Littlemore Lunatic Asylum
20 August 2021
Sandford Road, Littlemore
In 1884 a misunderstanding between staff at Littlemore Asylum saw a confused visitor being stripped, bathed and confined to bed as a patient.
The Swing Riots in Oxfordshire
20 August 2021
St. Helen's Church, Church Road, Benson
In November 1830, unrest over poor pay and conditions for England's rural population boiled over into rioting, arson and vandalism.
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.'
Whitsun Ale at Woodstock
19 August 2021
Woodstock
Chaotic scenes and drunken revelry were par for the course on this particularly boozy religious holiday.
The Ghost of Jane Scalpepper at Church Handborough
18 August 2021
The Old Rectory, Church Handborough
The Old Rectory at Church Handborough is haunted by the ghost of Jane Scalpepper, who met a bad end there in the mid 17th century.
A Burned Body Found at Stadhampton
17 August 2021
Stadhampton
What happened to Canadian student Thomas Patteson Moss remains a mystery to this day.
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.
The Hanging of a Royal Pretender and his Cat
14 August 2021
Beaumont Street, Oxford
In 1318 John Deydras made an extraordinary claim: he had been swapped with Edward II as a baby and was the true heir to the English throne!
A Monkey at St. Mary's Church
6 August 2021
St. Mary's Church, The Green, Witney
An escaped monkey during a fair inspired this unusual addition to the spire at St. Mary's Church, Witney.