mansion of twelvepence. Segrim one mansion of sixteen-pence. Another Segrim, one mansion of two shillings. Smeuuin, one mansion, which pays nothing. Golduin, one mansion which pays nothing. Eddid, one mansion which pays nothing. Suetman, one mansion of eight-pence. Seuui, one mansion which pays nothing. Leveva, one waste mansion, of ten-pence in King Edward's time. Alveva, one mansion of ten-pence. Aluuard, one mansion of ten-pence. Aluuin, one waste mansion. Brictred and Derman, one mansion of sixteen-pence. Aluui, one mansion, from which he has nothing. Dereuuen, one mansion of sixpence. Aluuin, the priest, one waste mansion which pays nothing. Leuric, one, likewise paying nothing. Wluric, one waste mansion; and yet, if necessary, it repairs the wall. Suetman, a moneyer, one free house, paying forty-pence. Goduin, one; Vlmar, one; Goderun, one; Godric, one; Aluui, one; these five paying nothing. Suetman has two mural mansions; they pay three shillings. Another Suetman, one free mansion, for the same service, and he has nine-pence. Sauuold, nine mansions; they pay thirteen shillings. Six of these are waste. Lodouuin one house in which he resides, free for the wall. Segrim, three free houses of sixty-four pence. One of these is waste. Aluuin, one house, free for repairing the wall; from this he has thirty-two pence a year. And if, while the wall is necessary, it is not renewed by him who ought to do it, he shall pay forty shillings to the king, or lose his house.

All the burgesses of Oxford have common of pasture without the walls, paying six shillings and eight-pence." *

The book called Domesday was finished in the 20th year of William I. and the extract now made from the translation of it evinces the severity with which the Conqueror treated the refractory

Bawdwen's Translation of Domesday, in regard to this county. A translation so judiciously executed of a work so interesting in its nature, that it cannot fail to be deemed a valuable acquisition by all who are connected with property in Oxfordshire, or are curious concerning the history of that district.

fractory inhabitants of Oxford. In the time of King Edward, when the city was comparatively in a flourishing state, it only paid to the Crown twenty pounds, and six measures, or sextaries, of honey; but, now that out of 721 houses, only 243 were able to pay the tax, it was compelled to render thrice that sum, It will, likewise, be obvious, that William had bestowed on his Norman favourites many extensive possessions, to the disposal of which he could have no other right than that of Conquest.

That Oxford, though in a dilapidated condition, had recently been a populous place seems evident from the number of “mansions" named in the Survey; but whether those mansions were originally tenanted by students, or by the nobility attendant on the sovereigns who held their court in the city, is not readily to be ascertained. Two circumstances are painfully apparent :the boisterous temper of the period had driven learning from one of her most favoured seats; and, when neither king nor muse resided with her, Oxford was no longer able to maintain her consequence in the list of cities.

The jealousy with which William the First continued to regard his new subjects in Oxford, induced him to bestow the government of that place on Robert de Oilgi, a Norman, with permission to build and fortify a castle. This structure stood on the west side of the city, and occupied the site of the present county gaol. The quarrel between the Conqueror and the city of Oxford was a deep injury to the interest of the learned seminaries instituted by Alfred. The neglect with which he treated the Oxford students was the more pointed and lamentable, as he is known to have been a munificent friend to many of the learned, and to have sedulously fostered the study of the Latin lan guage.

Robert de Oilgi, the Norman governor appointed by William, built, in conjunction with his friend Roger de Ivri, a chapel, or church, dedicated to St. George, within the walls of his new and formidable castle. From the ancient statutes of this chapel it appears that students were permitted to resort there by the foun ders *;

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ders*; and thus, towards the latter part of William's reign, literature made some faint efforts to re-establish herself in haunts so genial.

In the year 1139, the bold usurper, King Stephen, held a great council at Oxford, to which he invited the Bishop of Lincoln and his two nephews, whom he, with justice, suspected of disaffection. While the court remained at Oxford a quarrel, designedly raised as some contemporary historians assert, took place between the servants of the Earl of Britanny and those of one of the bishop's nephews, about their lodgings (the usual subject of altercation when animosity existed;) and several persons, of some cousequence, were killed. The king affected to be indignant at this violation of order within the pales of the court, and commanded the bishop, and all his friends, to be apprehended. The bishop of Ely, who had "lodged without the town," made his escape; but the two Bishops of Salisbury and Lincoln, with several others, were placed in confinement.

