Oxford Castle unlocked
Date:
Saturday 7th June 2008
Moon phase:
Waxing crescent
Equipment:
Toshiba laptop
2 USB temperature data loggers
Sharp mini disc recorder
Tecpel EMF field tester
Digital thermometer
Olympus VN-240pc digital voice recorder
2 Sony DCR-HC19E handycam camcorders with Sony IR light attachment
Sony handycam camcorder with 0 LUX and tripod
Sony DCR-SR35E hard drive camcorder with Sony IR light attachment and tripod.
Sony DSC-H9 cybershot stills camera with built in IR .
apple macbook, t.c. electronics konnekt 24D firewire audio interface and SE2200 large diaphragm condenser microphone.
Samsung digital camera (10mp)
Kodak digital camera (3mp)
Kodak digital camera (5mp)
sony hard drive camcorder
concord digital stills camera
Introduction:
Wendy contacted Oxford Castle after reading about the amount of alleged paranormal activity that is said to happen there on a regular basis. The group arrived at the castle at 6.45pm to be met by Emily Hirons at the entrance of café 1071.
Previous activity:
There have been many reports of paranormal activity at the Oxford Castle site including:
The Murderer Mary Blandy was tried and hanged at Oxford in 1752, her ghost has been see a number of times walking the Castle Mound
In the 1970s a group of inmates held a séance in one of the cells sparking poltergeist activity, in the end of priest was called to conduct an exorcism
A strange white mist has been witnessed rising up a flight of stairs, two prison guards watched in horror as it faded in front of their eyes.
In the past the Castle has been used as a film set including for the film "The Italian Job". More recently during filming, a group of film extras heard unidentifiable shouts and screams echoing around the main buildings. On at least two occasions there has been unexplained physical damage to various items stored at the prison.
Security guards have long been uneasy doing the rounds at night and the most terrifying apparition was spotted by one guard and his dog on a nightly patrol. The dog stopped and growled while its master saw two black figures in front of him, days later the dog died of fright!
First impressions:
Emily was kind enough to take us of a tour of the castle prior to the commencement of the vigils. This gave the sensitive members of the group chance to get a feel for the place and to convey their first impressions.
As the group walked up the tower staircase Caroline was aware of activity in some of the rooms going off the tower. She didn’t feel happy about this and did not feel at ease in that area. She thinks that it might have just been the fact that the stairs were really small and there were a lot of people there that caused it.
In the cell exhibition area, Tracey felt uncomfortable stood at the back of the group and asked to go in front of Wendy. They both felt as though they were being followed and heard a shuffling noise behind them several times during the initial walk around. Emma felt a brush/ light stroke on her left forearm in the end cell (D213)
The group then walked back down the stairs, past the area where there is an alcove and a statue of a prison officer, Caroline felt that again there was some energy in this area. The walked down the stairs to the crypt and Caroline stood away from the crypt area, by the stair well. Caroline was aware of a man standing in the archway at the top of the stairs with his back towards the cell corridor. When the group walked up the stairs and stood in the cell corridor the man had moved to the end of the corridors by the entrance. Caroline felt that he would pace up and down the corridors.
Phil was the last one down the steps from coming down the turrets staircase and as everyone was following Emily down towards the crypt he was trailing behind and heard two loud bangs from up the stairs. He hung back for about 1 minute and then heard 3 louder bangs coming from just up the stairs on the stairs. Phil made a note of it and caught up with the group.
On the way down the set of steps leading from the ground floor to The Crypts Andy felt a sharp pain just above the Knees on both legs. Literally almost exactly when Andy experienced this Penny yelped with pain and complained of the same pain. It had felt as though Andy’s legs had been cut off with a sharp instrument. Penny felt as though both her legs had been amputated without anesthetic.
Penny saw a door opposite the fire exit door at the end of the crypt and in her minds eye she saw a procession of monks coming through proceeding towards the back of the crypt and coming around to face the leader. Penny felt they were carrying something in a box. As the group stood in the entrance to the Crypt, Clairo saw someone stood next to Jamie. As the group moved away from the area, Wendy stood in the entrance to the corridor leading to the Crypt and took a couple of photographs. As she looked through the view finder on her camera, she saw a very tall dark shape move very quickly from left to right at the end of the corridor.
With so many members of the group having strange experiences so early on in the investigation, there was an air of excited anticipation as members made their way back to the café to collect their equipment in preparation for the vigils.
Groups.
Group 1:
Clairo
Gill
Rich
Jamie
Wend
Tracey
Group 2:
Caroline
Harri
Andy
Scott
Tina
Dan
Group 3:
Penny
Gayle
Emma
Phil
Temperature data loggers:
Tower room 1
The Crypt
Investigation areas:
The Crypt
The cells
The Tower
Vigil 1
Group 1 – The Tower
8pm-9pm
(1st floor tower room)
8.07pm -Richard heard a clanking noise and had a feeling of unsteadiness. He got the name Henry Lyle and heard the words: ‘I will make them pay – those who stole from me.’
