Oxenford.
("Doomsday Book.")
The greatness of the city of Oxford, a contraction of Oxenford, as
quaintly depicted on the armorial shield by an ill-drawn ox making
tentative efforts to cross a ford represented by horizontal zigzag
waves, consists in its magnificent colleges, not huddled together, but
dotted in all directions. Some authorities derive the name from
Ouseford, from the river Ouse, now the Isis, and that the wealthy abbey,
erected on an island in this river, was named Ouseney, or Osney, from
the same source.
Didanus, an early Saxon prince, is credited with a monastic
establishment, about the year 730, dedicated to St. Mary and All Saints,
and founded for twelve sisters of noble birth. His daughter Frideswide
was first abbess, and was after death canonised and buried in the abbey
dedicated to St. Frideswide.
The origin of the city is attributed by some historians to the
establishment of schools by Alfred the Great, whilst, on the other
hand, it is demonstrated to have existed many years prior to this
monarch's reign, as far back as 802, by an act of confirmation by Pope
Martin II., which sets it forth as an ancient academy of learning. It
has its market-place and other essentials, like every town; but take
away the colleges, and with them sweep away all the traditions that have
sprung up and constituted that university which brooks no rival
excepting Cambridge, the city would no longer be a city, but, at the
most, an overgrown village.
There is no doubt that the colleges were the gradual development of
monastic institutions. The hall of nowadays and the kitchens and
buttery-hatch are simply the survivals of the refectory of the mediaeval
days. The compulsory morning attendance of students, on most days during
term-time, to prayers in chapel, is again a survival of the matutinal
devotions of the monks. In the early days of monasticism the inmates of
the ecclesiastical buildings were the only recipients of learning and
exponents of illuminated manuscripts, in addition to the knowledge of
some trade or other. A few, perhaps, of the laity, who were favourites
and might possibly be admitted as novices, were permitted to partake of
this knowledge, but being brought up in the convent their sympathy and
gratitude would be entirely with their benefactors. Nevertheless, as
time went on and a thirst for knowledge of letters increased, this
introduction of novices became the thin end of the wedge to the downfall
of the monastic power, which was consummated by Henry VIII. in the year
1525.
On the site of the monastery of St. Frideswide Cardinal Wolsey founded a
college, then named Cardinal College, but now known as Christ Church. On
the disgrace of this famous prelate, Henry VIII. completed the
establishment, under the name of Henry the Eighth's College. It is
necessary to make this slight mention of the college, for no doubt its
great accommodation influenced the removal of the episcopal see from
Osney, and constituted the elevation of the Church of St. Frideswide
into a cathedral. This removal necessitated the change of name to Christ
Church, under which is comprised the sacred edifice and college. This
has given rise to a unique position. The Cathedral is not only a
cathedral of the city, but is a noble and immense chapel of the college,
and the Dean occupies the singular position not only as the Dean of the
church but also as the Dean of the college.
Spread out before the chief and only entrance of the church is Tom
Quadrangle, with a paved walk extending all round, and raised a few
steps above the circular carriage drive which encloses a lawn, with the
pond famous for the ducking of students unpopular with their
contemporaries.
There are evidences, at one time, of the existence of pillars supporting
a roof, covering the whole extent of the broad-flagged pavement of this
quadrangle. The principal entrance to this quadrangle is through Tom
Tower, from which daily, about nine in the evening, the huge bell booms
forth one hundred and one strokes, the signal for all colleges to close
their portals, and the dealing out of pecuniary fines to all
late-comers. The lower part of this tower, up to the two smaller towers,
is Wolsey's, whilst the upper and incongruous half is the conception of
Wren. In spite of this, it is a noble-looking structure, as can be seen
by looking at the water-colour of Mr. Collins.
The Cathedral cannot strictly be termed imposing, as so little of it is
visible externally. It is hemmed in on all sides by the college
precincts, and jammed, as it were, into a corner, presents a rather
undignified appearance, and not at all in accordance with the usual
proud position of a cathedral. It shows to best advantage when viewed
from the side of the river Thames, exhibiting, as it does, its beautiful
spire. This spire, of Early English architecture, is one of the earliest
in the kingdom, though forming no part of the original design. It is
planted on the top of the central tower of the Cathedral, which is a
cruciform Norman structure.
[Illustration: OXFORD