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Woodstock (New) in Oxford County England History and GeographyWOODSTOCK (NEW), a borough, market town, and parish, having separate jurisdiction, though locally within the liberty of the city of Oxford, county of OXFORD, 8 miles (N.N.W.) from Oxford, and 62 (W.N.W.) from London, containing 1455 inhabitants. This place is of Saxon origin, and was called by that people Vudestoc, signifying a woody place. It appears to have been chosen, at an early period, as an abode of royalty, and the manor-house, as it was called, is supposed to have been built upon the site of a Roman villa. Alfred the Great resided here whilst translating Bo?tius; Ethelred held a council, or parliament, here, and made several of the statutes enumerated by Lambard, in his collection of Anglo-Saxon laws: it subsequently became a favourite residence of Henry I., who in a great measure rebuilt the place, surrounded the park with a wall, and stocked it with wild animals. In the reign of Henry II., Woodstock is celebrated as the residence of the fair Rosamond, whose romantic adventures are so interwoven with the history of that monarch: Henry here received Rice, Prince of Wales, when he, in 1163, came to do homage. Edmund of Woodstock, the second son of Edward I., was born here in 1330; as were also Edward the Black Prince, and Thomas of Woodstock, sons of Edward III. It was for some time the place of confinement of Queen Elizabeth, during the reign of her sister Mary: on her accession to the throne, it was occasionally selected as her residence, the town was distinguished by her favours. The manor and honour continued in the crown until the reign of Queen Anne, when it was granted to the celebrated Duke of Marlborough, for whom a splendid mansion was erected, at the expense of the nation, called Blenheim, after the scene of one of his victories, as a recompense for his great military and diplomatic services. The town is very pleasantly situated on an eminence, at the eastern bank of the Glyme, an expansion of which forms the lake in Blenheim park, and afterwards joining the Evenload in the vicinity, both fall into the Isis: the streets are clean and spacious; and the houses, which are mostly built of stone, are generally large and handsome. The manufacture of gloves is the principal branch of trade, and, although fluctuating, is carried on to a considerable extent, furnishing employment to about one hundred men and fifteen hundred women and girls in the town and neighbourhood, upwards of five hundred dozen pair being made weekly. The manufacture of various articles of fine steel has very much decayed since the rise of Birmingham and Sheffield: those made here formerly brought very high prices, from the beauty of the workmanship and the brightness of the polish, and are remarkable from having been generally made of old nails of horse-shoes, formed into bars. Queen Elizabeth, among other privileges, granted a wool staple, of which there are now no remains, and a market to be held on Friday, but the principal market day is Tuesday. There are fairs on Tuesday after February 2nd, April 5th, Tuesday at Whitsuntide, August 2nd, October 2nd (a great mart for cheese), Tuesday after November 1st, and December 17th. Woodstock, which had long been a borough by prescription, was incorporated in 1453, by Henry VI., whose charter was confirmed and enlarged by succeeding monarchs, the last of whom, Charles II., granted that under which the corporation now acts; a restrictive charter was forced on it by James II., but soon after set aside by proclamation. The members of the corporation are in number twenty-five, viz., five aldermen, from among whom a mayor is annually chosen, a high steward, a recorder, assisted by seventeen common council-men, and a town clerk; two of the common council-men act as chamberlains in rotation. The freedom is acquired by birth, servitude, or gift of the corporation, who, as lords of the manor, hold a court leet annually; and a court for the recovery of debts under £15 within the borough is held every month, but only pro forma for many years past. The town hall is a handsome stone building, erected about the year 1766, by the Duke of Marlborough, after a design by Sir William Chambers. This borough has always been privilleged to send two members to parliament, though the right has only been exercised without interruption since the 13th of Elizabeth: the electors are the mayor, aldermen, and freemen; the number of voters is about one hundred and fifty, of whom nearly one half are non-resident: the mayor is the returning officer. Woodstock, though for all civil purposes a parish, and by far the most populous, is only a chapelry to the rectory of Bladon: a parsonage-house was erected here by Bishop Fell, in which the rector may optionally reside. The chapel, dedicated to St. Mary, was principally rebuilt, in 1785, on the site of a chantry founded by King John: in the original part of the building, which forms the south side of the chapel, is a roundheaded doorway of early Norman architecture, composed of red stone, ornamented with chevron work; it consists withinside of three massy columns supporting pointed arches, their capitals having various grotesque sculptures of the human countenance: the more modern part of the structure has been erected in a style no way corresponding with this ancient part, but it has a tower of good proportions. Particular Baptists and Wesleyan Methodists have each a place of worship. The free grammar school was founded and endowed, in 1585, by Richad Cornwall, a native of the town; the master is appointed by the corporation, who pay him £30 per annum; and he receives fifteen shillings a quarter from each child of a freeman, for instruction in reading, writing, and accounts, the classics being taught free. Eight boys and eight girls, double the original number, are instructed and clothed, under the benefaction of the Rev. Sir Robert Cocks, Bart., formerly rector of Bladon with Woodstock, now producing upwards of £60 per annum; the remainder of the endowment, which fluctuates with the rent of land, being given as apprentice fees with the boys when leaving the school. Almshouses for six poor widows, standing near the southern entrance of the town, were built in 1793, by the late Duchess of Marlborough. There are various bequests for the benefit of the poor, which are distributed amongst them in money, clothing, &c. In the Rolls of the reign of Henry III., mention is made of an almshouse, built near the king's manor, which Tanner thinks may be the same with the hospital of St. Mary the Virgin and St. Mary Magdalene, for which a protection was granted to beg, by patent of the 1st of Edward III. Roman coins, especially of Constantine, are occasionally dug up within the limits of the borough; and the Akeman-street-way, an ancient Roman road, passes through the northern part of Blenheim park. Chaucer, the father of English poets, resided, and is said by some to have been born, here. Woodstock gives the title of viscount to the Duke of Portland. From Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of England 1831, courtesy of Databases 4 Sale |
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