Richard Marriott
1931-2021
Earlier this year, the Boat Club noted the sad passing of Richard Marriott, who was elected Boat Club Captain at the end of Trinity Term 1953, and did much in his time to further the standing and traditions of the Boat Club.
Evelyn Richard Copland Marriott had been educated at Eton, although did not row in their 1st VIII during his time at the college. He was, however, from a Brasenose rowing family of long standing. His great-uncle was Henry Marriott, who rowed in the Childe of Hale for four years, and had been stroke of the Oxford Blue Boat in the 1877 dead heat. His uncle, Fred Marriott, rowed in the 2nd VIII in 1914, but before he had the chance to mature as an oarsman, he was killed in the First World War. (Moreover, Richard was descended from Sir Charles Strickland, a member of the Trinity Boat Club crew that won the first Grand in 1839.)
Richard Marriott was therefore very much part of the Boat Club furniture even before he arrived at BNC in 1951. He made his first appearance in Brasenose colours in the 1952 2nd Torpid, which won blades after making four bumps over six days. He then rowed in the 2nd VIII that same year.
There was clearly something of a leader about Richard Marriott, for he was chosen by no less than Gully Nickalls to stroke the 1953 1st Torpid, which was then in the second division. The boat was half composed of novices and considered unlikely to progress. Marriott, however, somehow held them together when it mattered most, and they managed to rise two places and into the first division. The 1953 1st VIII was not as successful, and fell five places, coming to rest in the second division.
The Boat Club had something of a precarious existence at this point in its history, and Marriott’s missionary zeal did much to keep it afloat.
Recognising that the Boat Club could not rely on its existing pool of talent, Marriott set to work identifying rowing freshmen before they came up to College, and then writing to them in an effort to recruit them to the Boat Club. By the beginning of Michaelmas Term 1953, he was in a position to assemble at Henley a squad of six existing Brasenose oarsmen, and four freshmen with rowing experience. The freshmen included Vincent Vine of Geelong Grammar in Australia, and Ian Ross from Tonbridge School. Vine had been in the 1st VIII Geelong Grammar, and when he stepped off the ship in Southampton, he already had a letter from Marriott inviting him to training at Henley.
Richard was also very successful in proselytising the Boat Club to novice freshmen. He organised a meeting for prospective rowers, at which he told them that rowing was “a most enjoyable sport made more so by winning races.” Eventually, twenty-two novices signed on to row in Michaelmas Term 1953. Marriott and the old hands set to work tubbing and coaching this huge influx of members, and three fours were eventually settled upon and entered for the O.U.B.C. Novice Fours, that were held in the third week of November. There were fifteen entries in total for the O.U.B.C. Novice Fours, with the races being run three abreast upstream from Timm’s. All three BNC crews won through to the finals, although this created some unforeseen difficulties. Extra boats, and even zephyrs, had to be borrowed from other colleges to enable the race to take place. The novelty of the final attracted the attention of the local press, and drew large crowds to the river to watch the 1st Novice IV win by one and a half lengths over their college compatriots.
While Marriott did not entirely achieve his objective of taking the Childe of Hale back to the first division (which happened the following year), he did however making a lasting sartorial contribution to the Boat Club. Prior to Eights, he was responsible for an appeal to old members of the Boat Club for donations of old blazers for the crew, to obviate the cost to the students. This produced not just blazers, but a number of generous cheques which were sufficient to clothe the entire crew for the races and later at Henley. More importantly, it was under his Captaincy that the Childe of Hale colours finally made it onto the ties of the 1st VIII. As he explained in an interview for the Boat Club history:
I discovered that favours in the colours were worn at Henley in the 1860’s.… Andrew Davis and I were inspired by the gaudy colours as a contrast to gold and I asked my mother to make up a favour from scraps. Andrew was so impressed that he took the favour to Castells and asked them to make up ties, telling them that the colours must be matched exactly…. So the ties date from 1954 and that is when the "tradition" began.
After going down in 1954, Richard first joined the merchant bank of Brown Shipley before moving some ten years later to the stockbroking firm Mullens & Co, where he was a partner from 1965 to 1986. When that firm was acquired by S.G. Warburgs to become Mercury Asset Management, Richard went onto the board, and held his position until retirement in 1996.
Prior to going up to Oxford, Marriott had done his national service in the Rifle Brigade, and continued his association with the Army after Oxford by joining the 21 SAS (Artists Rifles). He eventually commanded the unit as a Lt Colonel from 1966 to 1969.
As befitting someone as energetic and accomplished as he was, Marriott was appointed High Sheriff of Humberside from 1991 to 1992, and then Lord-Lieutenant of the East Riding from 1996 to 2005.
Richard Marriott was deeply devoted to the Boat Club, and was a founder 1815 donor of the Bowman Fund. He also displayed the humility of one who was at peace with the great achievements of his life. He assiduously ignored all requests to be interviewed about his accomplishments after Brasenose, although happily collaborated in the preparation of the Boat Club history.
