BOAT RACE: Dinners, 2016 (Updated Apr. 5, 2016)

The Boat Race (now Boat Races, as women's race
on the same course, same day).

Boat Races Winner, Sunday, Mar. 27, 2016

The Newton Women's Boat Race (OXFORD)
Osiris-Blondie Race
Isis-Goldie Race  
The BNY Mellon Boat Race (CAMBRIDGE)

Events by City, USA and Canada

Boston | Sunday, Mar. 27, 9:45 a.m.  Race Viewing (no charge, but please reserve here) Tavern in the Square, 730 Mass. Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. Women's Race at 10:10 a.m., Men's Race at 11:10 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

Chicago | 77th Annual BRD | Friday, April 15. 6 p.m. Drinks. 7 p.m. Dinner: 7:00 p.m. Black Tie Optional. Dr. Frances Lannon Hon. Fellow and Former Principal,  LMH, Oxford.  Prof. Gillian Peele Fellow and Tutor in Politics, LMH,  Oxford.  James C. Dunlop, LMH will preside. Michael J. Dickenson, Christ’s College, Cambridge, will report on the Boat Races. Buy tickets here.

Denver | April 12. The Denver dinner is probably the least expensive BRD in North America because it is subsidized by loyal alumni. Contact: Chris.Hansen@ihs.com.

NY City | 5th BR Brunch | Mar. 27. Book your place / At the viewing of the race.

NY City | 83rd BRD | Apr. 12. Toast to the Universities by Nick Kristof (Oxford) of the NY Times. Response on behalf of the Universities by Anna Watkins (Cambridge), Olympic gold medalist in double sculls. To register, go here.

Ottawa | BRD |

San Francisco | BR Breakfast | Mar. 27 |  Live Viewing of Boat Races.  8:50 a.m., OUS Northern California. Last year was at Kezar Pub.

San Francisco | 81st BRD |

Seattle | Sunday, Mar. 27 (8 am-10 am) Hosted by The Oxford and Cambridge Society of Seattle at The Market Arms. Live viewing of the 2016 Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race.

Toronto |

Vancouver | 86th BRD |
Vancouver | 5th BR Breakfast |

Victoria | BRD |

Washington, D.C. | 69th BRD | April 7, 2016  National Press Club. Registration is Open. See April 7 date below.

Washington, D.C. | Biennial North America Oxford Reunion | April 8-9, 2016. To order tickets for April 9, go here. The dinner on Friday evening April 8 at the Library of Congress was sold out one month before the event. Contact events@oxfordna.org for further information.

*Link to Oxford Alumni Boat Race Events World-Wide (Europe and Asia included)

Events by Date, 2016
Send updates here. |  History, photos etc. of Prior US-Canadian Boat Race alumni events.

March 27, 2016 (Sunday) | New York City, Boat Races Brunch. Viewing of the BBC record of the races, organized in recent years by the Oxford Business Alumni. 11 am: Viewing Party & Brunch – Manhattan. Location will be emailed to ticket holders. Book here. Note: The women's boats compete on the same day and course as the men's boats. The men's blue boats compete at 4:50 pm GMT and the women's ("Newton") boats one hour later. In New York City the BBC should start showing the race at 11:50 am. For later information, check the official site for the BNY Mellon Boat Races.

March 27 | San Francisco, Live Viewing of Boat Races.  8:50 a.m., OUS Northern California. Was at Kezar Pub.

March 27 | Vancouver, 5th Annual Boat Races Breakfast. Contact: StuartCBowyer@gmail.com. The men's race starts at 4:50 pm GMT - or 8:50 a.m. in Vancouver. 10 am: Vancouver Oxford & Cambridge Society Annual Boat Race Breakfast Venue: Manchester Public House, 1941 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6J 1Z3, Canada.

March 27 | Portland, Ore., 9 am-12 noon local time - Oxbridge Cascades Alumni Society Viewing of the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race last year was at Kells Irish Restaurant & Pub, 112 SW 2nd Ave, Portland, Oregon 97204, USA. According to Vancouver branch, Portland invented the Boat Race Breakfast, in which alumni gather at a local pub, many with old college or university gear, to watch the race live on TV. Always early morning in Oregon. Contact: Christopher Gondek, cgondek@ heronandcrane.com.