The group decided to conduct an EVP experiment. This was recorded on Dictaphone as Claire asked out.
Claire got the name Jeffery when she was asking out and felt sick in this area. She felt the room would have been had praying and she heard, ‘Mother Mary full of grace, save me now oh great redeemer.’ Gill had the sensation of someone imprisoned who gone mad and became delirious. She also felt that the room may have been used to hold people before execution. Jill also felt as though someone was cutting/ shaving her heard before being put to death. Claire felt a presence in the corner of the room and Wendy felt that the cloak on the model has been seen moving. She felt that it was two small children that were responsible for it. Wendy then knelt down on the floor and held out her hand and she felt as though there were children present. Felt her arm being touched. Noises that sounded like footsteps seemed to be coming from the stairwell and Clairo commented that it sounded quite rhythmic. Jamie and Jill sat out there for a while to see if they could hear where the sounds were coming from. Jamie started to pace around the room. He felt as though he had someone else's feelings. He was agitated, intense and angry. He felt as though the person was waiting for somebody to come and would act when they did. Jamie also felt injustice and fury at whatever had happened and he got the feeling that this was someone of authority and power. Members of the group commented that he seemed to physically become a larger bald man and his presence was frightening and intimidating.
As this was happening, Wendy felt really anxious and could see a black shape on the ceiling which seemed to swoop down towards her. It was hard for her to describe the feeling but with it came an overwhelming feeling of sickness. It was almost as though this black mass wasn’t a person as such but more of a concentration of evil due to the accumulation of terrible things that had occurred in this part of the tower.
2nd floor tower room.
Nothing noted apart from Claire felt sick and breathless.
Top Tower room
Clairo felt as though it could have been used for storage of grain. There was a tapping noise heard in response to questions but it was discovered that it was the flag pole which was directly above the room on the roof.
EMF and temperature remained constant throughout the vigil. No EVP was picked up on the audio equipment.
Group 2 – The Crypt
8pm – Scott and Caroline sat next to each other by the left hand wall with the corridor to their left hand side. Scott was getting a felling of tightness in his chest and a strangling sensation. Caroline felt on edge and nervous.
Caroline is aware of someone at the end of the corridor and she can see an energy building. She could see this energy just at the entrance of the corridor. Scott asked out and Caroline could see the energy build again and come closer into the room. Caroline feels that she is physically shaking but she cannot explain the reason why. Scott asked Andy if he can feel anything and Scott said that he can feel a presence and he also saw a green light.
8.10pm – Andy heard a tap on the bench where two of the dummies were sat. Andy sat on the bench between the dummies facing into the middle of the room but was unable to stay there for more than a few minutes due to him feeling as though someone was stood directly behind him in a menacing manner. Scott saw a shadow down the corridor and was picking up on a man in shackles with chains around his neck and was getting a feeling of tightness around the neck area Caroline was made aware of a male presence. He was short and shuffled stooped over. When she said hello to her he just responded with a nod of acknowledgement. Scott picked up on the name William. Caroline picked up 1784. Harri said that he heard movement in the corner of the room by the stones. Dan heard scurrying between the archways.
•8.15pm –While stood at the opposite end of the room directly facing the corridor leading into the Crypts, Andy saw a large dark shape move down the corridor and into the main Crypt area itself only to disappear once in the room.
•8.17 – Andy picked up on a female presence. She was completely dressed in black and was mourning the death of her husband whose body had been laid out in the Crypt. Throughout her sobbing Andy could here her shouting “Leave him alone, please leave him alone”. Andy also saw the body of her husband and it appeared as though he had had his throat cut. Andy came up with the names Richard Furlong (possibly a Lord) and Elizabeth Furlong (once again possibly a Lady). He also sensed some sort of “foul play” with his death.
•Harri and Caroline said that they both felt sick.
The team then decided to move to the corner next to the figures. Andy said that where the priest lay Richards body out. Scott said that he has a feeling of monks.
Harri said that he feels the area was once a lot bigger and that walls have been blocked up and covered over. Scott and Andy both feel that the large flat stone on the floor was once used as the altar.
Scott said that he is sensing that it was like an underground cavern. Plans were put into place or discussed here.
Andy said that there had been quite a lot of changes to this area.
•8.20pm – Scott hears the name ‘Henry Halsworthy’
Tina and Caroline both aware of a man sitting next to Caroline, and to the left of Tina, said that he looks like a Benedictine monk. Andy said that he saw feet and also a light in the area between Tina and Caroline. Caroline also asked about the man who doesn’t speak and he said that it was probably that his voice box was removed when he was younger. Tina felt as though the monk was saying ‘Bless you my children.’
•8.30pm – Andy sensed a link with the Civil War and could see people sat around a large table discussing some important issues. He also picked up on the residual energy of Oliver Cromwell who he believes had been into the Crypts to attend these meetings. Harri also felt it was Oliver Cromwell.
During quiet time Harri and Andy both said they saw a figure move from the centre of the room and they could also see lights in that area too.
