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Explore - Oxford City

Gargoyles on the tower of University Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Oxford

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.

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Edward II

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!

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Sheela Na Gig at Oxford

Oxford's Sheela Na Gig

6 August 2021

St Michael at the North Gate Church, Cornmarket Street, Oxford

This explicit stone carving is an unusual addition to one of Oxford's oldest churches.

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Iffley Lock

Corpse Trouble at Iffley Lock Toll

5 August 2021

Iffley Lock, Church Way, Iffley

A superstition about corpses passing through toll gates has caused trouble for the operators of Iffley Lock toll on a number of occasions.

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Somerville House, Oxford

Isaac Grubb and the 1867 Bread Riots

3 August 2021

Somerville House, 130 Banbury Road, Oxford

Baker Isaac Grubb incurred the town's anger when it was revealed he was selling bread to the university on the cheap.

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St Andrews Church Headington

Cabbage Theft Ends in Tragedy at Headingon Church

2 August 2021

St. Andrew's Church, St, Headington

A misunderstanding ended in tragedy in 1872, when the Parish Clerk of Headington was accused of stealing cabbages from a neighbour.

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Donnington Bridge Road circa 1876

A Suicide Buried Near Donnington Bridge

26 July 2021

Donnington Bridge Road

In 1803 the body of a perfidious harness maker was buried at the junction of Donnington Bridge Road and the Iffley Road.

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Palmistry

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.

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The Trout Inn, Godstow

Fair Rosamund's Ghost at the Trout Inn

1 June 2021

The Trout Inn, Godstow Road, Wolvercote

The ghost of 'Fair Rosamund' Clifford, mistress to Henry II, is said to haunt the scene of their secret trysts at the Trout Inn at Godstow.

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