History of Oxford

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Aerial view of Oxford city centre

The history of Oxford in England dates back to its original settlement in the

Norman period. The University of Oxford was established in the 12th-century and would eventually dominate the activity within the town, this also resulted in several town and gown conflicts.[1] The city was besieged during The Anarchy in 1142 and Oxford Castle was attacked during the Barons War in the early 13th century.[2] Oxford was greatly affected during the English Reformation, brought on by Henry VIII in his dissolution of the monasteries. The town also played an important role in the English Civil War, where it experienced another siege when it housed the court of Charles I.[3]

Later in the 19th and 20th century, the town grew and underwent an industrial boom where major printing and car-manufacturing industries began establishing in the city. These industries later declined in the 1970s and 1980s, leaving behind a city that is now well known for its education and tourist industry.[4]

Medieval period

St Martin's Tower, commonly known as Carfax Tower, it is the only existing remains of the 12th-century St Martin's Church

Oxford was first settled by the Anglo-Saxons and was initially known in Old English as Oxnaford and in Old Norse as Öxnafurða.[5] The name comes from "oxen's ford", which literally meant oxen's shallow river crossing. Around 900, an important north-south route for cattle connecting the south of England to the Midlands needed to cross the River Thames.[6] At Oxford, the Thames splits into many channels, offering a relatively shallow and hence crossable location for people, goods and animals. Oxford thus became a heavily trafficked crossing point and the early Anglo-Saxon settlement developed around the location.[7] There is still speculation about the precise location of the ford that gave Oxford its name, though any approach to Oxford involved the use of several fords, and thus there were likely multiple fords in use throughout the history of the crossing. Most archeological evidence generally points to the south-west of Oxford where there are low elevations and branching streams that offer shallow crossings.[6][8]

The earliest notice of the City of Oxford was mentioned in AD 912 in the

St. Brice's Day massacre ordered by Æthelred the Unready.[10][11] The skeletons of more than 30 suspected victims were unearthed in 2008 during the course of building work at St John's College.[12] The ‘massacre’ was a contributing factor to King Sweyn I of Denmark’s invasion of England in 1003 and the sacking of Oxford by the Danes in 1004.[13]

Oxford was heavily damaged during the

History of the Kings of Britain, a compilation of Arthurian legends.[16]

The earliest walls surrounding Oxford town were made of turf bank with a timber palisade. This was then replaced by stone and a ditch was made outside the walls, at least on the north side. The four main gates into Oxford had existed by the Medieval period; the Saxon tower, which originally served as the north gate, remains intact and eventually became incorporated into the structure of St. Michael's church.[11]

During the period of Middle English, Oxford's pronunciation evolved to become Oxenford, as written in "Clerkes Tale of Oxenford" in Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales.[17] In the 15th century Oxenford elided to become Oxford, as it is known today.[18]

The Oxford city charter of 1191
The city of Oxford in 1191

Additionally, there is evidence of Jews living in the city as early as 1141, and during the 12th century the Jewish community is estimated to have numbered about 80–100.[19] The city was besieged during The Anarchy in 1142.[20] In 1191, a city charter translated from Latin wrote:[21]

"Be it known to all those present and future that we, the citizens of Oxford of the Commune of the City and of the

canons render half a mark of silver for their tenure at the time when we have ordered it as witnesses the legal deed of our ancestors which they made concerning the gift of this same island; and besides, because we have undertaken on our own part and on behalf of our heirs to guarantee the aforesaid island to the same canons wheresoever and against all men; they themselves, by this guarantee, will pay to us and our heirs each year at Easter
another half mark which we have demanded; and we and our heirs faithfully will guarantee the aforesaid tenement to them for the service of the aforesaid mark annually for all matters and all services. We have made this concession and confirmation in the Common council of the City and we have confirmed it with our common seal. These are those who have made this concession and confirmation. (There follows a list of witnesses, ending with the phrase, "... and all the Commune of the City of Oxford.")

Trinitarians) all had houses of varying importance at Oxford. Parliaments were often held in the city during the 13th century. The Provisions of Oxford were instigated by a group of barons led by Simon de Montfort; these documents are often regarded as England's first written constitution. Richard I (reigned 1189–1199) and King John (reigned 1199–1216) the sons of Henry II, were both born at Beaumont Palace in Oxford, on 8 September 1157 and 24 December 1166 respectively. A plaque in Beaumont Street commemorates these events.[23]

University of Oxford

Greek philosophy and Christian theology
.

