Oxford was given a grant of murage dated 15/6/1381 but this grant was then revoked.
This was in the form of:-
Wording
Licence for the mayor and commonalty of Oxford to fortify {the town} with a ditch (fossa) 200 feet wide, within its soil and liberty, and to hold the same as parcel of the town, at the same yearly fee farm.
Vacated by surrender and afterwards cancelled by command of the king, because granted and sealed at the time of the insurrection of the commons.
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June 13. 1380. Westminster 3 Richard II
To the warden and scholars of Martonhalle in the town of Oxford. Order under pain of forfeiture to desist henceforward from all riotous assembling of men, and not to presume secretly or openly to do aught which {may tend} to breach of the peace or disturbance or terror of the people, the mayor, bailiffs and commonalty of the town, knowing that it is the king's purpose shortly to send certain lieges thither furnished with authority from him to survey the town ditch and the alleged nuisance, to appease differences, and to hear and determine their complaint and the complaint of the opposite party; as the king has learned that strife and debate are now newly arisen between the warden and scholars and the mayor, bailiffs and commonalty of the town for that, when at the king's command to make strong the town the mayor etc. at great expense caused the ditches, walls, towers, gates and enclosure to be repaired and scoured, certain men on behalf of that house assembling in great multitude with armed power arrayed as for war, averring that a highway by the ditch along which they and others used of old time to have public passage was wholly stopped with earth and sand thrown out of the ditch by such scouring to the nuisance of passengers there, cast the earth and sand again in the ditch, and by force of arms with wains and otherwise filled up the said ditch, which used to be there time out of mind, and moreover go so armed and arrayed day and night by the streets and lanes of the town to lie in wait for the king's people, threatening great number of his lieges in life and limb contrary to the peace; and it is the king's will to provide for the quietness of students in the university and for the king's peace.
The like, mutatis mutandis, to the mayor and bailiffs of Oxford.
Granted by Richard II. (Regnal year 4). Granted at London.
Primary Sources
Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1897,
Calendar of Patent Rolls Richard II (1381-85) Vol. 2 p. 16
online copyMaxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1914,
Calendar of Close Rolls, Richard II Vol. 1 p. 310
online copy
Secondary Sources
Coulson, C., 1995, 'Battlements and the Bourgeoisie: Municipal Status and the Apparatus of Urban Defence' in Church, Stephen (ed), Medieval Knighthood Vol. 5 (Boydell) p170n201
Comments
The town obtained licence to enlarge the ditch to a width of 200 ft., but the grant was cancelled after protests from Merton College, whose manor of Holywell extended up to the north wall. The leading townsmen of Oxford making use of a crisis to strengthen their position with regard to the long standing uneasy relationship with Oxford University.
Record created by Philip Davis. This record created 10/02/2009. Last updated on 05/01/2013. First published online 5/01/2013.
