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England Oxford (city)

Guide to OXFORD (city) history, family history, and genealogy: parish registers, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.



HISTORY
Oxford was first settled in Saxon times and was initially known as "Oxenaforda", meaning "Ford of the Oxen"; fords were more common than bridges at that time. Therefore we can be assured that Oxford as a city is older than Cambridge (Bridge over the river Cam).

It began with the establishment of a river crossing for oxen around AD 900. In the 10th century, Oxford became an important military frontier town between the kingdoms of Mercia and Wessex and was on several occasions raided by Danes.

Oxford was heavily damaged during the Norman Invasion of 1066.

The community never grew large but it earned its place in history as one of Britain's oldest places of formal education.

Oxford's prestige was enhanced by its charter granted by King Henry II, granting its citizens the same privileges and exemptions as those enjoyed by the capital of the kingdom; and various important religious houses were founded in or near the city. A grandson of King John established Rewley Abbey for the Cistercian Order; and friars of various orders (Dominicans, Franciscans, Carmelites, Augustinians and Trinitarians) all had houses of varying importance at Oxford.

The University of Oxford is first mentioned in 12th century records. As the university took shape, tension between the hundreds of students living where and how they pleased led to a decree that all undergraduates would have to reside in approved halls. This led to a huge increase in building, resulting in the present organization of Colleges, each with its own dormitories.

During the English Civil War, Oxford housed the court of Charles I in 1642, after the king was expelled from London.

By the early 20th century, Oxford was experiencing rapid industrial and population growth, with the printing and publishing industries becoming well established by the 1920s.

Today, Oxford is one of the most diverse small cities in Britain: the most recent population estimates for 2005 showed that 27% of the population were from ethnic minority groups, including 16.2% from non-white ethnic minority ethnic groups

LOCATION
Oxford is in central Southeast England. It is 51 miles north west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames (also sometimes known as the Isis locally from the Latinised name Thamesis) run through Oxford and meet south of the city center.

It is located on a flat alluvial plain, and the local area is extremely fertile.

The area has been settled from prehistoric times, and due to a beneficial climate, has been always populated with farms and orchards. Because of this, the city and region has always attracted the landed gentry, with the resulting proliferation of fine period edifices.

A number of Graded English manor houses and palaces are in the local area, and available for tourism. An example is Blenheim Palace and gardens, pictured below.



RELIGION
Because education through the middle ages was always related to religion, Oxford has had a major link to Catholicism. However this was severed due to the emancipation of England by King Henry VIII. At that time, the Church of England was mandated by the Crown for the University.

However in the 19th-century a movement called the Oxford Movement, centered at the University of Oxford, sought a renewal of “catholic,” or Roman Catholic, thought and practice within Colleges and in opposition to the Protestant tendencies of the church. This was countered by the official Church of England, and the University was somewhat discomforted.

Since that time, and more particularly in the late twentieth century onward, and based on the liberal influence of the University, the majority of the population claim no religion.

INDUSTRY
Until the start of the Industrial revolution, Oxford was known as a University town and a market center. However that rapidly changes with the advent of the canal system.

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, and other rail routes soon followed.

These two major links allowed Oxford to build on its intellectual base and start a plethora of new industries.

By the early 20th century, Oxford was experiencing rapid industrial and population growth, with the printing and publishing industries becoming well established by the 1920s. Also during that decade, the economy and society of Oxford underwent a huge transformation as William Morris established Morris Motors Limited to mass-produce cars in Cowley, on the south-eastern edge of the city.

However the late twentieth century saw a rapid decline in British motor building, and the Morris factory shut down, as did many of the local breweries and other industries based on labor.

Today, Oxford is back to its roots, with industries such as IT, education, and book printing being its major sources of revenue.

CIVIL REGISTRATION
Birth, marriages and deaths records have been kept by government since July 1837 to the present day. Prior to that, local parishes of the Church of England, and local branches of other faiths were the only repositories of this information. The following link provides access for Canterbury records:


 * Free BMD UK


 * UK BMD


 * Devon Gov records

CENSUS RECORDS
Census records for Canterbury can be found using the following links:


 * UK Gov census records


 * GENUKI Plymouth census records

PROBATE RECORDS
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by several locations for Plymouth. Please follow the links below:


 * UK Gov probate records


 * Plymouth probate office

CEMETERIES AND GRAVES
There are presently four cemeteries, and several outlying cemeteries within the Plymouth city district. The link follows:


 * Plymouth city cemeteries

Other useful sites follow:


 * Findagrave, Plymouth


 * Billion graves, Plymouth

GENEALOGY SOCIETIES AND GENEALOGY

 * Devon Genealogy


 * Devon Family History Society


 * Roots web Devon


 * GENUKI org Devon FHS