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Topographical Dictionary of England, Lewis, 1831

Oxford, Oxfordshire

OXFORD, a university and city, having separate jurisdiction, locally in the hundred of Wootton, county of OXFORD, of which it is the capital, 55 miles (N.N.W.) from London, containing 16,364 inhabitants. This palce, which, from a very remote period of antiquity, has been celebrated as a seat of learning, is supposed by some to have derived its Saxon name, Oxenford, from its ford over the river for the passage of oxen. By others that name is said to be a corruption of Ouseford, from the river Ouse, now Isis, from which source an island in that river, whereon the wealthy abbey was erected was also named Ouseney, or Osney. To the establishment of schools in this great place, supposed to have been originally by Alfred the Great, the origin of the city is by some historians attributed; but though Alfred unquestionably restored, and more liberally endowed, the university, its original foundation is demonstrated to have been many years prior to the reign of that monarch, in an act of confirmation by Pope Martin II., in 802, in which it is described as an ancient academy of learning. During the earlier times of the Saxons, a monastery, dedicated to St. Mary and All Saints, was founded here, about the year 730, by Didanus, one of the Saxon princes, for twelve sisters of noble birth, of which Frideswide, his daughter, was first abbess, who, being canonized after her death, the abbey, in which she was interred, was dedicated to St. Frideswide, in honour of her memory: this monastry having been plundered during the Danish wars, and the nuns dispersing, was restored for Secular canons. In the interval between the destruction of the abbey and its restoration, Alfred, with his three sons, resided here, where he founded three public schools, established a royal mint, and contributed greatly to the rebuilding of the city. In the reign of Ethelred, the Danes burnt the city, in retaliation for the general massacre of their countrymen by order of that monarch; and, in 1013, another party of those rapacious invaders, under the command of King Sweyn, landed in England, and having laid waste the adjoining country, compelled the inhabitants of Oxford to surrender, and to give hostages for their fulfilment of the terms of capitulation. The city was again burnt by the Danes, in 1032; and, in 1036, Harold Harefoot was crowned at Oxford, on which, in revenge for the slaughter of some of his men, he inflicted considerable injury. At the time of the Norman Conquest, Oxford, refusing to submit to the Coqueror, was, in 1067, taken by storm, and given to Robert D'Oily, who erected a strong castle on the west side of it, for the purpose of keeping the inhabitants in subjection, and fortified it with strong earthworks, within which he built a collegiate church, dedicated to St. George, and settled in it Secular canons of the order of St. Augustine. William Rufus held a council in the town, under Lanfrance, Archbishop of Canterbury, at which several bishops assisted, for the purpose of defeating a conspiracy formed against him by Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, his uncle, in favour of Robert, Duke of Normandy. RObert D'Oily, nephew of the former, and chamberlain to Henry I., founded the abbey of Osney, which was situated a little below the castle. Henry I. built a new hall, or palace, at Oxford, called Beaumont, where he celebrated the festival of Easter, in 1133, with great omp, and in which Richard I. was born. Stephen, in the early part of his reign, assembled a council of the principal nobility here, to whom, in order to attch them to his interests, and to strengthen his party in the kingdom, he promised to abolish the tax called Dane Gelt, and to restore the laws of Edward the Confessor. Matilda, having obtained possession of the castle, was besieged by Stephen, but, previously to surrendering it, she contrived to escape by night over the river, which was at that time frozen. During this siege, the inhabitants being excluded from the church of St. George, within the castle, the chapel of St. Thomas was erected for their accommodation, and Stephen is reported to have repaired the city walls, which had fallen into decay: these walls are supposed to have been built in the seventh century, but by whom is uncertain.