When calling out the group heard banging but they put it down to the theatrical company outside.
•8.35pm – Andy saw the dark figure again stood between one of the dummies and one of the pillars.
•8.40pm - Whilst sat in the left hand corner of the room Andy picked up on a highly secretive order/society and had the image of a perfectly symmetrical red cross placed into his mind. He felt that the room and surrounding area had been used by the Knights Templar throughout many of hundreds of years and had been a meeting place for them. Scott could see sparkles of light moving from left to right.
•8.55pm – Scott called Andy over to the hand rails that lead down the corridor into the Crypt and he asked him to lean against them as they appeared to be moving as someone was shaking them. Andy leant against them and felt them rocking.
•Caroline and Tina were sitting on the stairs. Andy, Dan and Harri went back into the corridor with Scott and the EMF meter and it was showing high readings, and they were all quite spooked about it all and ran back into the staircase area. Harri said that he didn’t like the Corridor and Dan had a feeling of panic.
•9.00pm – Upon leaving the Crypts corridor Andy felt as though he had been stabbed through the left breastbone. The pain continued for around five minutes even after leaving the area.
•Caroline had the feeling that one of the spirits down there was like a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Whilst in this area the EMF readings would sometimes go haywire, sometimes going off the scale in random places only to return to normal a few seconds later in the same place.
Group 3 – The Cells
8:05pm- in cell D210 Phil walked in on his own and stopped in the middle of the room in front of the encased book beneath the lamp and the word or name "Addleberry" or "Addlebury" came into his mind for no reason. Later on Phil was looking down the list of condemned and past prisoners to see if I had picked it up subconsciously but couldn't find it. He told Penny about if later and she informed him that there was a village in Oxfordshire called "Adderbury".
At the same time, Penny heard a weak cough to the right of the fire exit
8.10pm- Phil was touched on the head coming up the stairs to the second floor of the cell areas.
8.25pm-On the steps leading to Victorian, Penny had feelings of people committing suicide when calling out. She described someone with sores on lips, swollen features and unwashed. There was a acrid smell of damp ropes (with tar on) and Penny picked up on the name Thomas and was getting feelings of ankles bound to be restrained. This spirit was still around in limbo and had no energy to leave the atmosphere
8:40pm- Phil and Emma were sat on the stone stairwell asking out as that’s where he had been touched, and two names came to him" Sawyer" and "Hudson".
Penny had feelings of extreme boredom, dread, anticipation, on guard like anything could happen at anytime.
Penny also sensed the presence of an old jailer walking in the corridor below.
8.45pm- Phil was touched on the ear in cell D208.
All temperature and EMF readings remained constant throughout the vigil.
Vigil 2
Group 1- The Crypt.
9-10pm
Within the first few minutes of the vigil, Richard and Gill were picking up on a gathering of a brotherhood of cloaked figures that seemed to be chanting. Richard felt that by chanting they were trying to achieve a higher consciousness.
Wendy could actually hear chanting and felt as though she was being asked to repeat it. Although the chanting was hard to decipher, she had a go and as she did so she started to get a tingling sensation from head to toe. There seemed to be a very strong energy building up and Gill saw several figures and felt someone squeeze her arm.
Wendy was asking the spirit to chant to either Clairo or Richard instead of her as they are both sensitives and they could make sense of it more than she could. Despite this, Wendy could still hear the chanting and Richard walked around with her as she attempted to chant again. Wendy felt as though it was a secret society of some sort but felt it dated back further than The Knights Templar. She also felt that they were not monks but they were cloaked and not dissimilar to an order of monks to look at. They wore some sort of pendant on a string around their necks and her minds eye she could see their leader, head bowed with his hand clasped over the pendant. Although she couldn’t see the pendant, Wendy felt it was not across but the fact that it was being covered up seemed to convey that it was an emblem of a secret order of some kind. When Wendy asked for the symbol to be shown, Clairo could see a pentagram in her minds eye
Wendy described the figures to be very tall, especially the leader. It was at this time, Gill saw a very tall figure stood behind her. Wendy also felt as though they were highly intelligent and apart from the chanting, they only communicated by telepathy. Whilst they were chanting it was almost as if they came together as one life force to achieve a more powerful level of empathy.
The chanting sounded like Latin when Wendy was repeating it, although none of the group knew for sure.
Temperature and EMF readings remained constant throughout the vigil.
Group 2- The cells
EMF Reading 0.3 Constant Throughout
•9.05pm – Andy lay on the metal bed situated on the top floor. Whilst laid there, Andy couldn’t move for around five to seven minutes as he felt as though he was being restrained by his wrists and ankles.