April ? | Kingston, Ont., Boat Race Dinner, venue to be determined. Contact: Robert Darymple kingston@ousoc.oxon.org.

April ? | Victoria - Annual VIOCS Boat Race Party Saturday, 6:30-9:30 pm, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (exhibits will be open) 1040 Moss Street, Victoria $36.00 p.p. Send your cheque to: Dr. Brian Scarfe (personally) Suite 416, 21 Dallas Road, Victoria, BC, V8V 4Z9 VIOCS. Silent auction to help offset the cost of our splendid venue. Bring cheque book. For further information contact admin@VIOCS.ca or call Dr. Dorothy Kennedy at 250-384-4544. 

April ? | Los Angeles, Brunch. Held every year since at least 2005 (University Club, Pasadena). Last year was at 12 noon at the California Yacht Club in Marina del Rey–enjoy dazzling conversation, a luxurious champagne brunch, and a gorgeous view of the yachts while rooting on the dark and light blues while watching from a week-old DVD. Oxonians, Cantabrigians, friends and supporters are all welcome. In the anxious words of a late 1800s Oxford poet: “The Cambridge eight / have muscle and weight, / but the dark blue blades / fall sharp and straight.” The group assembles at 11:30 am, has brunch and then watches the Boat Races at 1:30 pm (since they are viewing from a DVD, the group is not bound to the Tidewater schedule). Contact: Ray Dean Mize raydean.mize@gmail.com.

April ? | San Francisco, 81st BRD. Presidio Golf Club, 8 Presidio Terrace. Contact: Leena.Bengani@oxfordalumni.org or Matthew Kaser, m.kaser@comcast.net.

April 7 | Washington, DC BRD.  Top Floor, National Press Club, 14th and F Streets, NW. The 69th Annual Oxford and Cambridge Dinner. Cocktails at 7 p.m., Dinner at 8 p.m. All members of Oxford or Cambridge and their guests are cordially invited to attend this renowned event, the largest such gathering to take place on a continuing basis anywhere in the world. Originally linked to The Boat Race, it promises an evening of fine wine and cuisine and exceptional speakers from both Universities. William W. Chip (Clare, Cambridge), Senior Counsel at Covington & Burling will Preside. Professor Angela E. Stent (Girton, Cambridge), Professor of Government and Director, Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies, Georgetown University, will give the Toast to the Universities. Professor Sir Drummond Bone, MA, FRSA, FRSE, Hon, Litt.D., Master of Balliol College and an expert of the poetry of Byron and President of the Scottish Byron Society will give the Response from the Universities. The price of the dinner is $130 per person ($110 for those who came down in the past five years), wine included. Dress is black tie (preferred), college blazer, evening kilt, or equivalent. Please send your acceptance and check without delay, using the acceptance form which follows. Checks should be made out to the Oxford and Cambridge Committee and mailed to David B. Law, Hon. Treas., c/o Curtin Law Roberson Dunigan & Salans, 1900 M Street, N.W., Suite 600, Washington, D.C. 20036, for receipt on or before April 5, 2016. No tickets will be issued; you will be recognized at the door.

April 8-9 | Washington, D.C.  Biennial North American Oxford Reunion. 

April 12 | New York City, 83rd BRD, since 1933. The toasts are to the President and Queen and the Universities, with a Response from the Universities. The Toast to the Universities this year will be given by Nick Kristof of the New York Times. Contact: Hervé Gouraige (Merton), dinner chairman; hgouraige [at] comcast.net.

April ? | Ottawa BRD.  The Cambridge Society of Ottawa hosts an annual BRD that some Oxonians attend. This year's BRD is at the Britannia Yacht Club. Contact: Neil Bliss, nwbliss@magma.ca or (613) 745-5179; or Oxford Secretary Harry Corrin, ous.ottawa@gmail.com.

April ? | Vancouver BRD. Royal Vancouver Yacht Club. Contact: Dr. Dorothy Kennedy, admin@viocs.ca. Website: www.vocs.ca.

April ? | Boston (New England Society) BRD. Contact: Dona Cady is President of OCSNE, president@oxcamne.org; David Manns is Secretary, secretary@oxcamne.org; Belinda Wilkes is Treasurer, treasurer@oxcamne.org. For dinner details, sign up here (you will need to input your university/college of matriculation).