As a response to the killing of two students in 1209 by the local townspeople, a number of scholars left the town (some leaving to

St Scholastica Day Riot of 1355.[1]

Attracted to the intellectual life of the University town, a group of friars (including Agnellus of Pisa) arrived in the early 13th century; the Greyfriars resided on the south part of the medieval town wall while the Blackfriars south of what is now Blue Boar Lane and then to a spot west of St Aldate's. It was here that several notable friars would emerge, such as Roger Bacon, Duns Scotus and William of Ockham. As the town declined economically in the later Middle Ages, the University gained greater power over the town at the expense of the urban community. The University also expanded its landholings and became a powerful employer and consumer of goods and services.[26]

Tudor period

Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford is unique in combining a college chapel and a cathedral in one foundation. Originally St Frideswide's Priory, the building was extended and incorporated into the structure of the Cardinal's College shortly before its refounding as Christ Church in 1546, since when it has functioned as the cathedral of the Diocese
of Oxford.

The sweating sickness epidemic in 1517 was particularly devastating to Oxford and Cambridge where it killed half of both cities' populations, including many students and dons.[27]

Oxford was not spared the turmoil of the

St Giles'
.

Early modern period

The Radcliffe Camera, completed in 1748

During the

General Fairfax, and occupied by Colonel Richard Ingoldsby.[29] In the final period of the English Civil War in 1652, as news of Charles II approaching the city, the Parliamentarians proceeded to pull down defenses in the Oxford Castle where they were garrisoned and retreated to New College, this resulted in great damage to the college in the process.[29] The city walls at this time was in very bad condition, the moat was rented as a fishpond, while the towers used as a space of residence. Therefore, a new set of ramparts had to be built to defend the town against any coming siege.[11]

It later housed the court of Charles II during the Great Plague of London in 1665–1666. Although reluctant to do so, he was forced to evacuate when the plague got too close.[30] The city suffered two serious fires in 1644 and 1671.[31] The town underwent a radical makeover of its buildings during this period, with the most notable being Tom Tower in Christ Church, the Sheldonian Theatre and the Botanic Gardens.

The mid-to-late 18th century saw other great new landmarks added to the city such as the Radcliffe Camera and the Radcliffe Observatory. While in 1785, a new prison complex was built on the site of the old dilapidated Oxford Castle after it was judged to be in a poor state by John Howard, as the castle had been used as the local prison after the civil war.[32]

Late modern period

19th-century view of the High Street in Oxford.

In 1790, the Oxford Canal connected the city with Coventry. The Duke's Cut was completed by the Duke of Marlborough in 1789 to link the new canal with the River Thames; and, in 1796, the Oxford Canal company built its own link to the Thames, at Isis Lock. In 1844, the Great Western Railway linked Oxford with London via Didcot and Reading,[33][34] and other rail routes soon followed. In the 19th century, the controversy surrounding the Oxford Movement in the Church of England drew attention to the city as a focus of theological thought. A permanent military presence was established in the city with the completion of Cowley Barracks in 1876.[35]

Local government in Oxford was reformed by the

Town Hall
".

20th and 21st centuries

During the

Pressed Steel Fisher plants. Oxford was now a city of two halves: the university city to the west of Magdalen Bridge
and the car town to the east. This led to the witticism that "Oxford is the left bank of Cowley".

On 6 May 1954,

Master of Pembroke College. Oxford's second university, Oxford Brookes University, formerly the Oxford School of Art, then Oxford Polytechnic, based at Headington Hill, was given its charter in 1991 and for ten years has been voted the best new university in the UK.[41] It was named to honour the school's founding principal, John Henry Brookes
.

