Cambridge University Colleges (England)

Last modified: 2008-08-16 by rob raeside
Keywords: cambridge university |
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• Cambridge University Colours
• Gonville and Caius College
• Jesus College
• Queen's College
• St Catharine's College

• Cambridge University

Cambridge University Colours

We have two sheets of drawing of Oxford and Cambridge club flags amongst a donation at the Library, but there is no source. Further, they have all been redrawn in coloured pencil, so the precise shades are not always apparent. I have corrected some using more general sources on the colleges. The flags are all drawn as 3:2.

• Christ's: blue
• Clare: black over yellow
• Corpus Christi: red over white
• Downing: brown
• Emmanuel: red over blue
• Gonville & Caius: light blue over black
• Jesus: red over black
• King's: light blue
• Magdalene: dark blue over light blue
• Pembroke: crimson over light blue
• Peterhouse: dark blue over white
• St. Catherine's: blue over white
• St. John's: red over white
• Sidney Sussex: red over light blue
• Trinity: dark blue
• Trinity Hall: black over white

Corpus Christi College

image located by Jan Mertens, 2 July 2008
Source: http://www.corpus.cam.ac.uk/mcr/flag

The flag is a Banner of Arms of Corpus Christi College. It is divided into quarters with the upper left and lower right quarters being red with a white pelican-in-her-piety, representing the Body of Christ, and the upper right and lower left quarters being bluer with three white lily flowers representing the Virgin Mary. By tradition, the flag flown at Leckhampton [a graduate student residence] also has the addition of a green border. Green is the traditional colour associated with Leckhampton and which serves to distinguish it from the rest of the College, so the green bordered 'banner of arms' flag is often simply referred to as the 'Leckhampton Flag'.
Source: http://www.corpus.cam.ac.uk/mcr/flag
contributed by Jan Mertens, 2 July 2008

Gonville and Caius College

image by Jonathan Dixon, 9 July 2007

This very large banner of arms was flying at Gonville and Caius College on one occasion (13 April 2007). The arms of Gonville and Caius College were formed in 1575 by impaling the arms of the founders, Edmund Gonville and John Caius (http://www.cai.cam.ac.uk/rota.php?count=3). A blazon can be found at http://www.netsoc.tcd.ie/~peterh/armscantab.html, a page with blazons for all the Cambridge colleges:

"Argent, on a chevron between two couple closes indented sable three escallops or impaling, Or semy of flowers gentle, in the middle of the chief a sengrene resting upon the heads of two serpents in pale, their tails knit together, all in proper colour, resting upon a square marble stone vert, between their breasts a book sable garnished gules, buckles or; all within a bordure compony argent and sable."
Jonathan Dixon, 9 July 2007

Jesus College

image located by Jan Mertens, 12 July 2008
Source: http://www.jesus.cam.ac.uk/images/flag.png

Jesus College of Cambridge University uses a banner of arms, as described at the college website.
Jan Mertens, 12 July 2008

Blazon (my attempt at modernizing the original one, at the college website):
“Silver a fess between three cock’s heads razed sable combed and wattled a border gules semy of crowns or.”
In the current version, eight crowns are shown. An old rendering can be found at http://www.heraldryshop.biz/catalogue/tobaccocards/wills/willsoxcam_clip_image008.jpg
Jan Mertens, 21 July 2008

Queen's College

image located by Jan Mertens, 22 July 2008
Source: http://flickr.com/photos/sgrice/2287241316/

Queen's College, Cambridge University (GB), photos by Sarah Grice and "robep", respectively show the flag is a banner of arms http://flickr.com/photos/sgrice/2287241316/ and http://flickr.com/photos/robep/2247523229/. The official site at http://www.queens.cam.ac.uk/default.asp?MIS=2 includes a blazon of the arms at http://www.queens.cam.ac.uk/Queens/Misc/arms.html:
"These arms are those of the first foundress Queen, Margaret of Anjou, which she derived from those of her father René, Duke of Anjou, with the addition of a green border for the College. The six quarters of these arms represent the six lordships (either actual or titular) which he claimed. Quarterly of six:

1. Barry of eight argent and gules (for Hungary);
2. Azure semy of fleurs-de-lis or, a label of three points gules (for Anjou Ancient or Naples);
3. Argent, a cross potent between four crosses crosslet potent or (for Jerusalem);
4. Azure semy of fleurs-de-lis or, a bordure gules (for Anjou Modern);
5. Azure semy of crosses crosslet fitchy, two barbels haurient addorsed or (for Bar);
6. Or, on a bend gules three alerions displayed argent (for Lorraine);
   all within a bordure vert."

St Catharines College

image located by Jan Mertens, 12 July 2008
Source: http://www.oxyworldwide.com/issueArticles?articleId=7&issueId=1

St Catharine's College of Cambridge University uses a flag with a red field, yellow St Catherine's wheel. The college website shows the arms. A large picture is provided by biannual newsletter, named after the symbol. An old depiction of arms shows the wheel as merely the crest.
Jan Mertens, 12 July 2008