Cities for Which Dates Not Reported

(To add an event - contact JTMarlin@post.harvard.edu)
Calgary, Alberta. Contact: Geoffrey Cowling, gcowling@iridiumrisk.com; jonathan.d.connell@ gmail.com. Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Contact: EnriqueBargioni@msn.com Houston, Tex. Contact: Kevin Bradford, houston@ousoc.oxon.org Indianapolis, Ind.  Contact Stephen Smith,  SKSmith1@msn.com Kansas City, Mo. Contact: BartholomewDean at gmail.com. Little Rock, Ark. Contact: frank.thurmond@gmail.com. Montreal, Que.  Contact: Catherine.Gillbert@videotron.ca. New Orleans, La.  Contact: David Campbell, davidc1010@ att.net. Phoenix, Ariz. Contact: jonathan.rose@asu.edu. Portland, Maine Contact: TracieJeanReed @gmail.com. Raleigh, N.C. Contact: Steven Wilson, scrwilson@gmail.com Richmond, Va. Contact: Matthias Hild, n@hild.org Salt Lake City, Utah.  Contact: Russell Fisher, utah.oxford@ gmail.com. San Diego, Calif. Contact: caio@handsupincentives.com. Contact: Ean.Hernandez@ eanh.net St. Louis, Mo.  Contact: David Pollack, missouri@ousoc.oxon.org Toronto, Ont.  Contact: oxfordsocietytoronto@gmail.com. Vero Beach, Fla. Contact: john@cityeconomist.com. Winnipeg, Manitoba. Contact: Robert Dawson, dawson at dawsonlaw.com.

Read here about the long History of the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race and the Boat Race Dinners in 2015.

Or read about the meanings of the Arms of Oxford Colleges (and PPHs): Article in Oxford Today . Heraldry as Branding . Heraldry as Fun .  Coat of Arms vs. Crest . Sinister Questions . Visit to the College of Arms . Windsor Herald Talks to New Yorkers . Shaming of Harvard Law Crest :: Rapid Expansion of Oxford's Colleges and Halls . Oxford Stars . Links to Heraldry, Oxford, GW . Harris Manchester College . Linacre College . St Catherine's . St Cross College . St Edmund Hall . Trinity College :: Regent's Park College . St Benet's Hall . 

HERALDRY: St Cross (Updated May 16, 2018)

St. Cross Coat of Arms (full
achievement), grant
dated 1998.

Blazon (Full Achievement): Argent a Cross Potent Purpure a Quarter counterchanged And for the Crest upon a Helm with a Wreath Argent and Purpure An Armillary Sphere upon a Stand Or thereon a Dove with wings elevated and displayed Argent holding in the beak a Sprig of Mulberry fructed and leaved proper mantled Purpure doubled Argent.

Authority: The Grant of Arms is signed and sealed by the three English Kings of Arms. The formal copy cited in full at the end of this post was kindly provided by St Cross College, is dated 2000.

Teutonic Cross Potent in
Use in the Crusades.

Meaning: The motto is in the full achievement of the coat of arms, Ad Quattuor Cardines Mundi ("To the four corners of the world") but not in the blazon. It is in the grant of arms. The Cross Potent is one of many variations of the Christian cross in heraldic use, many of them emerging in the 11th century at the time of the first crusades. It was one of several crosses used on their shields by the Teutonic Knights. It would surely have been seen in England as a Christian religious symbol at the time it was created, although pre-Christian examples of the use of the T-tipped cross have been found.

Nominee of Arms: The College is named, says College sources, after St Cross Road, which links South Parks Road to the north and Longwall Street to the south, where it also meets Holywell Street (formerly Holywell Lane). The road runs by the ancient Holy Cross Church, which gave the road its name. The original buildings of St Cross College were located on the grounds of the church. The arms represent the name of the road. The St Cross Latin Grace rejoices in honor of the Holy Cross.

