The Early History of Oxford, 727-1100: Preceded by a Sketch of the Mythical Origin of the City and University

James Parker

Oxford Historical Society at the Clarendon Press, 1885 - History - 420 pages

Contents

• INTRODUCTORY: 1
• Geoffrey of Monmouths fiction of the twelfth century as to a certain Mempric: 7
• The origin of his story of Oxford being once situated at Beaumont derived: 13
• Rous obtained part of his story from this Historiola since he was in: 14
• The Cambridge controversy as to the relative antiquity of the two Univer: 20
• Rous Story of Alfreds foundation of Oxford: 21
• The manner in which Thomas Caius the Oxonian meets the arguments of: 26
• Abingdon Abbey Chronicle The nuns removed to Wytham: 28
• Then the discrepancies as to when the Greeklade schools were transferred: 31
• Abingdon Abbey Chronicle Offa takes the land from Wallingford: 34
• The Cambridge stories of Lucius Constantine and King Arthur in connection: 37
• Twynes interview with Camden in 1622 in which Camden implies he: 43
• Rudborn in his Historia Major compiled circa 1440 refers to Alfred founding: 49
• He makes three different Colleges to have been founded by Alfred: 50
• Further pleadings: 56
• 59 AngloSaxon Chronicle A D 1018 Eadgars law proclaimed: 59
• The thousandth anniversary of the foundation by King Alfred celebrated: 62
• AngloSaxon Chronicle A D 1053 c Wulfwi succeeds Ulf: 65
• The British trackways: 70
• The absence of historical data during the remainder of their occupation: 74
• THE SITE OF OXFORD DURING THE SAXON SETTLE: 80
• THE FOUNDATION OF S FRIDESWIDES NUNNERY: 86
• The recital of the story of the foundation prefixed to the charter of refound: 92
• Algar king of Leicester pursues her: 98
• The probabilities are perhaps in favour of Binsey being meant: 104
• The Mercian conquest stretched southward to the long range of the Berk: 110
• King Alfred is not recorded to have visited Oxford at all: 116
• The road from the north into Oxford and that from the south over the ford: 120
• 37 Simeon of Durham: 125
• On the meaning to be attached to the expression took possession of Oxford: 127
• The year 912 sees Oxford both a fortified town and the centre of a shire: 134
• The synod near Oxford at Kyrtlington and death of the Bishop of Crediton: 140
• The story told in the Cartulary of S Frideswide and the restoration: 142
• General state of the kingdom at this time: 148
• The assassination attributed to Eadric: 154
• Reasons for supposing Henry of Huntingdon had good authority for: 160
• THE DESCRIPTION OF OXFORD IN 1086 AS GIVEN: 164
• A passage relating to S Frideswides being granted to an Abbot of Abingdon: 166
• The importance of Abingdon Abbey as contrasted with that of S Frideswide: 168
• Harold Harefoot dies at Oxford 1039: 175
• The great Gemot at Oxford Oct 28 1065 when Tostig Harolds brother: 181
• One AngloSaxon Chronicle takes William direct from Sussex to Beorham: 187
• The theory based upon piecing together the several accounts and omitting: 193
• On the question of an unrecorded sicge: 199
• Robert DOilgi with Roger of Ivry found the Church of S George in: 206
• But eventually restores it: 214
• The Castle bridges: 220
• The nature of the Domesday Survey and its origin: 221
• Summary of the numbers of the houses held by tenants whose names are given: 227
• Illustrations of the term Vastae from similar entries in Domesday concerning: 233
• The Kings five mansions belonging to manors: 239
• The mansions belonging to William Peverel Edward the Sheriff: 246
• The plan of the Crypt compared with that of ancient crypts elsewhere: 252
• The mansions belonging to the Priests of S Michaels: 258
• The names of tenants from the Domesday Survey c g Coleman William: 264
• Considerations how far the mansions in the first list represent the manors: 271
• The effect of the waste houses upon the aspect of the town: 277
• The Castle garrison: 283
• As to that of S Eadwards Church: 290
• Florence of Worcester: 295
• The streets in Oxford: 297
• The visits of William I and William II to the neighbourhood of Oxford: 303
• PASSAGES QUOTED IN CHAPTER IV OXFORD DURING THE SAXON: 317
• Henry of Huntingdon The massacre of S Brice: 327
• PASSAGES QUOTED IN CHAPTER X: 335
• The two theories as to the origin of the name i e a The ford of the Oxen: 348
• Florence of Worcester: 354
• Reference to places with the syllable Ouse: 355
• 50 AngloSaxon Chronicle A D 1013: 360
• The Thame and the Thames: 363
• The Orsnaford coin and the interpretation by Spelman Walker Sir Andrewe: 368
• The rudeness of the workmanship: 374
• The invariable introduction of the letter Rinto the name militates against: 381
• A plan of Oxford chiefly to illustrate Chapter XI: 387
• Ælfreds sovereignty over Mercia p 127: 391
• The names of the moneyers at Oxford during the reigns of William: 397
• INDEX of Authors and MSS referred to: 413
• Florence of Worcester: 414
• William of Malmesbury: 416