•9.10pm – Andy felt it may be a good idea to spend some time in the Padded Cell so Dan and Harri spent ten minutes in there alone with the cell door closed. Andy followed and spent around ten minutes in there alone. He picked up on a man by the name of George Bowen and while filming he had some light anomalies which seemed to appear in the glass cabinet where the Straight Jacket is displayed. George, according to Andy, was a nice chap and appeared to respond by showing lights upon request by Andy. Andy sensed that he was lonely and asked out, “If you would like me to leave then please show me some more lights”. No lights appeared. Andy then asked “if you do not want me to leave please show some lights”. Upon finishing the question Andy captured more light Anomalies. Upon leaving the cell Andy discussed his findings with Dan and Harri and discovered that Harri had also come up with the name George.
•The footage did indeed show these light anomalies which seemed to respond to Andy’s questions during his time in the padded cell.
Group 3 – The Tower
Ground floor
9pm- Phil was stood at the front of the pews looking towards the back of the board in the recess. He saw a blue/white light go from the middle to the centre of the board. He described as very distinctive but not very bright.
Simultaneously, Penny saw a figure stooped down from the middle of the room towards figure. She saw it hid behind the figure. She described it as about Penny’s stature and was quite nimble. Penny was feeling tight around her solar plexus.
9.15pm- Emma heard an exhale over her right shoulder whilst sat on the bench.
•1st floor room
•Gayle felt relaxed – the group called out and heard a noise on the stairs.
•9.30 pm-There was a screeching noise which sounded like a cat coming from the stairwell area. They called out again, but no response.
•9.40pm- Tree footsteps were heard from the stairwell area.
•2nd floor room
•Again Gayle felt relaxed – Whilst being quiet in the room the group all heard a noise, like a stamp out on the stairs. Gayle called out and said “we had heard you out on the stairs, could you make another noise to let us know you are there” and there were two clear loud stamps in response. Gayle called out again but no response. Penny was picking up of someone dying of the plague and there was a feeling of sneezing, headaches and a pressure to the head.
•3rd floor room
•Gayle felt ok in this room; the group called out and heard some metallic taps in response. Gayle kept calling out and something seemed to be responding to her – however on occasions it didn’t, this made her doubt that they were communicating with an entity. On discussing afterwards, another group had the same experience and had found out that it was the flagpole on the roof causing the sound.
•Temperature and EMF reading remained constant throughout the vigil.
Vigil 3
Group 1 – The cells
Not a lot was picked up on during this vigil. All members did agree that there were feelings of drunkenness and lethargy and Gill could hear lots of people talking and shouting.
Wendy sensed that someone would pace the corridor outside the cells. As she was stood in the corridor, she thought she saw someone poke his head out of one of the doorways while she was taking photographs but on inspection, there was no one in that area at the time.
Temperature and EMF readings remained constant throughout the vigil.
Group 2 – The Tower
-
•EMF Reading 0.5-0.7
•10.30pm – The group went into the first room up the stairs of the Tower (the room with the two foot drop on entering). Within minutes Andy felt as though there was a presence stood in the doorway and went over to it. Upon turning and facing into the room he felt a tap on his left shoulder.
•10.45pm – Andy felt a spirit enter the room. He began to feel uneasy with its presence. He asked him in his mind who he was but got no reply. As time went by Andy became increasingly nervous as he felt threatened by the spirit. He felt the spirit come closer to him. As he approached; Andy became increasingly worried for the female members of the group, Caroline and Tina. Andy felt as though the spirit was trying to jump into his Aura to control him and as he did this he heard the spirit shout “I’ll break your legs, and then I’m going to kill you” while doing this he saw the spirit. He was a tall man and described him as the evil version of Little John from the Robin Hood Legend. He was tall and stocky with a beard which was brown with grey flecks in it. His teeth were virtually non-existent. He seemed to have an extreme hate for the males within the group but had an affinity towards the females. This affinity soon turned to anger and control. Andy felt him come closer still. Andy sat down as he knew this spirit meant some harm. In the next ten minutes Andy was rejecting the spirit trying to enter and felt paralysed but was seeing in his mind what the spirit had done in his physical life. Scott came and helped Andy to ground himself (which Andy was extremely thankful for). Once the spirit had been “pushed away” Andy was able to get on his feet and talk about the spirit. He got the name James Metcalfe. He also picked up that he was a violent man. He was only violent towards women and that he saw them as his “play things”. He had raped then murdered three or four women in his physical life. One of these he had murdered then raped. He was particularly mad with Andy, because he knew what horrendous crimes he had committed. Due to the horrible things Andy had seen, he was constantly retching to throw up and decided to leave the area.
•After a short break Andy, Scott and Dan went back to the Tower leaving Harri, Caroline and Tina in the court yard as they felt they could not go back to the location.
•Andy, Scott and Dan went back up the Tower to the room above the one they were in previously. The EMF meter would not settle but they felt a lot more relaxed. Tapping could be heard from the stair well and Andy concluded that this was James Metcalfe trying to goad them into his area. On the way up the stairs Andy made it clear to him that he could not affect the group by being forceful and using the same tone and force that he had used when speaking to Andy. Andy said “Leave us alone. You cannot harm us in any way; you know what is ahead of you”.
•On the way back down the stairs while passing the room with the entrance drop Andy started to feel concerned and felt that the spirit had lunged at him causing Andy to panic slightly.
