WIN A PRIZE! | Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford

Arms of Lady Margaret
Hall, Oxford.

May 4, 2020—This abbreviated summary of the entry for Lady Margaret Hall in Oxford College Arms is followed by ten questions relating to the arms of Lady Margaret Hall. The first reader to send correct answers to the ten questions to the publisher, Boissevain Books, will be sent a free copy of the book, now in its 4th edition, upon providing a mailing address.

Blazon: Or on a chevron between two talbots in chief and a bell in base azure a portcullis of the field. 

Meaning: The portcullis of the Lady Margaret; talbots, which appear as supporters of the Talbot arms; and the bell from the Wordsworth coat. Remembrance of the Lady Margaret is emphasized by the adoption of the Beaufort Motto: 'Souvent me Souviens’.

Origin: Assumed, without the formality of applying to the College of Arms.

Nominee: On 21 Nov. 1878, Elizabeth Wordsworth, daughter of the Bishop of Lincoln, became the Hall's first Principal. At her suggestion it was named after Lady Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond, and mother of Henry VII, founder of the Tudor Dynasty (the Beaufort Portcullis was taken as the Tudor badge). Wordsworth described Beaufort as “A scholar, a gentlewoman and a saint”. She has strong Oxbridge connections, having founded St John’s and Christ’s Colleges, Cambridge and endowed professorships of divinity at both universities.

History: On 4 June 1878 Dr. Edward Talbot, Warden of Keble, before a committee of interested persons, moved a resolution "to attempt the establishment in Oxford of a small Hall … in connexion with the Church of England, for the reception of women desirous of availing themselves of the special privileges which Oxford offers of higher education."

Portrait of Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother
of Henry VII, at St John's, Cambridge.
Note Portcullis in window and on wall.

The University had drawn up a scheme of lectures and examinations for women in Oxford. That was fine for residents in the town. But if other women were to make use of the scheme, they needed a residence. At first one hall only was intended, what became Lady Margaret Hall, conducted on Church of England principles. 

However, a second one was then deemed desirable, to be non-sectarian and this became Somerville College. An Association for the Education of Women was created to supervise the educational work of the students in the halls. After 15 years, LMH became largely independent of the AEW.

Today's Principal. The Principal since 2015 is Alan Rusbridger, former editor-in-chief of The Guardian. He was awarded the Right Livelihood Award, the Alternative Nobel Prize, in Stockholm in 2014. He pioneered the widely admired LMH Foundation Year program. He is Chair of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. He has just been named to the Facebook Oversight Board.

Ten Questions about Lady Margaret Beaufort’s Menagerie (hat tip to Paul Christopher Walton, branding strategist, Oxford historian and heraldry fan, who prepared this):

1. Which of the men in her life was known for being caboshed? And why so?
2. Three gold leopards appeared temporarily in Lady Margaret’s menagerie – but who did they belong to?
3. Who swopped three silver helmets for leopards and fleurs-de-lis?
4. Who was the first Lancastrian to use the Yale as a supporter? 
5. Which great-grandson of Margaret also used the Yale as a supporter?
6. Where and when exactly was seen ‘a red firye drago beaten ypo white and red sarcenet’? For a bonus point who/what was Blanc Sanglier?
7. Which county of England has the motto ‘The Creative County’ and how is it related to LMB?
8. If you met Portcullis what might he be doing?
9. Discuss the lineage of the White Greyhound of Richmond (protractors may be used)
10. Whose badge was a pomegranate (and can you create a Gin based infusion to accompany it?)

Send your answer to info@boissevainbooks.com, and if you are the first person to get all ten answers correct, you will be sent a free copy of the 4th edition of Oxford College Arms.