Institutional History: St Cross was founded by the University as a graduate college. It was founded at the same time as Wolfson and for the same reason. (Kellogg College was founded by the University later for a different purpose, i.e., continuing education.) The foundation of St Cross College was entirely secular; it has no chaplain. The practical reason for a new college was the need for college affiliations for a large number of new postwar fellows and graduate students who were admitted by the University to teach and enroll in an increased number of subjects taught at the University, notably in the sciences, but also in new fields such as archaeology and social sciences that had not been part of the undergraduate curriculum. The teachers were entitled to a college assignment, with the meals, residential accommodation, stipends, and the sense of belonging that might come with it – including the feeling of functioning under a banner that is cozier than the University-wide Dominus Illuminatio Mea. The University was getting pushback from the existing colleges when they had taken on and absorbed as many fellows and graduate students after World War II as they felt able (it was postwar policy in the United States to finance the higher education of returning veterans; the British welfare program of Clement Attlee went further, broadly expanding access to health care and education). Students at the religiously originated PPHs were eager to be able to compete in more intercollegiate sports (as they do now more than they used to). The University encouraged the expansion of some of the PPHs and movement of a few of them toward college status, a major obstacle being independence, i.e., not being in the control of a religious entity. Then the University decided to take the bull by the horns and in 1965 created a brand new college for residential postgraduates, i.e., St Cross. Unsurprisingly, when St Cross was created, its graduate students wanted to compete in intercollegiate sports like any other college.

Physical History: The college was originally provided with buildings on the site of the ancient Holy Cross Church, which has since been converted to a document-storage site for historic collections  owned by Balliol College. From this site the College moved to one on the west side of St Giles  among many PPHs and unaffiliated religious institutions such as the Quaker center. The ground under it is owned by the Anglo-Catholic Pusey House, named after Edward Bouverie Pusey, the man who led the Oxford Movement after John Henry Newman decamped to become a Roman Catholic. The proximity of Pusey House creates advantages for St Cross students, as noted on the college website. St Cross students may use facilities such as the Pusey House Library and Chapel.

Intellectual and Religious History: The college's sharing of facilities with Pusey House means it  shares somewhat in the rich intellectual and religious history of Pusey House. However, its main intellectual focus since World War II is on the sciences and it makes clear that it is formally unaffiliated with any religion.

Grant of Arms (2000): TO ALL AND SINGULAR to whom these presents shall come Peter Llewellyn Gwynn-Jones Esquire Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Garter Principal King of Arms David Hubert Boothby Chesshyre Esquire Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order Clarenceux King of Arms and Thomas Woodcock Esquire Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order Norroy and Ulster King of Arms send Greeting!
WHEREAS RICHARD COOPER REPP Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy of the University of Oxford Master of Saint Cross College hath represented unto the Most Noble Miles Francis Stapleton Duke of Norfolk Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the British Empire upon whom has been conferred the Decoration of the Military Cross Earl Marshal and Hereditary Marshal of England that on the Fifth day of October 1965 pursuant to the provisions of Title VII Section II of the Statutes of the University of Oxford there was founded and established a Society of the said University known as SAINT CROSS COLLEGE having amongst its purposes the provision of facilities for post-graduate students engaged in the study of any subject offered by the University of Oxford at post-graduate level And that the governing body of SAINT CROSS COLLEGE consists of a Master and Fellows who are desirous of having Armorial Ensigns for the College established under lawful authority and duly recorded in Her Majesty’s College of Arms And whereas he as Master of SAINT CROSS COLLEGE and on behalf of the Fellows thereof hath requested therefore the favour of His Grace’s Warrant for Our granting and assigning such Arms and Crest and in the same Patent such Device or Badge as We deem suitable to be borne and used by SAINT CROSS COLLEGE on seals or otherwise in accordance with the Laws of Arms And forasmuch as the said Earl Marshal did by Warrant under his hand and Seal bearing date the Twentieth day of May 1998 authorise and direct Us to grant and assign such Arms and Crest and in the same Patent such Device or Badge accordingly Know Ye Therefore that We the said Garter Clarenceux and Norroy and Ulster Kings of Arms in pursuance of His Grace’s Warrant and by virtue of the Letters Patent of Our several Offices granted by The Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty to each of Us respectively do by these Presents grant and assign unto the said SAINT CROSS COLLEGE the Arms following that is to say Argent a Cross Potent Purpure a Quarter counterchanged And for the Crest upon a Helm with a Wreath Argent and Purpure An Armillary Sphere upon a Stand Or thereon a Dove with wings elevated and displayed Argent holding in the beak a Sprig of Mulberry fructed and leaved proper mantled Purpure doubled Argent And by the authority aforesaid We do further grant and assign the following Device or Badge that is to say A Cross Potent voided Or as the same are all in the margin hereof more plainly depicted to be borne and used by SAINT CROSS COLLEGE on seals or otherwise in accordance with the Laws of Arms IN WITNESS whereof We the said Garter Clarenceux and Norroy and Ulster Kings of Arms have to these Presents subscribed Our names and affixed the Seals of Our several Offices this Second day of November in the Forty-ninth year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lady Elizabeth the Second by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen Head of the Commonwealth Defender of the Faith and in the year of Our Lord Two Thousand.