•Temperature and EMF readings remained constant throughout the vigil.
Group 3 – The Crypt.
•Gayle felt really warm at the start of the vigil, not cold as she had anticipated. The group called out but didn’t get much of a response. Phil was picking up on upset and Penny was picking up on residual energies rushing down the corridor. Penny could see coffin bearers in procession coming down for a service. Phil could see lights on the pillar and a little later, Gayle did saw a light through the view finder on the camcorder on the same pillar. They all gathered in the entrance to the crypt. Gayle felt a stabbing pain in her right leg, next to her groin. Penny mentioned that both she and Andy had picked up on amputees; something that Gayle was not aware of until Penny told her.
•Penny mentioned that she could smell some herbs and the group were talking about Wolfbane and other plants / herbs – they all heard a “hhhmmmm” sound from the middle of the crypt, as though someone was listening to their conversation and agreeing with them.
•Phil called out and asked for a response, the group were all gathered round the entrance peering into the room. Whilst their attention was focussed in front of them, Gayle and Penny both heard a low male voice make a “haaaaaaaa” sound, menacingly into their ears. Phil and Emma did not hear it. It really shook Gayle up as it was so unexpected, and wasn’t a very nice experience. It felt like someone was deliberately trying to scare them, and preyed when their focus was elsewhere; which caused a big shock to those that heard it.
•Amazingly, the ‘Mmmmmm’ noise was picked up on the camcorder. The group maintain that none of them were responsible for making the noise and all members of Penny’s group heard it very clearly.
•Vigil 4
•Return to the Crypt.
◦Andy kept seeing a dark shape moving around the room especially down the entrance corridor.
◦Andy picked up on another secret society who had at some point during time had used the area as a sort of meeting place. He picked up on the Illuminati and saw the symbol of an eye above a pyramid/triangle.
◦Shortly after Andy heard a voice talking to him and repeating over and over again “The leaves on the ground do not make a sound if there is no person around to hear them”.
◦Quotes.
◦Andy:
“A wonderful location for an investigation with so much happening and being picked up in the short period of time we were there. Oxford Castle definitely has a claim to being the most haunted location in Britain. I can’t wait to go back!”
Tina:
“Definitely a most interesting and amazing place. Big wow factor for me!”
Wend:
“Oxford Castle for me was without a doubt the most intriguing and eventful investigation to date. I can’t wait to return there!”
◦Temperature remained constant throughout the investigation in both the crypt and the 1st tower room.
◦Conclusion.
◦Even before darkness descended upon the castle, members were experiencing a vast array of strange phenomena including feelings of being touched, of being watched and followed, hearing footsteps, shuffling, whispering and there was even a sightings of a tall dark shape in the crypt during the tour of the castle.
◦The vigils proved to be just as eventful and it was very interesting how all three groups came up with a secret society associated with the Crypt. Several members of the group seemed to be physically shaken but what they had experienced at the castle, especially the noises such as breathing and sighing which seemed to happen when least expected, totally catching members off guard.
◦The ‘Mmmmmm’ noise that was heard by all members of group 3 in the crypt was clearly picked up on the camcorder which in itself was amazing even though it did unnerve Gayle at the time.
◦Group 3’s time in the padded cell with the light anomalies that seemed to respond to Andy’s questions, was also caught on camcorder. Interestingly, both Harri and Andy picked up on the name George whilst in the padded cell. Several names were picked up by the sensitives during the investigation and we are currently trying to trace a record of these people to see if they were connected to the castle.
◦With so many unexplainable incidents during our time at Oxford Castle, the group were in agreement that we must return for a follow up investigation in the near future.
◦It was disappointing that the very loud breathing noise heard by both Penny and Gayle in the crypt area was not picked up on camcorder but we will ensure that on our next visit to the castle, we will go armed to the teeth with audio recording equipment with the hope of capturing more EVP.
◦The whole group are very much looking forward to the follow up investigation on 6th December.
BSPRI wish to thank Emily Hirons for her warm welcome and hospitality she showed us during our visit.
Report correlated by Wendy Isaacs
History of Oxford Castle
Oxford Castle, located in Oxford city centre, was built by a Norman baron, Robert D'Oyly, in 1071 (shortly after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066).
It was originally an earth mound with a stone keep on top, known as St George's Tower, and later a fifty foot wall with towers was built around the structure.
In 1120 Robert's younger brother, Nigel D'Oyly, was Lord of Oxford Castle. It is 12 miles northwest of Wallingford Castle, also usually credited to Robert D'Oyly.
It was the home of Empress Matilda in 1141 when Robert D'Oyly the younger declared his support for her over King Stephen.[2] The castle was besieged by the king for three months.[2] She escaped from the castle by being lowered over the walls, supposedly dressed in white to act as a camouflage in the snow. She passed through the enemy lines and across the Castle Mill Stream.
The site became the seat of the county government and courts although the castle had fallen into disrepair by the 14th century.
