Oxford St Aldate, Oxfordshire Genealogy

England   Oxfordshire

Parish History
Oxford, parl. and mun. bor., city, market town, and county town of Oxfordshire, chiefly in Oxfordshire but partly in Berkshire, between the rivers Cherwell and Thames, or Isis, 27 miles NW. of Reading and 63 from London by rail - parl. bor., 4557 ac., pop. 40,837; mun. bor., 2779 ac., pop. 35,264; town, pop. 39,186; 4 Banks, 7 newspapers. Market-days, Wednesday and Saturday. As a great seat of learning Oxford has for centuries upheld a high celebrity throughout the world. It has also a history of great interest and importance.

Already in the 9th century (under the names of Oxnaford, Oxenford, and Ousford) it appears as an ancient academy of learning; it was twice besieged by the Danes, and was eventually surrendered to Sweyn in 1013; was stormed by William the Conqueror in 1067, and by King Stephen in 1142; and was the meeting-place of the "Mad Parliament" in 1264. In its subsequent history the chief events include the fearful "town and gown" disturbance in 1354; the preaching of Wickliffe in the reign of Edward III.; the martyrdom of Ridley, Latimer, and Cranmer in the reign of the "Bloody Mary;" the "Black Assize"of 1557; the city's adherence to the cause of Charles I., and its siege by Fairfax; and the Jacobite riots of 1715. Oxford is not a trading town, and has no manufactures of special importance. Business is generally supported by supplying the wants of the University, which now comprises 21 colleges and 4 halls. The oldest college is University College, founded, according to tradition, by Alfred the Great, while the most recent is Keble College, founded in 1868. The total revenues of the University are computed to reach #460,000. There are 44 professors - Theology, 7; Law, 4; Natural Science, including Medicine and Mathematics, 13; and Arts, 20. The total number of undergraduates is about 2600. Connected with the University are the following institutions: - the Bodleian Library (founded about 1602) with over 300,000 vols., the Ashmolean Museum, the Taylor Institution, University Galleries, Ruskin Drawing School, University Museum, Radcliffe Library, and the University Observatory. Oxford, besides its University, is celebrated for its splendid buildings. Christ Church Cathedral is a Norman and Early English edifice. The "Martyrs Monument" is a memorial to the memory of Cranmer, Latimer, and Ridley. Oxford University returns 2 members to Parliament. Oxford City returns 1 member; it returned 2 members until 1885.

Oxford through timeA Vision of Britain through Time includes a large library of local statistics for administrative units. For the best overall sense of how the area containing Oxford has changed, please see our redistricted information for the modern district of Oxford. More detailed statistical data are available under Units and statistics, which includes both administrative units covering Oxford and units named after it. (www.visionofbritain.org.uk)

Civil Registration
Birth, marriages and deaths were kept by the government, from July 1837 to the present day. The civil registration article tells more about these records. There are several Internet sites with name lists or indexes. A popular site is FreeBMD.

Church records
Contributor: Include here information for parish registers, Bishop’s Transcripts, non conformist and other types of church records, such as parish chest records. Add the contact information for the office holding the original records. Add links to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection

Probate records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Oxfordshire Probate Records to find the name of the court having primary jurisdiction. Scroll down in the article to the section Court Jurisdictions by Parish.

Maps and Gazetteers
Maps are a visual look at the locations in England. Gazetteers contain brief summaries about a place.


 * England Jurisdictions 1851
 * Vision of Britain

Web sites
Contributor: Add any relevant sites that aren’t mentioned above.