Thanks and References

After Oxford Today published my article (OT, Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 45-50) on the heraldry of the Oxford colleges, three people wrote about St Cross College to OT's editor, who  forwarded them to me:

• Anthony Weale, former Secretary of Faculties and Academic Registrar, Oxford University.
• Ella Bedrock, in the communications office, St Cross College.
• Sir Mark Jones, Master of St Cross College.

The above expanded description of the college arms and history addresses the questions in the letters. My email box (jtmarlin at post.harvard.edu) remains open for further comments or questions.

Other Oxford Coats of Arms:  Article in Oxford Today, 2015. Harris Manchester College . Linacre College . St Cross College . St Edmund Hall . Trinity College . St Regent's Park College . St Benet's Hall

HERALDRY: St Edmund Hall

Arms of St Edmund (Teddy)
Hall, an Oxford College

St Edmund "Hall" is not a hall but (since 1957) a College, just as Regent's Park "College" is not a college but a Hall. It is commonly known among students more by its initials S.E.H. and by the nickname Teddy Hall than by its official name.

Blazon: Or a Cross patonce Gules cantoned by four Cornish Choughs proper.

Authority: The arms do not appear to have been granted, but are authoritative because they are ancient. They were "discovered" as the arms of St Edmund of Abingdon by a Benedictine monk-detective, Dom Wilfred Wallace. The four choughs (pronounced chuffs)  are also referred to as sea-pies and oyster-catchers. These choughs should not have the white wings shown in Brooke-Little's 1951 review of the Oxford coats of arms, a rare mistake for Brooke-Little, who was Richmond Herald.

Nominee of Arms: The coat of arms is attributed to the Founder of the Hall, (St) Edmund Rich of Abingdon (sometimes spelled Abington), a few miles south of Oxford. He was the first Oxford-educated Archbishop of Canterbury (1210-1233). Below the college arms is found the Latin chronogram-dedication Sanctus edmundus huius aulae lux (St Edmund, light of this Hall). The text is rendered as sanCtVs edMVndVs hVIVs aVLae LVX. Adding the numerals (the capital letters) gives 1246, the date St Edmund was canonized.

Institutional History. St Edmund is considered to have founded the eponymous hall in 1236. It is  the only surviving medieval Aularian ("Hall") house, giving the name of "Aularians" to SEH members. It acquired the status of a college in 1957, while retaining the historical name "Hall". Its nominee, St Edmund of Abingdon, is the first known Oxford Master of Arts and became the first of many Oxonians to become Archbishop of Canterbury. The name St Edmund Hall (Aula Sancti Edmundi) first appears in a 1317 rental agreement.

Physical History. St Edmund Hall is on the north side of High Street ("the High"). The front quadrangle – in the middle of which is a medieval well – is bordered by the porters' lodge, the Old Dining Hall (1659), the college bar and buttery (with a mid-15th-century fireplace), a chapel, and an Old (late 17th century) Library above. The quadrangle includes some accommodations for students and fellows. Modern accommodation and a dining hall are to the east of the quadrangle, and the college library is in the deconsecrated 12th-century church of St Peter-in-the-East, including a crypt that is still consecrated. To the north is a garden with a seated bronze figure representing Edmund as an impoverished student; most scholars in the earliest centuries were impecunious and lived in squalid conditions. The college also owns annexes at Norham Gardens, on Dawson Street, and on Iffley Road.

Intellectual and Religious History. The college has a history of being independent of both Church and State. During the late 14th and early 15th centuries it was a bastion of John Wycliffe's supporters; college principal William Taylor was ultimately burned at the stake, and principal Peter Payne fled the country. In the late 17th century, St Edmund Hall incurred the Crown's anger for encouraging its members to remain loyal to the Scottish House of Stuart and to refuse to take the oath to the German House of Hanover (i.e., they were "non-jurors" or "not swearers").