Popular passages

Page 153 - Edward hither with his messengers, and ordered them to greet all his people ; and said that he would be to them a loving lord, and amend all those things which they all abhorred...

Page 282 - ... and let the shire appoint him a fourth term. If that then fail, let him take leave either from hence or thence, that he may seize his own.

Page 181 - Morkar for their earl. And the king granted it, and sent Harold again to them at Northampton, on the eve of St. Simon's and St. Jude's mass [27th Oct.] ; and he made known the same to them, and delivered a pledge thereof unto them : and he there renewed Cnut's law.

Page 222 - After this the king had a great council, and very deep speech with his " witan " about this land, how it was peopled, or by what men ; then he sent his men over all England, into every shire, and caused to be ascertained how many hundred hides were in the shire, or what land the king himself had, and cattle within the land, or what dues he ought to have, in twelve months, from the shire.

Page 186 - And there came to meet him archbishop Ealdred, and Eadgar child, and earl Eadwine, and earl Morkere, and all the best men of London, and then from necessity submitted when the greatest harm had been done ; and it was very imprudent that it was not done earlier, as God would not better it for our sins...

Page 222 - So very narrowly he caused it to be " traced out, that there was not a single hide, nor one virgate of land, nor even, " it is shame to tell. though it seemed to him no shame to do, an ox, nor a cow, " nor a swine was left, that was not set down.

Page 149 - ... must pay tribute to the army. Then the king sent to the army, and directed it to be made known to them, that he would that there should be a truce between them, and that tribute should be paid, and food given them. And then all that they accepted : and then were they victualled from throughout the English nation.

Page 62 - Sanctorum, where the author of the article on St. Frideswide has filled whole columns with a recapitulation of the myths, to the little guidebook which is thrown away when done with. The Oxford University Calendar, too, in its account of University, still has ' The College of the Great Hall of the University is said to have been founded in the year 872 by Alfred the Great 1 ,

Page 5 - At length, in the twentieth year of his reign, he was surrounded by a large pack of very savage wolves, and being torn and devoured by them, ended his existence in a horrible manner. Nothing good is related of him except that he begot an honest son and heir by name Ebrancus, and built one noble city which he called from his own name Caer-Memre, but which afterwards, in course of time, was called Bellisitum, then Caerbossa, at length...

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Early History of Oxford, 727-1100: Preceded by a Sketch of the Mythical Origin of the City and University; Volume 3 of Oxf. Hist. Soc.; Volume 3 of Oxford Historical Society; Volume 3 of Oxford Historical Society. Publications; Volume 3 of Publications of the Oxford historical Society, Oxford Historical Society
• Author: James Parker
• Publisher: Oxford Historical Society at the Clarendon Press, 1885
• Original from: Harvard University
• Digitized: Sep 1, 2005
• Length: 420 pages