Oriel is the fifth oldest of Oxford's colleges, founded in 1324 by King Edward II and is situated on a magnificent site in the center of the city. Both Oriel and University College have claimed to be Oxford's oldest royal foundation, although King Alfred's involvement with the university is based on centuries of hearsay and flimsy evidence. Oriel deliberately has a smaller student body than most, which are selected from a wide variety. backgrounds. It has 182 postgraduate students and 306 undergraduate students, with a roughly equal gender split. Oriel cherishes individuality and diversity and strives to create a supportive environment for all its students. He believes that no talented and potential person should be prevented from attending college because of cost, and to this end he has established a generous scholarship program for high-achieving students from low-income households . All undergraduate students can be accommodated by the college, with all first years and most others living on the main site. The formal room is serviced six days a week. An active and resourceful student body offers all the usual clubs and societies, including a Shakespeare play performed outdoors on the Front Quad each year. Oriel has its own sports field and boathouse. The library, constantly expanding, has more than 100,000 volumes and is open 24 hours a day. A rehearsal room is available to musicians.Salle de la Blessed MarieAdam de Brome, rector of the university church under the patronage of the king, was the prime mover behind the original medieval foundation, which was called the Hall of the Blessed Mary in Oxford. Brome had the king's blessing to divert funds from the university church to the project. The college retained royal favor after the disposal of Edward II by his upstart son Edward III and was endowed...... middle of paper...... of the Church of England and allowed a return to Catholicism. Oriel Provost Edward Hawkins was a passionate opponent of the movement and so internal feuds arose, which in the long history of the college is something that happens regularly. Various disputes resulted in demands for arbitration from high-ranking churchmen and even legal action. The Ladies of Somerville Although it was the last all-male college in Oxford to admit women (1984), Oriel once housed the refined young ladies of Somerville while their college was requisitioned as a military hospital during the First World War. This relocation involved erecting a dividing wall between the second and third quads to reduce interactions between the sexes. The few remaining male students who were not called up quickly tore a hole in the division that had to be guarded night and day until it was repaired..