2015 Oct
Museum of Oxford Newsletter Welcome to this edition of the Museum of Oxford Newsletter. We have another update about the progression of MoOFs, along with a calendar of events they have organised. This time around, two of our authors have swapped roles, with our usual historical writer Prue Drew taking on the Mayor’s Chair, while Peter Simpson decided to teach us a bit about Oxford’s St Scholastica Day’s Riot. As usual, if anyone is interested in contributing to our newsletter, please contact David, at djuler@oxford.gov.uk.
2015 Oct
St Scholastica Day’s Riot
Three Days in 1355 that changed Oxford for centuries after Peter Simpson
By the time of the riot it had only been six years since Oxford had been ravaged by the Black Death. Probably half of the Oxford population had died and those remaining were still in a state of shock and grieving. Oxford was depleted in population, wealth and talent. The people left in office were perhaps not of the highest calibre, but just the best of those who survived. At the time students in Oxford were no angels. They tended to group themselves into tribes based on their geographical origins. It was what now would be called a gang culture with the main groups being Scots, Welsh, Irish and northern and southern England. In 1303 student William de Roule was murdered by Welsh students after being found guilty of the crime of not being Welsh. In 1343 Richard de Langelaghe murdered a Welsh student, Richard Gille knifed John Martyn to death inside Queen’s College and student John Kireby arranged a campaign of burglaries and street robbing. The Swyndlestock Tavern was in the centre of Oxford which we now call Carfax. On Tuesday 10th February 1355, St Scholastica’s Day, Walter de Sprighouse, a priest, and his companion ordered wine which they considered diluted and complained to the publican, John de Croidon “in vicious terms”, poured the wine over his head and beat him up. Also present in the tavern was the owner and town mayor John de Bereford, as well as several relatives and friends of the publican, including the bailiff Robert de Lardiner. With such influential figures present the incident should have been stopped quite quickly, however they had no authority over students or clerics, as onl y the University Chancellor could act against them. The two clerics were then joined by a group of Irish students also drinking there and the fight escalated, breaking out into the street. These ty pes of fights were commonplace and usually ended quickly but for
years the students had resented the town for over charging on rents, food and drink and it became a lot worse when the bailiff went into the nearby townspeople’s church of St Martin’s and rang its bell calling the town to their assistance. As it was St Scholastica’s day which was deemed a feast day holiday for both workers and students, many had probably come into the centre of Oxford to enjoy the festivities which could well have included drinking. On hearing the bell their response was immediate and some soon appeared on the scene with weapons. The mayor, unable to take action against the students then asked the Chancellor to arrest his wayward scholars. Unfortunately he did the opposite and appearing in full Chancellor’s robes and regalia he further inflamed the situation by ringing the bell of the University’s church, St Mary’s, calling the students to arms to defend their colleagues. Two hundred students rallied and allegedly assaulted the mayor and others. It seems at this stage no one had been killed and the riot should have ended however the next day the Chancellor proclaimed that no one within the city walls should carr y arms which enra ged the townsmen as only the elected mayor had the legal right to dictate terms to them.
2015 Oct
People had been gathering overnight from nearby villages determined, that they would take the law into their own hands and were waiting at the Westgate which opened at dawn. Weapons were drawn on both sides. The students at first gained the upper hand
managing to close the city gates to prevent more country people entering but by the afternoon two thousand country men had forced their way through the gate, a black flag was carried as a rallying point and the students withdrew to their lodgings. Many were killed or dragged into the streets to be murdered and even scalped. The mayor then rode to Woodstock to lay a complaint before the king, Edward III, who was staying there by chance, saying that the students had closed the gates, fired the town,
robbed the homes of the Oxford people and killed and wounded many of them. The following morning the Chancellor also left Oxford to consult with the King who then appointed five judges to look into the matter. Oxford’s sheriff was removed from office and the mayor and bailiffs were sent to the Tower of London. The University and the town handed over all their privileges to the King – martial law had taken over. On the 27th June the King came out in favour of the University giving them back all their former privileges, along with some additional powers. These included, controlling the quality of bread, wine and ale, the supervising of weights and measures, control over all food, the sole power to clean the streets and police them at night and, lastly, the collection of tax from scholars servants. All these were important civic rights which had belonged to the town. This was the complete transfer of market control to the University. The mayor and 61 leading citizens also had to make an annual penitential appearance in the University church paying 63 pennies (one for each student killed) to the Chancellor and pray for those killed. The King’s decision was to lead to an economic decline for the town, driving out merchants which lowered the number of tax paying adults in the population and saw Oxford becoming just a service town with its citizens relying on jobs related to the University. Oxford was no longer a national force.
Interested in Contributing to MoOFs or the newsletter? Email djuler@oxford.gov.uk to find out more
2015 Oct
MoOFs at ‘Open Doors’ and Beyond!
On both the Saturday and Sunday of the Open Doors’ Weekend, MoOFs occupied a corner of the Town Hall! Our display gave information about MoOFs, including our Launch and planned future events. Our presence at the Open Doors was organised by Prue, who, with Allison, Peter, Joan, Sylvia and myself, took turns to ensure that our display was manned throughout the weekend. Many thanks to all! Between us, we met many local visitors, who thought that the creation of MoOFs was a great idea that was long over-due; our supply of Flyers went down considerably! This was a very encouraging response, particularly as it builds on the success of our Launch which has led, in the last three months, to a trebling of our membership. Looking to the future, MoOFs are currently working collaboratively with Museum of Oxford Staff on two events as our contribution to the 40th Anniversary Celebrations; a ‘timeline’ about the last 40 years of Oxford and a talk/debate discussing how the curation of museums has changed in the last 40 years. Please look for more details within this Newsletter. We are fortunate to have on our Steering Group, not only those who volunteer in the Museum but also some who have a great deal of heritage knowledge about the City. Later in the year there will be a talk on ‘Medieval Oxford’ in the very special venue of the Town Hall Court Room, which is free to Members. There are more details about this and other events within this Newsletter. MoOFs are also planning a New Year Celebration on the 5th January to get us off to a positive start! This will be held in the Old Museum. Once the plans have been finalised, more information will follow. If you are interested in joining us, there are Flyers, which include application forms, both in the MoO Shop and outside ‘Explore Oxford’ or it can be sent to you electronically; please email museumofoxfordfriends@gmail.com or telephone 07955 188279.