Cowley suffered major job losses in the 1980s and 1990s during the decline of

hospitals, recent immigration from South Asia, and a large student population, have given Oxford a notably cosmopolitan character, especially in the Headington and Cowley Road areas with their many bars, cafes, restaurants, clubs, Asian shops and fast food outlets and the annual Cowley Road Carnival. Oxford is one of the most diverse small cities in Britain: the most recent population estimates for 2011[43] showed that 22% of the population were from black or minority ethnic groups, compared to 13% in England.[44]

See also

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-0-19-280136-4
    .
  2. ^ Hassal, T. G. (1976). "Excavations at Oxford Castle: 1965-1973" (PDF).
  3. ^ a b Keeble, N. H. (2002). The Restoration: England in the 1660s. Wiley-Blackwell.
  4. ISBN 0-902280-40-6
    .
  5. ^ Prose, ONP: Dictionary of Old Norse. "ONP: øxnafurða sb. f. place-name, öxnafurða". ONP. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Medieval Oxford | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  7. ^ Davis, Ralph HC (1973). The Ford, The River and The City (PDF). Oxoniensia.
  8. ^ "Elevation of Oxford,UK Elevation Map, Topography, Contour". www.floodmap.net. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  9. ISBN 978-0-8061-1038-7
    .
  10. ^ "The St Brice's Day Massacre". History Today Volume 52 Issue 11 November 2002. Archived from the original on 22 September 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  11. ^ a b c oxfordpreservation (2016). "Oxford City Walls Walk" (PDF). www.oxfordpreservation.org.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  12. ^ Ord, Louise (12 August 2011). "Oxford Viking massacre revealed by skeleton find". BBC News. bbc.com. Archived from the original on 20 August 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  13. ^ "When Vikings put Oxford to the torch". The Oxford Times 10 February 2010. Archived from the original on 27 October 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  14. ^ "Medieval Grandpont and South Oxford - Local History in South Oxford". southoxfordhistory.org.uk. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  15. ^ Hook Norton, Local History Group (2014). "Lords of the Manor. The D'Oilly Dynasty" (PDF).
  16. ^ Chris Andrews, David Huelin; Oxford. Introduction & Guide; Oxford 1986
  17. ^ "4.1 The Clerk's Prologue, Tale, and Envoy". chaucer.fas.harvard.edu. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  18. ^ "Oxford - Oxford English Dictionary". Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  19. ^ "The Jewish Community of Oxford". The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot. Archived from the original on 2 July 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  20. ISBN 978-1-31789-297-7
    .
  21. ^ "Oxford charter 1191". whatdotheyknow.com. 23 July 2008. Archived from the original on 2 August 2009. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
  22. ^ a b c Eleanor Chance; Christina Colvin; Janet Cooper; C J Day; T G Hassall; Mary Jessup; Nesta Selwyn (1979). "Boundaries". In Alan Crossley; C R Elrington (eds.). A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 4, the City of Oxford. Victoria County History. pp. 260–264. Archived from the original on 1 January 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
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  24. ISBN 978-0-7126-6199-7
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  25. ISBN 978-0-8061-1038-7
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  26. ^
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  27. ^ "The Sweating Sickness". Story of London. Archived 28 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  28. ^ "Ridley, Latimer, and Cranmer: the Oxford Martyrs". Westminster Seminary California. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
  29. ^ a b Joy, T. (1831). Oxford Delineated: A sketch of the history and antiquities. Whessell & Bartlett. p. 29.
  30. ISBN 9781473623552
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  31. ISBN 978-0-300-13756-9
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  32. ISBN 0-9535593-3-5
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  33. ^ Simpson 1997, p. 59.
  34. ^ Simpson 2001, p. 9.
  35. ^ "Cowley Barracks". Headington at War. Archived from the original on 8 November 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  36. ISBN 9780198229742. Archived
    from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  37. ^ "Bombers avoided Oxford as Hitler had eyes on it". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  38. ^ "Exhibition remembers refugees who fled to Oxford before and during World War II". Archived from the original on 21 October 2012.
  39. ^ Neil Harvey. "College life in wartime". ox.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 15 May 2009.
  40. ^ "1954: Bannister breaks four-minute mile". bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
  41. ^ Oxford Brookes University, 'Awards and Rankings' Archived 6 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
  42. ^ "Oxford Business Group Country Reports". hbs.edu. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  43. Office for National Statistics
    . Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  44. ^ "Ethnicity". Oxford City Council. Archived from the original on 20 December 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2020.

Bibliography

Published in the 19th century

Published in the 20th century

Published in the 21st century

External links

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