Post-medieval Oxford - Oxford City Council

stamps denoting quality control) and could have come from hide used for saddle
making, probably in the 16 th or 17 th century (Egan 1979: 101).
A guild of mercers and woollendrapers was recorded in the late 16 th century and
continued to function within the town until it was dissolved in 1855 (VCH iv: 320). The
university’s hold over the guilds was challenged without success on several
occasions by the city. In 1556 and 1571, the city attempted to incorporate an
independent brewers guild, squashed by the university in 1575 (ibid.: 321). On
several occasions during the 16 th century, the city attempted to remove university
control over the bakers with little success (ibid.: 322). By the end of the 17 th century,
the bakers had ceased to function as a guild even as controlled by the university. An
attempt by the city to gain control over the tailors’ guild in 1516 failed; however by
1571 the city had successfully gained control.
The Old Bank
The Old Bank at 92-3 High Street was the earliest bank in Oxford originating in 1775.
The buildings date to the late 18th century, No 92 from 1775 and No 93 in 1798 (the
former was of stone and the later timber-frame clad in stone). The bank was taken
over in 1900 by Barclays Bank which remodelled the building c.1903 along with the
front of No 94 in 1931 (VCH iv). No 94 High Street and No 1 Magpie Lane are of
earlier date - 16 th to 17 th century (RCHM 1939). Remains of earlier buildings on the
site have been recorded during a building survey in 1998 (Newell and Munby 2000).
The conversion to a hotel took place in 1998-9.
Coffee houses
Oxfords first coffee house opened in 1651 at No 85 High Street; a plaque in the
current coffee house commemorates this event (Mellor 1997: 70). A number of
establishments followed, and the history of over 50 locations has been traced
(Aubertin-Potter and Bennett 1987).
Mills and mill sites
Many of Oxford’s historic mills (e.g. Castle Mill and King’s Mill) remained in continual
use throughout the period, while some appeared on new sites. The Greyfriars mill is
recorded between 1668 and 1732 on the site of the Greyfriars Precinct, possibly
associated with a brewhouse (VCH iv: 329). A back-filled mill race and demolition
debris of 16 th -17 th century date, perhaps from the medieval Greyfriars Mill, was
recorded during evaluation trenching at Westgate Car Park in 2008 (Bashford 2008).
The site of the post-medieval mill remains unclear.
A mill briefly operated on the site of the former Rewley Abbey, set up in 1555. No
later record of it beyond 1557 survives (VCH iv: 330). Holywell Mill was held by
Merton College throughout the post-medieval period until it was sold in 1877 (Bell
1996: 2). De Gomme’s map of the Civil War defences in 1644 indicate the mill was
surrounded by a bastion and a slight earthwork east of the mill may have formed part
of these defences (ibid.). Documentary evidence also indicates the manor of Holywell
was included within the Civil War defences at the expense of the College which was
required by the King to either pay for the defences or demolish the structures (Munby
in Bell 1996: 291). Archaeological investigations at Holywell Mill in 1993 identified
several possible medieval buildings to the north of the mill and a large curving ditch
that may represent the Civil War defences (Bell 1996: 275). The infilling of the ditch
could not be reliably dated, however, the mid-fill contained late 17 th century pottery
suggesting if this was the defences it was short lived (Munby in Bell 1996: 294).
The leat of Lower Wolvercote paper mill was identified in an evaluation in 2006; it
had been back-filled in the 19 th century (Mumford 2006). A mill on Old Abingdon
Road, known as Langford Mill, Hinksey Mill, New Hinksey Mill and Towles Mill
OXFORD ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCE ASSESSMENT- POST MEDIEVAL
33