During the contest between Henry II. and Thomas à Becket, that monarch held a parliament at Oxford, for the purpose of counteracting the authority of the pope, who had threatened to lay the kingdom under an interdict, and in 1167, another parliament, in which the partitioning of Ireland among those of his subjects who had at different times achieved the conquest of it, was deliberated upon. Richard I. invested Oxford, his native city, with many privileges, in gratitude for which, the citizens contributed largely to his ransom when detained prisoner in Austria, on his return from the Holy Land. King John held a parliament here in 1204, in order to raise supplies, which were liberally granted. In the reign of Henry III., who kept the festival of Christmas in this city, in 1222, Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury, held here a synod for the reforming abuses on the ecclesiastical polity of the kingdom, by a decree of which two men were crucified, each pretending that he was Christ, and two women starved to death, for pretending to be the Virgin Mary, and Mary Magdalene. The same king, in 1227, when he became of age, assembled a parliament here, in which he assumed the government, and revoked the grant of Magna Charta, and the charter of Forests, alledging that they were signed by him when a minor. Towards the end of this reign, an adjourned parliament was held at Oxford, in which all Poictevins and other foreigners were ordered to leave the kingdom. In 1319, a man named Pondras, son of a tanner at Exeter, came to Oxford, affirming that he was the rightful heir of Edward I., and had been stolen from his cradle and exchanged for Edward II., the reigning prince; but the imposture was soon detected, and Pondras was executed at Northampton. Queen Isabel, on her return from France, remained for some time in this city, while prosecuting the war against the two Spensers. In the reign of Henry IV., a conspiracy was formed by the Earls of Huntingdon, Kent, Salisbury, and Rutland, for assassinating the king at a tournament to be held here, and restoring the deposed monarch, Richard II., to the throne; but their plot was discovered, and the Earls of Kent and Salisbury, Sir Thomas Blount, and others, were hung at Greenditch, near Oxford. Henry VIII. erected Oxford into a see, separating it, with the county, from the diocese of Lincoln, in which it had previously been included. Soon after the accession of Mary, Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, Ridley, Bishop of London, and Latimer, Bishop of Worcester, were conveyed from the Tower, where they had been imprisoned, to hold a disputation with the learned men of the University, at a convocation held in St. Mary's church; and in the following year, the Bishops of London, Gloucester, and Bristol, were sent commissioners to Oxford, to examine Ridley and Latimer, whom they condemned to the stake. This sentence was executed in a place called Canditch, on the 16th of October, 1555, in presence of the chief magistrates of the university and city; and on the 21st of the following March, Cranmer, who had witnessed the spectacle from the prison Bocardo, in which he was confined, suffered martyrdom in the same place. In 1625, the parliament having adjourned from London, on account of the plague, assembled at Oxford; but, on symptons of the infection appearing in the city, the king hastily dissolved it, after repeated and unavailing attempts to procure supplies.

Oxford was intimately connected with many of the principal events during the parliamentary war. In the earlier part of it, Sir John Byron, with a party of the royal forces, attempted to garrison the city for the king; but Lord Say, then lieutenant of the county, advancing against him with a superior force, the former retired, leaving Oxford in possession of the latter. Sir John Byron, on his retreat from Oxford, advanced to Worcester, of which he gained possession, and garrisoned it for the king, who, reinforced by numbers whom his victory at Edgehill had drawn over to his party, marched to Oxford, took possession of it, and there fixed his headquarters. During the king's occupation of the town, a treaty of negociation was opened, and the Earl of Northumberland, and four members of the lower house, were appointed commissioners by the parliament: the conferences continued for several weeks, and after various propositions for a mutual accommodation, terminated without their differences being adjusted. A deputation from the citizens of London afterwards waited upon the king, who had resolved to pass the winter at Oxford, with proposals for peace, which, through the agency of the parliament, were also rendered ineffectual. The king invited the members who had either retired or had been expelled from the Westminster parliament, to meet him at Oxford, and assembled a parliament in the great hall of Christ Church College. Sir Thomas Fairfax, advancing with his army to besiege the city, was for a time diverted from his purpose by Prince Rupert, who attacked his castle at Leicester, but Fairfax returning to the siege, and the garrison being reduced by famine, it surrendered to the parliament, and the king escaping to Newcastle, placed himself under the protection of the Scottish army. In 1665, the plague raging in London, the parliament adjourned to Oxford, and continued their deliberations in the schools of the university. In this parliament, supplies were granted for carrying on the war against the Dutch, and statutes were enacted against the non-conforming clergy, who were prohibited approaching within five miles of any corporate town. During the continuance of the plague, the courts of law, at Michaelmas term, were held in this city; in which also Charles II., having dissolved the parliament at Westminster in 1681, assembled a new parliament, which, after sitting only a few days, was dissolved by the king, for the apparent purpose of preventing the differences that threatened to arise between the lords and the commons, the former having rejected a vote of impeachment decreed by the latter.