HERALDRY: Beer, Branding and Paul Walton (Updated May 17, 2016)

Paul C. Walton, Brand Professional and Amateur
Heraldist. Photo in NYC by JT Marlin.

One of the flurry of messages I have received since the publication of my article (OT, Vol. 28, No. 1, 45-50) on the heraldry of the Oxford colleges was a suggestion that I meet with the correspondent.

I did so recently at the Harvard Club in New York City. My new friend is Paul Walton, who is in the branding business and is an amateur herald.

He gave me the 1953 book, Simple Heraldry, which I have reviewed here. We spoke mostly about heraldry as a medieval form of branding. He has suggested a number of leads for me to pursue and I am grateful.

The Importance of Brand Differentiation

Paul said the reenactments of British Civil War battles in memory of Col. Richard Bagot show how important it is to be able to

• distinguish friend from foe on the hazy battlefield, and
• identify leaders from a distance by rank as well as regiment, so that battle groups can form. 

Col. Bagot died of his wounds received at Naseby in 1645, when Oliver Cromwell and Sir Thomas Fairfax won a decisive battle against Charles I. It was a battle with many moments of confusion. Charles might well have won it. A lesson about keeping your head.

Flag of Col. Richard Bagot, fighting

for England (St. George's Cross),

i.e., Charles I. Cromwell won.

He noted that in the Battle of Bull Run – known as Manassas to residents of the South  – the first Confederate flag (the "Stars and Bars") was too like the Yankee Stars and Stripes to allow the troops to distinguish between them, leading to "friendly" fire. (See James M. McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era, in the Oxford History of the United States. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988, p. 342.)

After Manassas, the South adopted the more easily distinguished Southern Cross, the St. Andrew-style saltire. Paul recommended I visit the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond to see how the flags developed.

History of Branding

I said I suspected that men in battle have had to brand themselves as soon as they put on helmets. At an Oxford alumni event in New York City I asked a visiting Greek historian how combatants could distinguish ally from foe when there were so many city states. She said that the animals on Greek pottery represent family images that would have appeared on armor, and that armor was sufficiently distinctive that there were other clues. Paul noted that the Game of Thrones uses animals as avatars.

Once a picture of some sort is used to add value to a product, the chance to be deceptive comes up. Patroclus got into Achilles' armor and died because of it.

From here we got into discussing counterfeiting. He said that the French confiscate anything that is found to be counterfeit. They show no tolerance for it. Yet the extent to which a brand adds value is a way to measure the results of advertising.

Value from Branding

Paul's expertise is in brand finance, which means the accounting for intangible ("goodwill") assets. The market value of a company is higher than its tangible assets. This difference is viewed as something created by branding. It is the goodwill generated by advertising, public relations and marketing.

He formed the Value Engineers in 1986 in Beaconsfield, Bucks. Since 2005 it has become part of the Cello Group. The company focuses on health care and consumer products.

The Golden Fleece used by Brooks Brothers, for example, has brand value. The symbol goes back to Philip III ("the Good"), the 15th-century Duke of Burgundy whose knights were named The Order of the Golden Fleece. Their symbol was a lamb suspended in a ribbon. In the 19th century when Henry S. Brooks saw the sheep hanging from shops on Savile Row, he decided to adopt this brand or logo in 1850, when it was painted above the door in New York.

Shotover Brewing Company

One of Paul's enterprises is the Shotover Brewing Company. He has therefore been looking at the heraldic history of brewing marks. The five-pointed red star on Heineken beer is a brewer's mark common in northern Europe. It signifies the five elements of beer-making:

A kennel manager takes dogs for a walk on Shotover
Hill. The van has four carriers opening to the back,
and more to the side. Photo by JT Marlin.

1. Hops
2. Malt
3. Barley
4. Water
5. The Brewer's Art, Alchemy, Magic

Shotover Hill is outside of Oxford on what was once a coach road to London. It was also a royal forest. Charles Wesley was robbed on the hill in 1737.

Now it is an ancient woodland and park. A Queen's College scholar reportedly killed a wild boar on Shotover Hill by feeding his copy of an Aristotle text to him. Pearls before swine.

The Shotover Brewing Company is located on the southern (London) side of Shotover Hill.

The Company has four brands of beer – Prospect, Scholar, Porter and Trinity.  See photo.

