source: (for current versions): https://www.reddit.com
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 18 March 2019