I recently posted about Oxford’s oldest college, and my own college, Saint Edmund Hall was a contender. So who was Saint Edmund? The first thing is to note that there are two Saint Edmunds. There was Saint Edmund the Martyr, King of East Anglia in the 9th century A.D. He was the patron saint of England before Saint George got the gig.
However my Saint Edmund was originally Edmund Rich. He was born on 20th November 1175 in Abingdon. His parents were devoutly religious, and his family were constantly involved in theological debate and discussion. He studied Theology and Arts at the University of Oxford and later at the University of Paris. He lectured in Paris for six years before returning to Oxford to teach theology, and the philosophy of Aristotle. The hall where he lived and taught is the college which now bears his name.
In 1222 he went on a pilgrimage to Canterbury where he joined the priesthood. Eleven years later he became Archbishop of Canterbury. That’s an impressive career trajectory! He certainly wasn’t a yes man since he clashed with King Henry III reacting against his continental policies. The Barons supported Edmund, and England came close to civil war. Edmund threatened Henry with excommunication. He forced Henry to expel his wife’s French relatives, abandon their continental projects, and observe English law, customs, and the council of the barons.
In Fire and Earth, the second book of the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures, saint’s feast days are a feature. The feast day of Saint Edmund of Abingdon is the 16th of November. He is buried in Pontigny Abbey in Burgundy. I must visit his tomb one day.
Saint Edmund Hall is affectionately known as Teddy Hall. Our college song is The Teddy Bears Picnic. Our motto is Floreat Aula which is Latin for may the hall flourish. We talk of “Hall Spirit” and nowhere is that more tangible than amongst the Aularian Golf Society. We play some excellent courses including Richmond, The Berkshire, Beaconsfield, Studley Wood, and others. There are matches against other Oxford and Cambridge colleges. If any golfers who attended Teddy Hall read this, why not join us? You can contact me via the contact button, or click the AGS link. You could win the Aularian Jigger. I’m delighted to say that I’m the custodian for a year, having won on Wednesday.