The four brands of Shotover Brewing Company.
One (Trinity) is named after an Oxford college.

Only one is named after an Oxford College, and it is not his own – he went to Brasenose. (Not the easiest brand to market. Brasenose Beer might work.)

More about Paul Walton

Having done some due diligence for this article I have looked up Paul's website and I would like to share a peek into his interesting life:

Originally an advertising planner who preferred making brands to making ads, he wrote Bluff Your Way in Marketing with business partner Graham Harding to bring a little wit and sizzle to the solidly worthy protein offered by the likes of Philip Kotler. 

As the driving force of brand consultancy, The Value Engineers, he brought an energetic blend of structure and creativity to global branding projects for clients such as BA, BP and Unilever. When TVE joined Cello Group in 2005, Paul was appointed to the main board as Director of Strategy. In 2012, he swapped PLC board meetings for the equally challenging seminars of an MA in Creative Writing and started work on his first novel, Historyland, a dark comedy set in a near-future England, which has become a giant theme park. Now combining an advisory role at TVE with his writing, Paul enjoys exploring how inspiration from the arts can stimulate new thinking for people, organizations and brands to deploy against today's big issues: positioning, connection, coherence and growth. In this role, he has been known to wear many hats, but these days there is no hiding the colour of his hair.

Keeping Up

I expect to have more to say about branding and heraldry:

• Who keeps track of brands the way that the College of Arms keeps track of English heraldic designs?
• What other heraldic charges have become consumer brands or trademarks?

You could follow this blog or Paul Walton's. He has also recently written a book, Marians on the Mawddach, about his time at St Mary's School.

HERALDRY: Simple and Fun

The Earl Marshal (Duke of Norfolk) is the English
authority on arms, and his Court at the College
of Arms decides disputes. In Scotland, it is Lord
Lyon King of Arms. [All illustrations from the
1953 book, Simple Heraldry].

As a relative newcomer to the heraldry field, bitten by the bug less than ten years ago, earlier this year (in February and September) I was haunting heraldry collections in Oxford and London, such as:

• the Bodleian's newly reopened Weston Library with small open-stack collection of useful books, 
• the British Library's huge collection, easily accessible, 
• the College of Arms library, which sadly in February I could not consult because it was being renovated, and 
• the Society of Genealogists, which I have joined; it has a decent collection and is well-staffed with paid and unpaid experts on hand.

The genealogy and local history room at the New York Public Library is disappointing because the stacks that are open are strong on local history but not on heraldry.

The book that best fits my attitude toward heraldry – that it is loads of fun, Tolkien on steroids – is Simple Heraldry Cheerfully Illustrated, by Iain Moncreiffe (Falkland Poursuivant) and Don Pottinger (Herald Painter Extraordinary to the Court of Lord Lyon). My first copy was given to me by Paul Walton (Brasenose College, Oxford). I have since acquired a second copy online.

The book takes a light-hearted approach to its subject while it gets everything, so far as my amateur scan can determine, right. In other words, the style is like 1066 and All That, but the content is non-fiction.

Simple Heraldry is not a book of recent vintage. In fact it is 62 years old – if it were an American citizen, the book could get in line for a national pension, although the penalties for early withdrawal suggest that the book should wait a little longer before applying for its monthly direct deposit.

The publisher is Edinburgh-based Thomas Nelson and Sons, founded 1798 and now a subsidiary of HarperCollins. The last edition on record is 1955, being a reprint of the original edition.

Note the Moray or Murray arms – three stars argent on
a field azure. The main difference with the Douglas
arms is that for Douglas the azure is in chief only
and the stars are three in a row.

Its age shows up on p. 62, where it reports that

you may apply to the Earl Marshal through the College of Arms for Letters Patent granting you special arms of your own. This costs £105...

In February, Windsor Herald told me that the cost for an individual was now £5,500. The cost is higher for institutions like nonprofits and local governments. It is highest for large businesses.

What Blazon are You? What a
blazon is, from Simple Heraldry.

Two copies of the book were available second hand online via Amazon for $35 each – a bargain.

I purchased one of them instantly. So there is one left. The book is underpriced.

Comment

This is just the kind of self-mocking book to rekindle more interest in heraldry. It should be updated and reissued. If someone knows what the status of the rights is, please contact me at john[at]boissevainbooks.com.