Richard Marriott died aged 90 on the 22nd February, 2021. He is survived by his widow and two sons.
Evelyn Richard Copland Marriott had been educated at Eton, although did not row in their 1st VIII during his time at the college. He was, however, from a Brasenose rowing family of long standing. His great-uncle was Henry Marriott, who rowed in the Childe of Hale for four years, and had been stroke of the Oxford Blue Boat in the 1877 dead heat. His uncle, Fred Marriott, rowed in the 2nd VIII in 1914, but before he had the chance to mature as an oarsman, he was killed in the First World War. (Moreover, Richard was descended from Sir Charles Strickland, a member of the Trinity Boat Club crew that won the first Grand in 1839.)
Richard Marriott was therefore very much part of the Boat Club furniture even before he arrived at BNC in 1951. He made his first appearance in Brasenose colours in the 1952 2nd Torpid, which won blades after making four bumps over six days. He then rowed in the 2nd VIII that same year.
There was clearly something of a leader about Richard Marriott, for he was chosen by no less than Gully Nickalls to stroke the 1953 1st Torpid, which was then in the second division. The boat was half composed of novices and considered unlikely to progress. Marriott, however, somehow held them together when it mattered most, and they managed to rise two places and into the first division. The 1953 1st VIII was not as successful, and fell five places, coming to rest in the second division.
The Boat Club had something of a precarious existence at this point in its history, and Marriott’s missionary zeal did much to keep it afloat.
Recognising that the Boat Club could not rely on its existing pool of talent, Marriott set to work identifying rowing freshmen before they came up to College, and then writing to them in an effort to recruit them to the Boat Club. By the beginning of Michaelmas Term 1953, he was in a position to assemble at Henley a squad of six existing Brasenose oarsmen, and four freshmen with rowing experience. The freshmen included Vincent Vine of Geelong Grammar in Australia, and Ian Ross from Tonbridge School. Vine had been in the 1st VIII Geelong Grammar, and when he stepped off the ship in Southampton, he already had a letter from Marriott inviting him to training at Henley.
Richard was also very successful in proselytising the Boat Club to novice freshmen. He organised a meeting for prospective rowers, at which he told them that rowing was “a most enjoyable sport made more so by winning races.” Eventually, twenty-two novices signed on to row in Michaelmas Term 1953. Marriott and the old hands set to work tubbing and coaching this huge influx of members, and three fours were eventually settled upon and entered for the O.U.B.C. Novice Fours, that were held in the third week of November. There were fifteen entries in total for the O.U.B.C. Novice Fours, with the races being run three abreast upstream from Timm’s. All three BNC crews won through to the finals, although this created some unforeseen difficulties. Extra boats, and even zephyrs, had to be borrowed from other colleges to enable the race to take place. The novelty of the final attracted the attention of the local press, and drew large crowds to the river to watch the 1st Novice IV win by one and a half lengths over their college compatriots.
While Marriott did not entirely achieve his objective of taking the Childe of Hale back to the first division (which happened the following year), he did however making a lasting sartorial contribution to the Boat Club. Prior to Eights, he was responsible for an appeal to old members of the Boat Club for donations of old blazers for the crew, to obviate the cost to the students. This produced not just blazers, but a number of generous cheques which were sufficient to clothe the entire crew for the races and later at Henley. More importantly, it was under his Captaincy that the Childe of Hale colours finally made it onto the ties of the 1st VIII. As he explained in an interview for the Boat Club history:
I discovered that favours in the colours were worn at Henley in the 1860’s.… Andrew Davis and I were inspired by the gaudy colours as a contrast to gold and I asked my mother to make up a favour from scraps. Andrew was so impressed that he took the favour to Castells and asked them to make up ties, telling them that the colours must be matched exactly…. So the ties date from 1954 and that is when the "tradition" began.
After going down in 1954, Richard first joined the merchant bank of Brown Shipley before moving some ten years later to the stockbroking firm Mullens & Co, where he was a partner from 1965 to 1986. When that firm was acquired by S.G. Warburgs to become Mercury Asset Management, Richard went onto the board, and held his position until retirement in 1996.
Prior to going up to Oxford, Marriott had done his national service in the Rifle Brigade, and continued his association with the Army after Oxford by joining the 21 SAS (Artists Rifles). He eventually commanded the unit as a Lt Colonel from 1966 to 1969.
As befitting someone as energetic and accomplished as he was, Marriott was appointed High Sheriff of Humberside from 1991 to 1992, and then Lord-Lieutenant of the East Riding from 1996 to 2005.
Richard Marriott was deeply devoted to the Boat Club, and was a founder 1815 donor of the Bowman Fund. He also displayed the humility of one who was at peace with the great achievements of his life. He assiduously ignored all requests to be interviewed about his accomplishments after Brasenose, although happily collaborated in the preparation of the Boat Club history.
Richard Marriott died aged 90 on the 22nd February, 2021. He is survived by his widow and two sons.