Oxford is a city steeped in history. Walking around the city you can look up at buildings that people were looking up at in the same way hundreds and hundreds of years ago. Here’s a few interesting facts about Oxford of the long ago past.
Dinosaurs:
In 2025, in a quarry in Oxfordshire one of the largest dinosaur trackways in the world was discovered. The footprints show evidence of gigantic beasts like the peaceful Cetiosaurus, a plant-eating dinosaur which was 18 metres long and the ferocious Megalosaurus, a meat-eating dinosaur that grew up to 9m long, which would have roamed the area over 150 million years ago. Thankfully today the only place you can find such fearsome monsters is in the Natural History Museum, about 5 minutes’ walk from the school.
Pre-history:
Excavations around Oxford have shown evidence of human activity in the area dating back to the Mesolithic Period (between 11000 and 6000 years ago) as early humans settled along the river valley of what later became known as The Thames. Microliths (small sharp tools used as parts of arrows or spears) and other bladed tools have been found around the city and county.
During recent construction parts of a human skull and evidence of a Bronze Age burial mound were discovered showing human occupation of the area 4000 years ago.
Roman period:
Evidence of Roman activity in Oxford has been found including several pieces of Roman pottery. One such piece is engraved with the words ‘Tamesibugus’ which means “Living next to the River Thames”. The influence of Latin words is very present today in the English language, with about 30% of English vocabulary being on Latin origin.
Oxenforda:
The tale of the city that we know now as Oxford begins in the Saxon Period. It’s not known exactly when the town was founded but one of the significant early local figures was a woman named Frithuswith or Frideswide. She was the daughter of a local sub-king who was born around the year 650. She founded the Frideswide monastery and a church in the second half of the seventh century. The church she founded was later destroyed but was on the site of the present day Christchurch cathedral which contains a shrine to her. She remains the patron saint of Oxford to this day.
The earliest use of the term of Oxford is found in historical records from the year 912. Back then it was known as ‘Oxenforda’ which means The Shallow River Where The Oxen Cross. The symbol of Oxford is still an Ox and a River that you can see on the city coat-of-arms in many places.
At the time it was an important strategic location as it sat on the border between two ancient kingdoms of Wessex and Mercia.
Education begins:
Teaching at Oxford began around the year 1096, which makes it the oldest university in the English-speaking world. At this point, the formal organisation of the university had not been established. In 1167 Henry II prohibited English students from studying in France, leading to the rapid growth of the university.
The first formal college, University College, was founded in 1249, with Balliol and Merton following shortly afterwards.
Many religious groups moved into the city from the 13th century onwards, often having halls where students lived. One such group, the Carmelites, or “White Friars” had a priory in modern day Gloucester Green and the name of the street where our school is located, Friars Entry, comes from the fact that it was the way that the monks and priests travelled from their church to the town gate.
Birthplace of kings:
Oxford School of English is located just a hundred metres from Beaumont Street, named after Beaumont Palace. A royal palace built on that site in 1130 for Henry I to use as a stopping point on his visits to the royal hunting-grounds at Woodstock, a small town North of Oxford. Two kings of England, Richard I (better known as Richard the Lionheart) and King John, were both born here but all that remains today of the building is a stone marking its site.
The Anarchy and a Daring Escape:
In 1120 while traveling back from France, The White Ship Disaster happened. A ship carrying many important English nobles sank killing almost everyone on board. One of the victims was William Adelin, the heir to the British throne. This meant that when King Henry I died in 1135, a war began over who was the rightful ruler of England, Empress Matilda or King Steven, and this period was known as The Anarchy.
Oxford played a key role in this conflict with one of the most dramatic moments of English history occurring in 1142 during the Siege of Oxford. Stephen’s forces had taken Matilda by surprise and she was trapped in Oxford Castle. Stephen was convinced that he was about to win the war and capture his greatest enemy. However, one cold winter night Matilda dressed in white to camouflage her in the snow and was lowered out of the window of St George’s Tower, which you can still see today, and escaped across the snowy fields and frozen Thames with a few of her loyal knights, eventually making it to the safety of France. The war would continue on for another decade before coming to an end with the compromise that Stephen would remain king, but that when he died Matilda’s son would take the throne.
Medieval violence:
There were ongoing tensions between the local residents and the university students. In 1209 a group of scholars fled the city after some students were killed and established the University of Cambridge. There were also at least 12 students who were accused of murder in the early 14th century. This violence went both ways.
Click on this link to see a Medieval Murder Map of Oxford which details some of the violence which was recorded by the courts at the time. Thankfully, nowadays Oxford is an extremely safe city!
Tensions Erupt:
On 10th February 1355 one of the most violent incidents in Oxford history occurred. In the Swindlestock Tavern, a pub which was located where the Santander Bank at Carfax is now, an argument began between some students and the staff of the tavern about the quality of the drinks. This argument became a fight, which became a brawl, which became a full-scale riot with fighting between the townsfolk and the students and professors. The fighting lasted three days and ended with around 62 scholars dead, 30 locals, and large parts of the town and university damaged or destroyed by fire.
A Secret King:
In 1318, at Beaumont Palace, a young clerk by the name of John Deydras claimed to be the rightful king of England. He looked a lot like the then kind Edward II apart from the fact that he was missing an ear. He claimed that as a baby he was attacked by a pig and that to cover up for her mistake, his nanny switched the royal baby with the baby of local farmer. Deydras. He offered to fight Edward in single combat to prove his royal blood, however instead he was arrested. He blamed his pet cat, claiming it was possessed by the devil and told him what to say. Both John and his cat were executed.
Breaking Down the Walls:
For many years Oxford was a walled city, and some parts of the old walls are still visible today. They also survive in the place names of central Oxford. The Westgate Shopping Centre, now home to dozens of shops, restaurants, cinemas and the city library, gets its name from its location. It was built on the site of the West Gate of the City. Originally built for military purposes, it later became more decorative, a beautiful place to have lunch or look over the mead
ows and flower gardens of Oxford.
A Long Literary Tradition:
In Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, one of the first works of English literature, one of the characters comes from Oxford. The Clerk’s Tale begins like this:
“Sire Clerk of Oxenford,” oure Hooste sayde,
“Ye ryde as coy and stille as dooth a mayde
Were newe spoused, sittynge at the bord;
This day ne herde I of youre tonge a word.
I trowe ye studie aboute som sophyme;
But Salomon seith `every thyng hath tyme.’
Or in modern English:
“Sir Clerk of Oxford,” our host said,
“You ride as quietly as a young woman
Who has just married and is sitting at the table
Today I have not heard one word from your tongue
I think you are thinking about some problem
But Solomon says “Everything has its time”
So if you think English can be a bit tricky nowadays, be thankful that you were not learning it in the middle ages!
Oxford becomes a city:
In 1542 Oxford officially became a city when King Henry VIII made Christ Church College chapel a cathedral. Of course, many other exciting events have taken place in Oxford both before and since, but I think that’s a nice place to finish this post. Stick with our blog to learn more about Oxford’s history and culture, tips for learning English, and what makes our school such a great place to learn the language. Whether you’re a beginner in English, a proficient user of the language who just wants to brush up a little, or anywhere in between: the city of Oxford and Oxford School of English is the place for you.