HERALDRY: Superlink

Coats of Arms of the Oxford Colleges and Permanent Private Halls
(from postcard on sale in Oxford).

2019
May | Talk and slide show on Oxford College Arms to the Oxford University Society of Washington, DC, The Residences at Eastern Market.

2018
Sept 15 | Talk to Alumni Reunion on Coats of Arms, Trinity College, Oxford.
May 12 | Mansfield College
April 16, 17 | Talks, Oxford&Cambridge Club, London on Oxford and Cambridge Arms
Mar 24 | Lincoln College, Oxford (Update)
Mar 17 | April Oxford Birthdays
Jan 21 | U.S. COATS OF ARMS | The American College of Heraldry

2016
Oct. 27 | St Peter's College

2015
Dec. 29 | Oriel College
Dec. 16 | St. Catherine's College (St Catz) 
Dec. 15 | Oxford's Rapid Expansion
Dec. 8 | Regent's Park College, PPH
Dec. 7 | Trinity College
Dec. 5 | St Benet's Hall
Dec. 3 | St Cross College
Dec. 2 | St. Edmund Hall, a College
Nov. 29 | Beer, Branding and Paul Walton
Nov. 23 | "Simple Heraldry" Makes It Fun, gifted by Paul Walton (BNC)
Nov. 22 | Sinister Questions, reply to Hugo Saurny (Harvard '69)
Nov. 6 | O.U. Heraldry Society likes Oxford Today article.
Nov. 5 | Linacre College
Nov. 2 | Harris Manchester College
Oct. 25 | Coat of Arms v. Crest, reply to Robert Parker (Trinity 1967)
Oct. 15 | What's Your Blazon?, article in Oxford Today,  45-50

2014
November 23 | The Arms of Douglas, Moray and de Vere, update
November 21 | Stars in the Oxford College Arms

2013
July 4 | More on George Washington and the Stars and Stripes, from the Sulgrave Manor

2012
September 25 | George Washington's Arms and the Stars and Stripes, Huffington Post

Link to Alphabetical list of colleges and PPHs.

HERALDRY: Sinister Questions

I brought a copy of the Michaelmas Oxford Today with my article on the Oxford colleges' arms to the Harvard Club of New York library and to the November meeting of the Poets and Writers group (led by Paula Brancato), where it was passed around. I received an email afterwards with a few heraldic questions from Hugo Saurny (Harvard '69), which I answer below.

Saurny: I read your article on the coats of arms of Oxford's new colleges, and would like to ask: Why are the designations for left and right sides seemingly reversed? Things on the right side are sinister, the left side dexter. Why is this?

Marlin: The directions are like those for actors on a stage – from the point of view of the poor guy inside the coat of arms or behind the shield, who is doing all the work. Think of poor young Patroclus in Achilles' armor. He fooled Apollo, who stunned him; then Euphorbos, who wounded him; and finally Hector, who killed him. How were they to know? From this story, by the way, we know that armor back when the Greeks were fighting the Trojans had distinctive marks of differentiation so that one knew whose armor it was. Personal and family marks such as animals are found preserved on ancient  pottery.

From Iain Moncrieffe and Don Pottinger, Simple Heraldry, Nelson, 1953, p. 51.

Saurny: What is the origin of the old-French sounding color terms (or, argent, vert, sable, azure, gules, etc)?

Coat of arms of Pope Francis. Below the IHS
(first three Greek capitals for Jesus) on a sun,
representing the Jesuit order, are symbols
for Mary (should be an eight-point star) and
Joseph (spikenard).

Marlin. Or and argent are metals, gold and silver, shown in print as yellow and white. They are fused to the armor. The others are called tinctures – i.e., colors of paints. Rarely do you have metal-on-metal or tincture-on-tincture. One exception is the papal coat of arms, which has gold on silver in the miter and elsewhere.  

Saurny: What is the origin of 'gules'? I imagine 'rouge' is from 'ruber' (Latin), but is gules from Frankish or Gaullish? 

Marlin: It's a second-millennium word that is derived from the Latin gula meaning throat. It continues in English as "gullet" and in French as gueule (as in Fermes ta gueule, meaning "Shut your trap."). Throats are commonly red but some marine animals have blue, clear and green blood so they wouldn't probably have red throats. The word "gargoyle" comes from the verb gar, to swallow, plus gueule.

Check out other heraldry posts.