Oxford, for the splendour of its public buildings, among which the colleges and halls of the university are conspicuous, for the grandeur of their elevation, and, in many instances, for the beauty of their architecture, is not surpassed by any city in the kingdom; and, from the antiquity and importance of its venerable institutions, possesses an intense degree of interest. It is pleasantly situated on a gentle acclivity, at the confluence of the rivers Cherwell and Isis, by which it is nearly surrounded: over these rivers are several bridges, handsomely built of stone, of which, Magdalene bridge over the river Cherwell, and a new bridge over the Isis, on the Abingdon road, lately erected at an expense of £11,000, are the principal. The approaches are spacious, and afford striking and finely varied prospects of the city, and of its sumptuous edifices and stately towers. The entrance from the London road, over Magdalene bridge, is exquisitely beautiful; on the right is the small but pleasing vale of the Cherwell, in which the newly-erected church of St. Clement's forms an interesting feature, together with the grounds, the water-walk, and the noble tower of Magdalene College; and on the left are seen Christchurch meadows, watered by the Isis and the Cherwell, with the spire of the Cathedral Church, and the tower of Merton College in the distance. The entrance from Woodstock is remarkably fine, leading into the town through the broad street of St. Giles', on each side of which is a row of stately trees, and on the east side the college of St. John, and part of Balliol College. The entrance from Abingdon, over Folly, or the New bridge, leads through St. Aldate's-street, on the east side of which is the magnificent front of Christchurch College, and the town hall. The city, which is more than a mile in length, from east to west, and, including the suburbs, more than three miles in circumference, is divided into four parts by two principal streets, which intersect each other nearly at right angles in the centre, where was formerly a handsome conduit, erected in the seventeenth century, by Otho Nicholson, one of the examiners in Chancery, but removed in 1787 and presented by the university to the late Earl of Harcourt, who placed it in Nuneham-Courtney park. The High-street is one of the noblest streets in Europe, presenting in pleasing succession, from its great length and easy and graceful curvature, many of the stately and venerable public edifices for which this city is so eminently distinguished: on the north side, after crossing Magdalene bridge, and passing the college of St. Mary Magdalene on the right, and the Physic Garden on the left, are Queen's and All Souls' colleges, beyond which are the churches of St. Mary and All Saints, and at its upper extremity, that of St. Martin, or Carfax; and on the south side are University College, and some handsome establishment recently constructed, comprising a saloon, reading-room, and other appendages, and a very superior arrangement of warm and cold baths, with dressing-rooms, and every requisite accommodation. Races are annually held on Port-meadow, near the city, and are well attended. The city is well paved, lighted with gas, and amply supplied with water. The gardens of the colleges afford delightful promenades, and in the environs, which contain many handsome residences, are varied rides and agreeable walks, of which latter, that to Headington Hill, commanding a fine view of the city and its vicinity, may be considered the principal. The rivers Cherwell and Isis, branching into several streams, and pursuing a winding course, contribute greatly to adorn the city, and their united streams afford the means of aquatic excursions. The trade is principally in corn and other agricultural produce of the surrounding districts, which is extremely fertile. Coal is brought from Staffordshire by the Oxford canal, which communicates with those of Birmingham, Warwick, and Coventry; and a considerable traffic is carried on with the metropolis and the intermediate towns, by the Thames, which is navigable to London. Convenient wharfs and quays have been constructed at considerable expense, and every facility has been obtained for the promotion of the inland trade. Oxford has been long celebrated for the superior quality of its brawn, of which a considerable quantity is forwarded to London. The market days are Wednesday and Saturday, which are abundantly supplied, the latter being also for corn, which is sold by sample at the upper extremity of the High-street, near a spot called the Butter Bench, the farmers preferring to transact their business in the open air, though the corporation have offered them the use of a convenient area under the town hall. The market-place is a suitable area, arranged into various sections for the different kinds of produce, on the northern side of the High-street, from which there are entrances by means of iron gates, the houses in front being appropriated as shops. The fairs are on May 3rd, on Gloucester Green; another in St. Giles', on the Monday after the festival of St. Giles, which is a pleasure fair; and the Thursday before New Michaelmas-day, for cattle.

The city received a regular charter of incorporation from Henry II., confirming all preceding grants, and extending to the inhabitants all the rights and privileges enjoyed by the citizens of London, besides conferring upon the mayor the distinction of assisting, with the lord mayor of London, in the king's buttery at the coronation festivals, upon which occasion he is attended by the recorder, four aldermen, the town clerk, bailiffs, and mace-bearer, and receives a silver cup and cover richly gilt, from the king. This charter was confirmed by Henry III., who vested the government of the city in a mayor, four aldermen, eight assistants, two bailiffs, and twenty-four common council-men. Many other charters were granted by succeeding sovereigns, but that by which the city is at present more especially governed was granted by James I., in 1605; by this an addition was made of the offices of high steward (usually a nobleman of high rank), recorder, town clerk, two chamberlains, mace bearer, and subordinate officiers. The mayor is chosen annually, from among the aldermen or assistants, by the freemen generally, and, previously to entering upon his office, takes an oath to observe the lawful customs and privileges of the university, as does also the sheriff for the county. The bailiffs must have served the office of chamberlain. The mayor, recorder, aldermen, and assistants, are justices of the peace within the city and liberties, which office they hold, not by their charter of incorporation, but by commission under the great seal, renewed from time to time, under which authority also they hold a commission of gaol delivery. the freedom of the city is inherited by birth, and acquired by apprenticeship to a freeman for seven years, by gift of the corporation, or by purchase: among the privileges is the right of depasturing cattle on Port-meadow, a tract of about four hundred and forty acres near the city. The corporation hold quarterly courts of session, which take cognizance of all capital offenses except high treason; and two courts of record, for the trial of pleas and the recovery of debts to any amount, one called the mayor's court (styled also a Hustings' court), and in which actions of ejectment are tried, and the other the court of the mayor and bailiffs: the practice, which is similar in both, is nearly the same as in the common law courts at Westminster; the town clerk sits as judge, or assessor.

