OXFORD, the capital of one of the midland counties of England, to which it gives its name, a city of great an tiquity and some importance in British history, the see of a bishop, and more peculiarly celebrated as the seat of what may perhaps be justly considered the most splendid and extensive university in Europe. It is situated about fifty-four miles W. N. W. of London, at the conflux of two small rivers, the Isis (by far the more considerable of the two) and the Cherwell, which, by their circuitous and meandering course, almost surround the place. The city is built on a fine gravel, having as a protection on the south and west, eminences of considerable height ; to the east and north runs a low and level plain, extending through a rich and fertile country, well wooded, and on every side surrounded by the most luxuriant vegeta tion.
Concerning the derivation of the name of Oxford, many and varying opinions have been formed. The most com mon is that it was called by the Saxons Oxenford, in the same sense as the Greeks did their Bosphori, and the Germans their Ochenfort on the Oder, namely, as the ford of oxen ; hut we own, that to us no derivation ap pears so founded on truth and probability as the sug gestion of Warton, (the historian of English poetry,) who contends, as Leland did before him, that it is a mere cor ruption of Ouseneuford, the ford at or near Ouseney, or the meadow of Ouse, Ouse being the general name for river or water. The city is written Orsnaforda or Oksna forda on a coin of Alfred in the Bodleian, it is Oxnaford and Oxeneford, frequently in the Saxon Chronicle, and Oxneford on pennies of the two Williams. Now Ou sen, Ousn, or Osn were quickly reduced or corrupted into Orsn, Oxsn, or Okin, and the original meaning of Ouseneyford being forgot and obliterated, Oxeneford (whence Oxenford or Oxford) presented an familiar signification, which the pedantry of our ancestors Latinised into Vadum Bourn : for, as Warton justly re marks, the great source of corruption in etymologies of names, both of places and men, consists in the natural propensity, to substitute in the place of one difficult and obscure, a more common and notorious appellation, sug gested and authorized by affinity of sound.* Oxford is of very remote antiquity. There are not want ing writers who place it as early as the year of the world 2954, or 1009 years before our Saviour. These say, that
it was built by Memphric, king of the Britains, and called, in honour of its founder, Caer-Memphric, Caer signifying, in the Celtic, a city. Others contend that it was founded by Vortigern, and called Caer-Vortigern, whilst a third party give it the appellation of Bellosihenz, from its favour able situation, on a slight eminence, between two rivers, and adorned with woods. " It is indeed unknown," says Lhwyd, "what names Oxford hath borne, on account of its great antiquity." Ptolemy has been supposed to men tion Oxford under the name of Calleva, but it may be doubted whether this was not Silchester, or Wallingford; and it is certain that the place does not occur in the Iti nerary of Antoninus, whence we may conclude that, al though the Akeman Street passed in the immediate vici nity of the city, it was neither garrisoned nor inhabited by the Romans. It would be useless to dwell on the conflict ing and almost fabulous reports which are met with in our early writers respecting the foundation of, and occurrences, at Oxford. Certain it is, that it was the residence of King Alfred and his three sons, Edward, Athelward, and Alf ward. In 907 it was burnt by the Danes, who repeated their atrocities in 1002, 1009, 1013, and a fourth time, in 1032. The Conqueror, meeting with a refusal to his sum mons, stormed the city on the north side in 1067, and tak ing it, bestowed his acquisitions on Robert D'Oiley. " Ro bertus de 011eio, that cam into England with Wylliam Conqueror, had given to hym the baronyes of Oxford and Saint Waleries. This Robert made the Castelle of Ox ford, and, as I confect, other made the waulles of Oxford or repaired them. This Robert made the Chapelle of St. George in the Castelle of Oxforde, and founded a college of prebendaries there."t In the survey, commonly known as Domesday book, this Robert is rated as having within and without the walls forty-two houses inhabited, and eight lying waste ; the castle which he erected was in tolerable repair in the early part of the civil wars, but has gradually grown to decay, all now remaining being St. George's tower, of which, so much as is habitable is appropriated to the use of the county prison ; the keep, in which is a strong vaulted chamber, with a well of great depth, and a crypt, now used as a store cellar.