In the course of those calamities to which England was subjected by the disputes between Stephen and the Empress Maud, the latter once fixed her residence in the castle of Oxford. Stephen advanced with so much secresy that the garrison was illprepared for defence; but, still, the strength of the castle was calculated to withstand a formidable assault. This bulwark was immediately invested by the king," who swore a solemn oath that he would not raise the siege till he had taken his rival prisoner. When the siege had continued three months, and the garrison was reduced to the last extremity, by famine and the incessant attacks of the enemy, the Empress made her escape from

im

"Frequent mention is made of the fellows and tutors, and, also, of the commoners and others therein residing, in which statute there is this provision made; that all the clerks, i. e. the scholars, should eat and drink in the presence of some one of the canons, which canons were afterwards, in King Stephen's reign, translated from hence to Osney Abbey, and the house itself, after, became an hostel, or inu, for secular students, subject to the jurisdiction of the Chancellor of the University."-Ayliffe, Vol. I. p. 22.

impending ruin, in a manner more surprising than any of her former escapes from Arundel, London, or Winchester. The river being frozen over, and the ground covered with snow, she dressed herself and three trusty knights in white; and issuing, silently, about midnight, at a postern of the castle, passed all the enemy's centinels unobserved, travelled on foot to Abingdon, and from thence, on horseback, to Wallingford." The castle surrendered the morning after the escape of the Empress.

In 1154, a council was held at Oxford, in which it was agreed that Stephen should continue to wear the Crown during life; but that Prince Henry (son to the Empress Maud, and, afterwards, King Henry II.) should succeed to the throne at his decease.

Henry II. held several councils at Oxford; and, in the year 1177, the princes and chief Lords of Wales did homage to him, in the city, for their territories and estates; at which time he declared his youngest son, Prince John, Lord of Ireland, and distributed the conquered parts of that country among the chief of his barons. In the year 1185, a Parliament was assembled here. Henry II. resided, through a great part of his reign, in the palace of Beaumont, which had been built by Henry I. in the north 'suburbs; and, within the walls of that structure, was born his courageous son, Richard I. This " Lion-hearted king" appears to have held one council in the palace which descended to him from his accomplished, but weakly-amourous father.

During these periods the University was progressively increasing in consequence and estimation. Although the students were dispersed by the siege which took place in the reign of Stephen, they shortly re-assembled, and were fortunate in finding tutors eminent in every branch of learning, but particularly so in that of civil law.

Henry II. was a great patron of letters, and the buildings for the reception of scholars were much enlarged in size, and increased in number, while he sat on the throne, though an accidental fire committed great ravages in the city and among the halls.

Henry, Vol. V. p. 108, &c.

halls*. Richard I. never failed to cherish a filial affection for his native place, and he granted to Oxford so many privileges that, in his reign, it is said " to have become a rival to the University of Paris." If we consider the long prosperity which the Parisian colleges had enjoyed, the full value of this observation will be apparent.

King John held many of those feasts, which formed the injudicious solaces of his troubled hours, in the Palace of Beaumont; and he had a meeting with the indignant barons in the neighbourhood of Oxford, not more than two months before he was compelled to sign the Great Charter.

During the early part of King John's reign the University was in so flourishing a condition, that the number of scholars is stated to have been not less than 3000. But an unfortunate occurrence, in the year 1209, interrupted the progress of science, and threatened the entire destruction of Oxford as a seat of learning. A student, engaged in thoughtless diversion, accidentally killed a woman belonging to the city, and was so imprudent as immediately to fly from expostulation. A band of citizens, with the mayor at their head, and attended by an immense number of mob, surrounded the hall to which the unfortunate scholar belonged, and demanded the person of the offender. On being informed that he was absent, this lawless multitude seized three of the students who were entirely unconnected with the transaction, and obtained an order from the weak king (whose dislike for the clergy is well known) to put the innocent persons to death; an order which, it may be supposed, they were not slow in obeying. The scholars were so justly enraged by this treatment that they quitted Oxford, and retired some to Cambridge, some to Reading, and others to Maidstone, in Kent.

The

As the great fire of London produced eventual benefit, in regard to the improvement of the city, so did this conflagration respecting Oxford. Before 1190, all the halls and houses of Oxford had been built of wood, and covered with straw. After the fire most of the renewed buildings were composed of stone, and many were covered with tiles or lead.