The history of England giving a true and impartial account of the most considerable transactions in church and state, in peace and war, during the reigns of all the kings and queens, from the coming of Julius Cæsar into Britain : with an account of all plots, conspiracies, insurrections, and rebellions ... : likewise, a relation of the wonderful prodigies ... to the year 1696 ... : together with a particular description of the rarities in the several counties of England and Wales, with exact maps of each county / by John Seller ...

Remarks on Oxfordshire, &c.

OXfordshire abounds in rich Pastures, store of Cattle, Corn, Fruits, Fish, Fowle, Coneys, Hares, Deer, and other things, to render it Pleasant and Acceptable; being a pleasant Inland County, bounded with Glocestershire, Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire and Barkshire: It contains one City, which is a Bishops See, and in its 14 Hundreds has 280 Parishes, 12 Market Towns, and 5 Rivers: Isis, which gives an additional name to the Thames, into which it falls, is very much Celi∣brated in Antient Story. It sends Members to Parliament 9, viz. Oxford City 2, the Ʋniversity 2, Banbury 1, New Woodstock 2, and 2 Knights of the Shire.

The Antient City of Oxford, is renowned for many re∣markable things, as being the Place of Meeting of divers Parliaments, and holding out many Sieges. Here Maud the Empress was Besieged by King Stephen, and all in White got by Night over the Thames on the Ice. This Place King Charles the First made his chief Head-Quarters, during the Civil War, till it was taken by Sr. Thomas Farfaix. King Richard the First was Born here. Its Chur∣ches are 13, besides the Cathedral, most of them very Stately. It is Watered almost round, and is supplyed within the City by many Conduits, on one of which is the Figure of a Queen, Riding on an Ox, in Brass. But the greatest Ornament

of Oxford is its being a Ʋniversity, and for the stateliness of its Colledges, their Liberal Endowments, and the Number of Scholars contained in them, it is not (except by its Sister Cambridge) to be parallelled in the whole Christian World. Of the Number of its Colledges, the time of their Foundation, and their Founders, take the following Account.

An Account of the Colledges in Oxfond.

1. University Colledge, was founded by King Alfred, Anno 872, for 12. Fellows, besides other Students.

2. Baliol Colledge was founded Anno 1262. by John Baliol and Devorgilla his Wife, Parents of John Baliol King of Scots, for 12. Fellows, &c.

3. Merton Colledge was founded Anno 1274. by Wal∣ter de Merton Lord High Chancellour of England and Bishop of Rochester. This has 19 Fellows, 14 Scholars, &c.

4. Exeter Colledge was founded Anno 1216. by Wal∣ter Stapleton, Bishop of Exeter, for 23. Fellows, &c.

5. Oriel Colledge was founded Anno 1337. by King Edward II, for 18. Fellows, 12 Schollars, &c.

6. Queens Colledge was founded Anno 1340. by Ro∣bert Eaglesfield B. D. for 15 Fellows, besides other Stu∣dents of the Foundation.

7. New Colledge was founded Anno 1375. by William of Wickham, Bishop of Winchester and Lord High Chan∣cellour of England; for 70 Fellows, 10 Chaplains, 3 Clerks, 16 Choiristers, &c.

8. Lincoln Colledge was founded Anno 1420. by Ri∣chard Fleming, Bishop of Lincoln, for 15 Fellows, &c.

9. All-Souls Colledge was founded Anno 1437. by Henry Chicheley Arch Bishop of Canterbury; for 40 Fellows, besides Chaplains, Clerks, and other Servants of the Foundation.

10. Magdalen Colledge was founded Anno 1459. by William of Wainfleet Bishop of Winchester and Lord High Chancellour of England; for 40 Fellows, and

30 Scholars, besides Chaplains, Clerks, Choiristers,&c.

11. Brazen-Nose Colledge was founded Anno 1515. by William Smith Bishop of Lincoln, and Richard Sut∣ton Esq for 20 Fellows, besides Scholars, and Students of the Foundation.

12. Corpus Christi Colledge was founded Anno 1516. by Richard Fox, Bishop of Winchester and Lord Privy Seal; for 20 Follows, 20 Scholars, besides Chaplains, and Clerks, &c.

