Oxford Town Wall

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Martyrs Tower

In the civil parish of Oxford.
In the historic county of Oxfordshire (Modern Authority of Oxfordshire, 1974 county of Oxfordshire).

Town defences. There is some evidence for pre-Conquest defences and they are mentioned in Domesday. It is probable that the defences were restored and strengthened soon after the Conquest. Some rebuilding took place 1226-40 when bastions were added. Some portions of medieval town wall survive, best preserve part by New College. Uniquely may have had a two circuits of concentric walls. A licence for the mayor and commons of Oxford to extend the ditch to 200ft width was revoked because it was obtained during the peasants revolt.

This site has been described as a;
Urban Defence.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Masonry ruins/remnants remains.

A Royal licence to crenellate was granted in 1381 June 15 but then revoked.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.
This site is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 245217 etc)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SP514064

Modern Map from Good for landscape form and features	Modern Map from Good for general location
Air Photo from	1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 338452, 338450, 338451, 338453, 1319586

• Web site links
  • http://viewfinder.english-heritage.org.uk/search/advanced_results.asp?monument_type=TOWN%20WALL&place_name=oxford
• Books
  • Creighton, O.H. and Higham, R.A., 2005, Medieval Town Walls (Stroud: Tempus) p24, 40-1, 45, 48, 56-7, 65, 68, 70, 88, 91, 108, 124, 144, 147, 148, 161, 167, 169, 172, 174-5, 178-9, 184, 187, 197, 209, 223, 225, 228, 231, 237, 240, 247, 257-8
    Dodd, Anne (ed), 2003, Oxford before the university: the late Saxon and Norman archaeology of the Thames crossing, the defences and the town (Oxford Archaeology: Thames Valley landscape monograph 17) [esp chap4 by Julian Munby and David Wilkinson]
    Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of The Thames Valley and The Chilterns (Malvern) p74
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p205-6
    Bond, C.J., 1987, 'Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Defences' in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds) Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report) p92-116
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p388
    Hassall, T.G., 1979, ‘City walls, gates, and postems’, in A Crossley (ed), A Victoria History of the County of Oxford Vol4, The City of Oxford (OUP for the Institute of Historical Research) p300-4 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=22810
    Barley, M.W., 1975, 'Town Defences in England and Wales after 1066' in Barley (ed) Medieval Towns in England and Wales (CBA research reports) pp57-71 plan p66
    Turner, H.L., 1971, Town Defences in England and Wales (London) p121-2
    RCHME, 1939, Inventory-City of Oxford (HMSO) p159-61 plate 214
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co) p220-2
    Penny and Merry, 1899, Buried Oxford Unearthed (Oxford)
• Journal Articles
  • Parsons, D., 1994, 'The west tower of St Michael at the Northgate, Oxford' Appendix I. to Renn, D.F. 'Burhgeat and Gonfanon: Two Sidelights from the Bayeux Tapestry' Anglo-Norman Studies Vol16 p177-86 [Reprinted in Liddiard, Robert (ed), 2003, Anglo Norman Castles (Woodbridge: Boydell) p85-9]
    Turner, H.L., 1990, 'The mural Mansions of Oxford: attempted identifications' Oxoniensis Vol55 p73-9
    Durham, B., Halpin, C. and Palmer, N., 1983, ‘Oxford’s northern defences: Archaeological studies 1971–1982' Oxoniensia Vol48 p13–40
    Durham, B., 1982, ‘Oxford: Corpus Christi College' Newsletter, CBA Group 9 Vol12 p156-7, 159*[bastion 21]
    Hassall, T.G., 1978, ‘Oxford, the city walls' Archaeological Journal Vol135 p258-62
    Palmer, N., 1976, 'Excavations on the outer city wall of Oxford in St Helen's Passage and Hertford College' Oxeniensia Vol41 p148-60
    1974, Medieval Archaeology Vol18 p183
    Hassall, T.G., 1973, 'Excavations at Oxford, 1972: fifth interim report' Oxoniensia Vol38 p268-98
    Hassall, T.G., 1972, 'Excavations at Oxford, 1971: fourth interim report' Oxoniensia Vol37 p137-9
    Hassall, T.G., 1971, 'Excavations in Merton College, Oxford, 1970' Oxoniensia Vol36 p34-48
    Hassall, T.G., 1970, 'Excavations at Oxford, 1969: second interim report' Oxoniensia Vol35 p5-18
    Sturdy, 1961-2, Oxoniensia Vol26-27 p19-27
    Hunter, A.G. and Jope, E.M., 1951, 'Excavations on the city defences in New College, Oxford, 1949' Oxoniensia Vol16 p28-41
    Rickard, 1943, Oxoniensia Vol8 p203-5
    Daniell and Leeds, 1939, Oxoniensia Vol4 p153-61
    Bruton, 1891, Journal of the British Archaeological Association Vol47 p109-19
    Parker, 1866, Oxford Architectural Society [new ser] Vol5 p21-31
    Parker, 1861, Oxford Architectural Society [new ser] Vol1 p38-45
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Calendar of Patent Rolls (1381-85) p16
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/gloceng.html#oxon11]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p365