The county gaol gradually grew to take over most of the site. In 1888 it became HM Prison Oxford (Oxford Prison). The prison was closed in 1996 and the site reverted to Oxfordshire County Council. It has since been redeveloped as a shopping and heritage complex, with open courtyards for markets and theatrical performances. The scheme also includes a hotel in the Malmaison chain, Malmaison Oxford, occupying a large part of the former prison block, with converted jail cells as guest rooms. This is the first time in the UK that a prison has been turned into a hotel. The redeveloped site also includes apartments, bars, restaurants, events venues, and a visitor centre operating as "Oxford Castle–Unlocked".
(source Wikipedia)
The Executioner’s Moat
By David Keys
Excavations in a medieval moat around Oxford Castle have so far yielded the remains of 60 to 70 criminals, mostly men in their twenties, executed during the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. Archaeologists believe that dozens more await discovery. "This excavation has given us a much greater understanding of the way in which the bodies of executed criminals were treated in post medieval England," said Andrew Norton, the field archaeologist running the dig.
The victims, all of whom are thought to have been hanged, seem to have been denied a Christian burial. They were interred in unconsecrated ground, and some 20 percent of them were buried face down or on their sides. Most were not buried in a traditional Christian east-west alignment, thus depriving them of the opportunity to rise from the dead facing Jerusalem on the Day of Judgment.
A number of dead had been used for medical instruction or experimentation after death. Three skulls were found with their tops skillfully sawed off, while the neck of another individual had been carefully cut through the seventh vertebra. The bodies may have been used for flesh or muscle dissections, but no archaeological traces have been identified so far. Two sawn-off crania--but not the skulls they were once attached to--were also unearthed.
Historians believe the dissected victims were used by anatomy schools at the University of Oxford's Christ Church College or at the old Ashmolean, most likely under royal license granted during the reigns of Elizabeth I, James I, or Charles I. At that time the Crown allowed four executed criminals a year to be used for academic purposes.
Archaeologists have discovered moving evidence of the pain suffered by the executed. In many cases, their hands were tightly clenched. Two individuals had held onto their own clothes with such tenacity that in one case a button and, in another, a fragment of clothing was found inside their clenched skeletal fists.
Death on the gallows generally occurred by slow strangulation; it would have taken up to a half an hour for a person to die. (Instant death through hanging, by the use of a drop through a trapdoor that broke the condemned person's neck, was only gradually introduced in the late eighteenth century.)
In the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, death sentences were passed for everything from theft and burglary to treason and murder. Apart from holding political prisoners and debtors, prisons were usually used to detain people while they awaited trial; prison sentences were rarely given as punishment. The accused were acquitted about half of the time; of those convicted, half were flogged and the rest hanged.
Interestingly, a few of the executed were female. These women, mostly in their late forties or early fifties, may well have been hanged for witchcraft. Archaeologists have also found the remains of a child about 12 years old who appears to have been hanged and buried face down with the bottom half of his legs bent back as if they had been tied to his upper legs.
(source archaeology.org)
OXFORD, a city, municipal and parliamentary borough, the county town of Oxfordshire, England, and the seat of a famous university.1 Pop. (1901) 49,336. It is situated on the river Thames, 51 m. by road and 631 m. by rail W.N.W. of London. It is served by the main northern line of the Great Western railway, and by a branch from the London & NorthWestern system at Bletchley; while the Thames, and the Oxford canal, running north from it, afford water communications. The ancient nucleus of the city stands on a low gravel ridge between the Thames and its tributary the Cherwell, which here flow with meandering courses and many branches and backwaters through flat meadows. Modern extensions of Oxford cross both rivers, the suburbs of Osney and Botley lying to the west, Grandpont to the south, and St Clement's to the east beyond the Cherwell. To the north is a large modern residential district. The low meadow land is bounded east and west by well-wooded hills, rising rather abruptly, though only to a slight elevation, seldom exceeding Soo ft. Several points on these hills command celebrated views, such as that from Bagley Hill to the S.W., or from Elsfield to the N.E., from which only the inner Oxford is visible, with its collegiate buildings, towers and spires - a peerless city.
Main roads from east to west and from north to south intersect near the centre of ancient Oxford at a point called Carfax,2 and form four principal streets, High Street (east), Queen Street (west), Cornmarket Street (north) and St Aldate's (south).3 Cornmarket Street is continued northward by Magdalen Street, and near their point of junction Magdalen Street is intersected by a thoroughfare formed, from west to east, by George Street, Broad Street, Holywell Street and Long Wall Street, the last of which sweeps south to join High Street not far from Magdalen Bridge over the Cherwell. This thoroughfare is thus detailed, because it approximately indicates the northern and northeastern confines of the ancient city. The old walls indeed (of which there are many fragments, notably a very fine range in New College garden) indicate a somewhat smaller area than that defined by these streets. Their line, which slightly varied, as excavations have shown, in different ages, bent south-westward from Cornmarket Street, where stood the north gate, till it reached the enceinte of the castle, which lies at the west of the old city, flanked on one side by a branch of the Thames. From the castle the southern wall ran east, along the modern Brewers' Street; the south gate of the city was in St Aldate's Street, where it is joined by this lane, and the walls then continued along the north side of Christ Church meadow, and north-eastward to the east gate, which stood in High Street near the junction of Long Wall Street. Oxford had thus a strong position: the castle and the Thames protected it on the east; the two rivers, the walls and the water-meadows between them on the south and east; and on the north the wall and a deep ditch, of which vestiges may be traced, as between Broad and Ship Streets.
