Oxford,
a medieval town, grew up in the angle formed by the junction of two
rivers - the Thames (called locally the Isis) and the Cherwell. The
central crossroads of the old town is known as Carfax (a word derived
from the Latin for 'four forks').
In 1167 Henry II ordered all English students on the Continent to
return to England. Many of these students decided to settle in Oxford
to create the kind of university they had seen in Europe. Disputes
between the students and residents led to riots. Some of these students
fled to Cambridge where they founded
a new university. The loss of Oxford's students hurt the local economy
and in 1214 traders and merchants invited them back again. University
College was founded in 1249 by William of Durham. Balliol was established
in 1263 and Merton, the first residential college, arrived the following
year.
Oxford University was first granted the
right to have two MPs in 1613. The vote was given to proctors and
all living masters of arts of the university, wherever they lived.
The two Tory candidates were almost always
guaranteed success. Around 1,300 people voted in elections. Between
1817 and 1829 one of Cambridge's two MPs was Sir
Robert Peel. However, Peel's support for Catholic
Emancipation made him unpopular in Oxford and he was defeated
by 146 votes in February 1829.
(1)
Daniel Defoe, A Tour Through the Whole
Island of Great Britain (1724)
Oxford, a name known throughout the learned
world, is the greatest (if not the most ancient) university in the
island of Great Britain. The city itself is large, strong, populous,
and rich; and as it is adorned by the most beautiful buildings of
the colleges and halls, it makes the most noble figure of any city
in Europe.
Available
from Amazon Books (order below)