The town hall is a spacious stone building, one hundred and thirty-five feet in length, and thirty-two feet broad, with a basement story of rustic work, forming an open corridor, and surmounted in the centre by a handsome pediment. George IV., when Prince Regent, the late Emperor of Russia, the King of Prussia, the late Duke of York, the Prince of Orange, the Prince of Mecklenburgh, Price Metternich, General Blucher, and other illustrious persons repaired to the town hall, and received the honorary frredom of the city, in 1814, during their visit at the university: the council-chamber is decorated with portraits of Queen Anne, John the first Duke, and George the third Duke, of Marlborough, and several distinguished members of the corporation and benefactors to the city. The city gaol was erected in 1789, prior to which delinquents were confined in the prison of Bocardo, over one of the city gates, which was taken down in 1771: the door of the cell in which Cranmer was confined has been preserved, and fixed up in the present gaol, with an appropriate inscription: this prison contains four wards for the classification of prisoners, and thirty-two cells, and has a neat chapel. The city has regularly sent two members to parliament from the earliest returns extant of the reign of Edward I.: the right of election is vested in the mayor and corporation, and in the freemen generally, the number of whom is about one thousand eight hundred: the mayor is the returning officer. The assizes for the county and the election of knights of the shire are held here, as the county town. The county gaol and house of correction is an extensive building, erected in part of the site of the ancient castle, the remains of which consist of the original tower and a vaulted magazine for the use of the garrison, the principal entrance is through a large gateway, flanked by embattled towers: it comprises eleven wards, the same number of day-rroms and airing-yards, for the classification of prisoners, and two tread-mills, on which they are employed in grinding corn and raising water for the use of the prison: the prisoners receive a portion of their earnings on their discharge.

The origin of the university is by different historians attributed to various eras and to different founders: by some, Oxford is supposed to have been selected as a place of resort for students at a very early period of British history, and to have attained consideable eminence as a seat of learning during the Saxon Octarchy; and it is stated that Alfred, during his residence in this city, founded and endowed three halls, or additional colleges, which, involved in its fate, were destroyed by the Danes, whose frequent incursions and devastations of this part of the country materially retarded the progress of the university. Amidst a mass of conflicting testimony its origin may, perhaps, be attributed to the monastic institutions established in the city and neighbourhood, which, by the encouragement they afforded to the pursuit of literature, drew around them a number of students, who, not being able to find admission as residents in these establishments, may have taken up their residence in the city and suburbs with the view of obtaining that assistance in their studies which the learned members of those institutions were capable of affording them. At the time of the Conquest, Robert D'Oily, to whom the Conqueror gave the government of the city, founded, within the precincts of the castle, the collegiate church of St. George, for Secular canons, which, being subsequently annexed to the abbey of Osney, founded by his descendant, the buildings were occupied by students, and the society existed for some time under the style of the Warden and Scholars of St. George within the Castle. Soon after the foundation of Osney abbey, Robert Pullein, a learned member of that institution, first began to read lectures on the sacred scriptures at Oxford, which had been much neglected, and revived the divinity lectures, which had fallen into disuse, and, under the patronage of Henry I. and his successors, greatly promoted the interests of literature. In the reign of Stephen, Roger Vacarius introduced the study of the Roman or civil law, which, being regarded as an innovation, was vehemently opposed by other professors. At this time the students are said to have amounted to nearly thirty thousand, and to have lived at their own expense in inns, or hostels, of which not less than three hundred were rented by them for their accommodation; for their supply, the country for twenty miles round Oxford was appropriated by the king, whose purveyor was not permitted within that distance to purchase provisions for the king's household: exclusively of such as lived in these hostels, and who were under the control of a governor, or principal, who presided over the literary and moral discipline of the seminaries, were several who were resident in St. Frideswide's priory, and Osney abbey.

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