History.
An early rivalry between the universities of. Oxford and Cambridge led to the circulation of many groundless legends respecting their foundation. For example, those which connected Oxford with " Brute the Trojan," King Mempric (1009 B.C.), and the Druids, are not found before the 14th century. The town is as a fact much older than the university. The historian, John Richard Green, epitomizes the relation between the two corporations when he shows4 that " Oxford had already seen five centuries of borough life before a student appeared within its streets.. .. The university found Oxford a busy, prosperous borough, and reduced it to a cluster of lodging-houses. It found it among the first of English municipalities, and it so utterly crushed its freedom that the recovery of some of the commonest rights of self-government has only been brought about by recent legislation." A poor Romano-British village may have existed on the peninsula between Thames and Cherwell, but no Roman road of importance passed within 3 m. of it. In the 8th century an indication of the existence of Oxford is found in the legend of St Frideswide, a holy woman who is said to have died in 735, and to have founded a nunnery on the site of the present cathedral. Coins of King Alfred have been discovered (though not at Oxford) bearing the name Oksnaforda or Orsnaforda, which seems to prove the existence of a mint at Oxford. It is clear, at any rate, that Oxford was already important as a frontier town between Mercia and Wessex when the first unquestionable mention of it occurs, namely in the English Chronicle under the year 912, when Edward the Elder " took to himself " London and Oxford. The name points to a ford for oxen across the Thames, though some have connected the syllable " ox-" with a Celtic word meaning " water," comparing it with Ouse, Osney and Exford. The first mention of the townsmen of Oxford is in the English Chronicle of 1013, and that of its trade in the Abingdon Chronicle, which mentions the toll paid from the 11th century to the abbot of Abingdon by boats passing that town. Notices during that century prove the growing importance of Oxford. As the chief stronghold in the upper Thames valley it sustained various attacks by the Danes, being burned in 979, 1002 and 1010, while in 1013 Sweyn took hostages from it. It had also a considerable political importance, and several gemots were held here, as in 1015, when the two Danish thanes Sigfrith and Morkere were treacherously killed by the Mercian Edric; in 1020, when Canute chose Oxford as the scene of the confirmation of " Edgar's law " by Danes„and English; in 1036, when Harold I. was chosen king, and in 1065. But Oxford must have suffered heavily about the time of the Conquest, for according to the Domesday Survey (which for Oxford is unusually complete) a great proportion of the ” mansions" (106 out of 297) and houses (478 out of 721) were ruined or unoccupied. The city, however, had already a market, and under the strong hand of the Norman sheriff Robert d'Oili (c. 1070-1119) it prospered steadily. He made heavy exactions on the townsfolk, though it may be noted that they withheld from him Port Meadow, the great meadow of 440 acres which is still a feature of the low riverside tract north of Oxford. But d'Oili did much for Oxford, and the strong tower of the castle and possibly that of St Michael's church are extant relics of his building activity. His nephew, another Robert, who held the castle after him, founded in 1129 the most notable building that >><< Oxford has lost. This was the priory (shortly afterwards the abbey) of Osney, which was erected by the branch of the Thames next west of that by which the castle stands. In its finished state it had a splendid church, with two high towers and a great range of buildings, but only slight fragments may now be traced. About 1130 Henry I. built for himself Beaumont Palace, the site of which is indicated by Beaumont Street,`and the same king gave Oxford its first known charter (not still extant), in which mention is made of a gild merchant. This charter is alluded to in another of Henry II., in which the citizens of Oxford and London are associated in the possession of similar customs and liberties. The most notable historical incident connected with the city in this period is the escape of the empress Matilda from the castle over the frozen river and through the snow to Abingdon, when besieged by Stephen in 1142.
