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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.