13. Christ-Church Colledge was founded Anno 1546. by King Henry VIII. for 8 Canons, and 100 Students, besides Chaplains, &c.

14. Trinity Colledge was founded Anno 1555. by Sir Tho. Pope, for 12 Fellows, 12 Scholars, and other Students.

15. St. Johns Colledge was founded Anno 1557. by Sir Thomas White, Merchant Taylor of London, for 50 Fellows, &c.

16. Jesus Colledge was founded Anno 1572. by Queen Elizabeth; for 16 Fellows, 16 Scholars, and other Students.

17. Wadham Colledge was founded Anno 1613. by Nicholas Wadham and Dorothy his Wife, for 15 Fellows and 15 Scholars, &c.

18. Pembroke Colledge was founded Anno 1620. by Thomas Teisdale Esq and Richard Wightwick B. D. for 15 Fellows, and 11 Scholars, &c.

The Seven Halls are Glocester, Edmund, St. Alban, Magdalen, Hart, and S. Mary Hall, besides New-Inn.

In all which Colledges and Halls there are fair Chappels, and Libraries. But, amongst these, is the most famous Bodlean Library, which for choice Books, and rare Manu∣scripts, falls little short of the Vatican.

Here is also that curious Piece of Architecture called the New Theater, built for Scholastick Exercises, with a fair Printing House, by Dr. Sheldon, a late Arch Bishop of Can∣terbury.

The Musaeum, built at the Charge of the Ʋniver∣sity, for the Improvement of Experimental Knowledge, especially in Physick; with a Laboratory furnished with all sorts of Furnaces, and other Materials, for Chymical Practice; a Store-Room, for Preparations; and another Room, fitted up for a Chymical Library. In the Musaeum is also to be seen a curious Repository.

The publick Physick Garden deserves also to be mentioned here for its Stateliness, and infinite Variety of choice Plants.

The Number of Students in Oxford is rickoned to be 3000, whereof 1000 live upon the Revenues of the Colledges.

In this City was formerly a famous Castle, but now of no great Strength, being mostly used for a Prison. It has several Bridges about it, but one more specially, of Stone, curiously Arched; and is a Place of considerable Trade.

Woodstock was a long time the Country Retirement of our Kings; here it was that Henry II built a sumptuous Bower for fair Rosamond his Paramour; here Edward the Black Prince was Born, and Sr. Geoffry Chaucer Educated. At Islip King Edward the Confessor was Born; the other Towns of Note are Banbury, Chipingnorton, Charlbury, Bampton, Henly on Thames, &c.

Near Evisham, in the South of this County, are erected Stones called Rol Richstone, in the nature of those on Salis∣bury Plain, but not so big, which Fabulous Stories have ren∣dered to have been Men Transformed into Stone; but most certain they are a Monument of a great Battel fought there by Rollo the Dane; near Oxford is the Well Dripa, whose Waters distil from a Rock that hangs over it, very Medici∣nal. There is store of Oaker, Fullers-Earth, and Gipsum, at Shot-over, Garsington and Whitney; and Tobacco-Pipe-Clay and Ʋmber is found near Blanden, Cerulam, or Native Blue, near Blonds-Court, the Tera Lapidosa the Colour of Turkish Rusma, is found in the Quarries about Tame; the Gold-gritty Clay at Hampton Gay.

The Seats af the Nobility are Cornbury, belonging to the Earl of Clarendon; Blechington, to the Earl of Anglesey; Caversham, to the Earl of Craven; Dichley and Les Rest, to the Earl of Litchfield; Ricot and Che∣sterton, to the Earl of Abingdon; Broughton, Shutford and North Newton, to the Lord Viscount Say and Seal; Water-Eton, to the late Lord Lovelace. Cuddesden, the Bishops Palace.

There are fine Parks in this County, stored with Deer, and many large Woods, wherein abundance of Hares shelter: The Seats of the Gentry are not a few; so that put together, it is a very fine Inland County, Watered in some parts by the Thames, &c.