It is about this time that an indication is first given of organized teaching in Oxford, for in 113 3 one Robert Pullen is said to have instituted theological lectures here. No earlier facts are known concerning the origin of the university, though it may with probability be associated with schools connected with the ecclesiastical foundations of Osney and St Frideswide; and the tendency for Oxford to become a centre of learning may have been fostered by the frequent presence of the court at Beaumont. A chancellor, appointed by the bishop of Lincoln, is mentioned in 1214, and an early instance of the subordination of the town to the university is seen in the fact that the townsfolk were required to take oaths of peace before this official and the archdeacon. It may be mentioned here that the present practice of appointing a non-resident chancellor, with a resident vicechancellor, did not come into vogue till the end of the 15th century. In the 13th century a number of religious orders, which here as elsewhere exercised a profound influence on education, became established in Oxford. In 1221 came the Dominicans, whose later settlement (c. 1260) is attested by Blackfriars Street, Preacher's Bridge and Friars' Wharf. In 1224 the Franciscans settled near the present Paradise Square. In the middle of the century the Carmelites occupied part of the present site of Worcester College, but their place here was taken by the Benedictines when, about 1315, they were given Beaumont by Edward. II., and removed there. The Austin Friars settled near the site of Wadham College; for the Cistercians Rewley Abbey, scanty remains of which may be traced near the present railway stations, was founded c. 1280. During the same century the political importance of Oxford was maintained. Several parliaments were held here, notably the Mad Parliament of 1258, which enforced the enactment of the Provisions of Oxford. Again, the later decades of the 13th century saw the initiation of the collegiate system. Merton, University and Balliol were the earliest foundations under this system. The paragraphs below, dealing with each college successively, give the dates and circumstances of foundation for all. As to the relations between the university and the city, in 1248 a charter of Henry III. afforded students considerable privileges at the expense of townsfolk, in the way of personal and financial protection. Moreover, the chancellor already possessed juridical powers; even over the townsfolk he shared jurisdiction with the mayor. Not unnaturally these peculiar conditions engendered rivalry between " town and gown "; rivalry led to violence, and after many lesser encounters a climax was reached in the riot on St Scholastica's and the following day, February 10th and 11th, 1 354/5. Its immediate cause was trivial, but the townsmen gave rein to their long-standing animosity, severely handled the scholars, killing many, and paying the penalty, for Edward III. gave the university a new charter enhancing its privileges. Others followed from Richard II. and Henry IV. A charter given by Henry VIII. in 1523 at the instigation of Wolsey conferred such power on the university that traders of any sort might be given its privileges, so that the city had no jurisdiction over them. In 1571 was passed the act of Elizabeth which incorporated and reorganized the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. In 1635 a charter of Charles I. confirmed its privileges to the university of Oxford, of which William Laud had become chancellor in 1630. Vestiges of these exaggerated powers (as distinct from the more equable division of rights between the two corporations which now obtains) long survived. For example, it was only in 1825 that the ceremony of reparation enforced on the municipality after the St Scholastica riots was discontinued.
During the reign of Mary, in 1555, there took place, on a spot in Broad Street, the famous martyrdom of Ridley arid Latimer. Cranmer followed them to the stake in 1556, and the three are commemorated by the ornate modern cross, an early work of Sir G. G. Scott (1841), in St Giles Street beside the church of St Mary Magdalen. A period such as this must have been in many ways harmful to the university, but it recovered prosperity under the care of Elizabeth and Wolsey. During the civil war, however, Oxford, as a city, suddenly acquired a new prominence as the headquarters of the Royalist party and the meeting-place of Charles I.'s parliament. This importance is not incomparable with that which Oxford possessed in the Mercian period. However the frontier shifted, between the districts held by the king and by the parliament, Oxford was always close to it. It was hither that the king retired after Edgehill, the two battles of Newbury and Naseby; from here Prince Rupert made his dashing raids in 1643. In May 1644 the earl of Essex and Sir William Waller first approached the city from the east and south, but failed to enclose the king, who escaped to Worcester, returning after the engagement at Copredy Bridge. The final investment of the city, when Charles had lost every other stronghold of importance, and had himself escaped in disguise, was in May 1646, and on the 24th of June it surrendered to Fairfax. Throughout the war the secret sympathies of the citizens were Parliamentarian, but there was no conflict within the walls. The disturbances of the war and the divisions of parties, however, had bad effects on the university, being subversive of discipline and inimical to study; nor were these effects wholly removed during the Commonwealth, in spite of the care of Cromwell, who was himself chancellor in 1651-1657. The Restoration led to conflicts between students and citizens. Charles II held the last Oxford parliament in 1681. James II.'s action in forcing his nominees into certain high offices at last brought the university into temporary opposition to the crown. Later, however, Oxford became strongly Jacobite. In the first year of George I.'s reign there were serious Jacobite riots, but from that time the city becomes Hanoverian in opposition to the university, the feeling coming to a head in 1755 during a county election, which was ultimately the subject of a parliamentary inquiry. But George III., visiting Oxford in 1785, was well received by both parties, and this visit may be taken as the termination of the purely political history of Oxford. Details of the history of the university may be gathered from the following description of the colleges, the names of which are arranged alphabetically.
(Source 1911 encyclopedia)
William Smith was the King’s prison keeper, who in the 1600s made Oxford Prison as feared and as notorious as Colditz; Mary Blandy a convicted murderess, who became an 18th-century celebrity; Jack Ketch, the public executioner and the man on which the Punch & Judy hangman character was modeled; and Anne Green, who survived her own hanging and narrowly escaped being anatomized by an Oxford medical student in 1650!
http://www.britainexpress.com/cities/oxford/medieval-oxford.htm
Research compiled by Claire Watkins.