Door knocker-stealing craze of the 1830s
29 March 2022
Merton Street, Oxford
In the 1830s, university authorities were locked in an ongoing battle of wits with students intent on stealing college door knockers!
John Clavell: Scholar, Poet, Highwayman
17 December 2021
Brasenose College, Radcliffe Square
John Clavell became famous in the 1620s for the repentant poetry he wrote while in prison awaiting trial for highway robbery.
Tolkien's Ghost at Merton College
1 November 2021
Merton College, Merton Street, Oxford
J.R.R. Tolkien's ghost is said to walk the quads and corridors of Merton College, leaving behind it a distinctive whiff of pipe smoke!
A Lordly Assault at the Randolph Hotel
11 October 2021
Randolph Hotel, Beaumont Street, Oxford
In March 1870, Lord Randolph Churchill was arrested for an alleged drunken assault on a police constable outside the Randolph Hotel.
Pantry Boy Murdered at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford
30 September 2021
Wycliffe Hall, Banbury Road, Oxford
In 1938 the University of Oxford was rocked by the murder of a sixteen-year-old pantry boy by a theological student at Wycliffe Hall.
Richard Haydock, fraudulent sleeping preacher of New College
24 September 2021
New College, Holywell Street, Oxford
Richard Haydock became famous for his apparent ability to preach sermons in his sleep, sermons that he claimed to have no memory of when waking.
Attempted Murder at University College
19 August 2021
Master's Lodge, Logic Lane, Oxford
When Catherine Riordan's relationship with Junior Dean John Haines ended in 1890, Catherine swore 'By God, I will be a murderess.'
Jacob Barnet Flees his Own Baptism
16 August 2021
University Church of St. Mary the Virgin, High Street, Oxford
In 1612 Jewish scholar Jacob Barnet was thrown into prison for fleeing Oxford on the day of his planned Baptism ceremony.
Arrested for Palmistry at St John's College
3 July 2021
St John's College, St. Giles, Oxford
In 1893 a woman was fined 10 shillings for practicing 'unlawful and subtle craft' in the gardens of St. John's College.
Bullingdon Club in 'Orgy of Destruction' at Christ Church
31 May 2021
Christ Church College, St Aldates, Oxford
After a drunken dinner party, members of the exclusive Bullingdon Club smashed all 468 windows in the main quad at Christ Church College.