Oxford Town Wall

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Martyrs Tower

In the civil parish of Oxford. In the historic county of Oxfordshire (Modern Authority of Oxfordshire, 1974 county of Oxfordshire).

Town defences. There is some evidence for pre-Conquest defences and they are mentioned in Domesday. It is probable that the defences were restored and strengthened soon after the Conquest. Some rebuilding took place 1226-40 when bastions were added. Some portions of medieval town wall survive, best preserve part by New College. Uniquely may have had a two circuits of concentric walls. A licence for the mayor and commons of Oxford to extend the ditch to 200ft width was revoked because it was obtained during the peasants revolt.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 245217 and others)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SP514064

Air Photo from Air Photo and general mapping	1st edition OS Map from Mid to late 19th century maps
Modern Map from Landscape form and features	Modern Map from General location and route planning
Geograph British Isles occasionally has photos of the site and will usually give an idea of the surrounding landscape.

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 338452; 338450; 338451; 338453; 1319586
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 6274 and others 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website.

• Books
  • Creighton, O.H. and Higham, R.A., 2005, Medieval Town Walls (Stroud: Tempus) p24, 40-1, 45, 48, 56-7, 65, 68, 70, 88, 91, 108, 124, 144, 147, 148, 161, 167, 169, 172, 174-5, 178-9, 184, 187, 197, 209, 223, 225, 228, 231, 237, 240, 247, 257-8
    Dodd, Anne (ed), 2003, Oxford before the university: the late Saxon and Norman archaeology of the Thames crossing, the defences and the town (Oxford Archaeology: Thames Valley landscape monograph 17) [esp chap4 by Julian Munby and David Wilkinson]
    Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of The Thames Valley and The Chilterns (Malvern) p74
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p205-6
    Bond, C.J., 1987, 'Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Defences' in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds) Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report) p92-116
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p388
    Hassall, T.G., 1979, ‘City walls, gates, and postems’, in A Crossley (ed), A Victoria History of the County of Oxford Vol4, The City of Oxford (OUP for the Institute of Historical Research) p300-4 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=22810
    Barley, M.W., 1975, 'Town Defences in England and Wales after 1066' in Barley (ed) Medieval Towns in England and Wales (CBA research reports) pp57-71 plan p66
    Turner, H.L., 1971, Town Defences in England and Wales (London) p121-2
    RCHME, 1939, Inventory-City of Oxford (HMSO) p159-61 plate 214
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co) p220-2
    Penny, F.H. and Merry, W. M., 1899, Buried Oxford Unearthed (Oxford)
• Journal Articles
  • 2002, South Midlands Archaeology Vol32 p56-7 [bastion 5]
    Parsons, D., 1994, 'The west tower of St Michael at the Northgate, Oxford' Appendix I. to Renn, D.F. 'Burhgeat and Gonfanon: Two Sidelights from the Bayeux Tapestry' Anglo-Norman Studies Vol16 p177-86 [Reprinted in Liddiard, Robert (ed), 2003, Anglo Norman Castles (Woodbridge: Boydell) p85-9]
    1995, South Midlands Archaeology Vol25 p53, 55
    1994, South Midlands Archaeology Vol24 p46
    Turner, H.L., 1990, 'The mural Mansions of Oxford: attempted identifications' Oxoniensis Vol55 p73-9
    1988, South Midlands Archaeology Vol18 p84
    1987, South Midlands Archaeology Vol17 p91-2 [bastion 4]
    1986, South Midlands Archaeology Vol16 p104-5
    Durham, B., Halpin, C. and Palmer, N., 1983, ‘Oxford’s northern defences: Archaeological studies 1971–1982' Oxoniensia Vol48 p13–40
    1983, South Midlands Archaeology Vol13 p103, 136, 139
    Durham, B., 1982, ‘Oxford: Corpus Christi College' CBA Group 9: South Midlands Archaeology newsletter Vol12 p156-7, 159 [bastion 21] and p109, 117
    1981, CBA Group 9: South Midlands Archaeology newsletter Vol11 p130-133
    1980, CBA Group 9: South Midlands Archaeology newsletter Vol10 138, 155-7
    1979, CBA Group 9: South Midlands Archaeology newsletter Vol9 p130-2
    Hassall, T.G., 1978, ‘Oxford, the city walls' The Archaeological Journal Vol135 p258-62
    1977, CBA Group 9: South Midlands Archaeology newsletter Vol7 p75
    Palmer, N., 1976, 'Excavations on the outer city wall of Oxford in St Helen's Passage and Hertford College' Oxeniensia Vol41 p148-60
    1976, CBA Group 9: South Midlands Archaeology newsletter Vol6 p74
    1974, Medieval Archaeology Vol18 p183 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    1974, CBA Group 9: South Midlands Archaeology newsletter Vol4 p22-23
    1973, CBA Group 9: South Midlands Archaeology newsletter Vol3 p30-1
    Hassall, T.G., 1973, 'Excavations at Oxford, 1972: fifth interim report' Oxoniensia Vol38 p268-98
    1972, CBA Group 9: South Midlands Archaeology newsletter Vol2 p33-4
    Hassall, T.G., 1972, 'Excavations at Oxford, 1971: fourth interim report' Oxoniensia Vol37 p137-9
    Hassall, T.G., 1971, 'Excavations in Merton College, Oxford, 1970' Oxoniensia Vol36 p34-48
    1971, CBA Group 9: South Midlands Archaeology newsletter Vol1 p23
    Hassall, T.G., 1970, 'Excavations at Oxford, 1969: second interim report' Oxoniensia Vol35 p5-18
    Sturdy, 1961-2, Oxoniensia Vol26-27 p19-27
    Hunter, A.G. and Jope, E.M., 1951, 'Excavations on the city defences in New College, Oxford, 1949' Oxoniensia Vol16 p28-41
    Rickard, 1943, Oxoniensia Vol8 p203-5
    Daniell and Leeds, 1939, Oxoniensia Vol4 p153-61
    Bruton, E.G., 1891, 'The town walls of Oxford' Journal of the British Archaeological Association Vol47 p109-19 [plan] http://www.archive.org/stream/journalofbritish47brit#page/n149/mode/1up
    Parker, 1866, Oxford Architectural Society [new ser] Vol5 p21-31
    Parker, 1861, Oxford Architectural Society [new ser] Vol1 p38-45
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Calendar of Patent Rolls (1225-1232) p62, 138, 271, 495; (1232-47) p110, 189; (1247-1258) p103, 118, 570; (1258-1266) p300; (1281-1291) p197; (1292-1301) p603; (1321-1324) p41; (1324-1327) p324; (1345-1348) p244 [murage grants]
    Calendar of Patent Rolls (1258-1266) p663 [Order to mayor, bailiffs and good men of Oxford to repair walls]
    Calendar of Patent Rolls (1381-85) p16 [licence to build ditch (revoked)]
    Slater, H.E. (ed), (was series volume for 1917 but not published until 1920), Munimenta Civitatis Oxonie (Oxford Historical Society 71) p147-8, 255-6, 258, 283 [Turner writes 'The chamberlains' accounts indicate only small expenditure on the walls']
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/gloceng.html#oxon11]
    John Speed, 1605, Map of Oxford http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:John_Speed%27s_map_of_Oxford,_1605..jpg
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p365