Judith Price Chair of MoOFs
2015 Oct
Events ‘Medieval Oxford’ Talk: On 5th November at 4.00 pm, there will be an unusual MoOFs’ event.
Forthcoming Events Ads MoOFs’ Steering Group are currentl y organising se veral events, which are detailed below. If y o u n e e d a d d i t i o n a l information and/or you would like to join us for any of these events, please email museumofoxfordfriends@gmail.c om or telephone 07955 188279.
The present Town Hall was officially opened in 1897 but by 1915 it was being used for an entirely different purpose. The First World War was raging and the building had been turned over to the 3rd Southern General Hospital. It had become a 205 bed hospital specialising in soldiers who were suffering from malaria. To keep the recovering soldiers active and interested, the authorities turned the Court Room over to them in the evenings for various activities which included talks given by visiting lecturers. We plan to emulate these talks in the same Court Room with a visit from Michelle Bayne-Jardine who will be talking to us about life in Medieval Oxford, with a special look at some of the Mayors of that time. MoOFs hope you can join us. If you need additional information and/or you would like to join us for any of these events, please email museumofoxfordfriends@gmail.com or telephone 07955 188279.
Support for the Museum of Oxford’s 40th Anniversary Events ‘Timeline’ Project for the ‘40 Years, 40 Objects Exhibition’ opening 28th September:
‘English Museums and Change’ 13th December at 2.00 pm (Date and Time to be confirmed)
MoOFs are contributing to the above exhibition in the Town Hall.
The event is currently being planned and organised by MoOFs.
Reminiscences of key events have been collected by MoOFs to form an interactive timeline for display as part of this Museum of Oxford’s fascinating exhibition. Visitors will be able to add their own events to the Timeline.
There will be a panel talk and discussion about how museums have changed in the last 40 years. It is hoped to involve some of those who initiated or were part of developing the Museum of Oxford, together with other invited guests.
If you need additional information and/or you would like to join us for any of these events, please email museumofoxfordfriends@gmail.com or telephone 07955 188279.
The event is free to MoOFs. More details to follow. If you need additional information and/or you would like to join us for any of these events, please email museumofoxfordfriends@gmail.com or telephone 07955 188279.
2015 Oct
What’s going on….. Late Night LiveFriday – Dead Friday
M U S E U M Spooky Skeletons! 26 th and 29 th October, FREE, 10:30am-3:30pm, Heritage Learning Centre Come along for a day of family fun at a Halloween themed workshop! Take a look at the ‘Dance of Death’ wall paintings from Alderman Fletcher’s Oxford house and learn about grave decorations from the past. You will be able to make your own dancing skeletons and have a go at brass rubbing. This workshop is a part of the ‘Get Creative Family Arts Festival’.
Museums at Night – Damifino! 31st October, FREE, 6:45 – 10:30pm, The Old Museum Join the Museum of Oxford on Halloween for a Victorian Spooktacular. Be guided around the darker side of the collections, share your fears and spooky stories, play Victorian style games and more!
30th October, 7:00 – 10:30pm, The Ashmolean Museum Put your Halloween glad rags on and explore ghosts and ghouls throughout history with live comedy, music, performances, workshops, and gallery talks. Enjoy a drink in the crypt café or on the rooftop; have a go at 'death drawing' with Art Macabre; listen to Halloween funk with Porto Flip; meet the dead funny Oxford Imps; and discover more about deathly objects in the collections from curators and researchers from Oxford University. Fancy dress is optional, and there will be a prize for the best costume. Entry to this event will be ticketed. A booking link will be posted closer to the event date. Winter Light Night 20th November, FREE, Until 8pm, The Ashmolean Museum Take part in our festive family activities, enjoy live music, indulge in Christmas treats in the café and start your Christmas shopping in the Ashmolean Shop. Oxford Fashion Week 26th – 31st October Oxford Fashion Week was founded in 2009 and has featured designers including Matthew Williamson, Alexander McQueen and Valentin Yudashkin. Oxford is synonymous with fashion being the inspiration for the Oxford shoe and the name of the busiest shopping street in Europe. The complete Oxford Fashion Week runway schedule will be published on 30th September 2015. On 31st October Oxford Fashion Studio will present collections from extraordinary and emerging designers
When the Lights Go Out 21st November, FREE, 10:30am – 3:30pm, Heritage Learning Centre As part of the Oxford Christmas Light Festival, families are invited to join us to discover more about Oxford in World War 2 and how people lived when the lights went out. Explore how people lived with war, the comradeship and how to function in times of blackout. Handle original WW2 objects, take part in a simple craft activity, join in with a wartime tea dance or even get your hair done in ‘victory rolls’!
Contributors: Prue Drew, Judith Price, Peter Simpson
during runway shows as part of Oxford Fashion Week.
Elsewhere Editor: Felicity Hammond Art Editor: Yi Wu