Post-medieval Oxford - Oxford City Council

Introduction
This assessment summarises the post-medieval archaeological evidence from the
Oxford City Council Local Authority Area and forms part of the resource assessment
stage of the Oxford Archaeological Plan. The aim of the report is to aid heritage asset
management and inform field investigation and academic research.
The Oxford Resource Assessment is designed to complement the county and
regional level resource assessment produced as part of the Solent Thames
Research Frameworks (Rhodes 2006; Hind 2010). A further County level overview
has also been provided by Munby (2003). This assessment is based on a review of
the County Journal Oxoniensia, the Regional CBA publication South Midlands
Archaeology, contractor’s reports and monographs, the Oxfordshire Historic
Environment Record (OHER), and the Oxford Urban Archaeological Database
(UAD).
Nature of evidence base
For the purposes of this assessment, the evidence base for the post-medieval period
will be limited to the period 1540 to 1800. The UAD/OHER records over 50 19th
century recorded observations of post-medieval material and over 300 archaeological
records from the early 20th century onwards (see Site Gazetteer below). A list of
notable excavations by theme is provided below.
The study of post-medieval pottery received early attention at Oxford with large
assemblages recovered from the underground extension to the Bodleian Library in
the Clarendon Quadrangle in 1899. Subsequently, several significant assemblages
have been recovered, notably a large assemblage from the 1960s-70s St Ebbe’s
excavations, which produced the first large well stratified collection of material.
Ceramic traditions have subsequently been synthesised and summarised by Mellor
(1994: 150-6; 1997).
A substantial number of post-medieval buildings survive in Oxford and the English
Heritage listed building database includes almost 600 structures dating to the 16th-
18th century. Structures associated with the University account for over 150 records
of which 69 are Grade I and a further ten are Grade II*.
The formation of the OAHS Old Houses Committee in 1914 encouraged the early
recording of standing post-medieval structures. An early list of notable domestic
houses in Oxford was published in 1937 by the committee (anon 1936). The
subsequent RCHME volume of 1939 provided an overview of surviving structures
built before 1714. The construction of the New Bodleian Library in 1937 led to the
investigation of buildings on Broad Street prior to their demolition (Pantin 1937; Bruce
Mitford 1939). Similarly, the demolition of the Clarendon Hotel, Cornmarket Street in
the 1950s resulted in a similar joint investigation into below and above ground
building remains (Jope 1958; Pantin 1958). Other notable structures were described
by Pantin (1947), who continued to record individual houses into the 1950s and
1960s (Pantin and Rouse 1955; Pantin 1958; 1960). Wall paintings found in a
number of 16th and 17th century buildings received early attention (Pantin and
Rouse 1955; Rouse 1972). A study of medieval and post-medieval domestic houses
in the county was serialised in Oxoniensia between 1960-62 largely by Pantin and
Sturdy designed to provide a brief description of post-medieval developments in
urban and rural vernacular architecture (Pantin 1960: 121; Sturdy and Lawson et al.
1961/2). Subsequently, post-medieval structures have been the subject of a number
of studies published in Oxoniensia and in South Midlands Archaeology. The building
stock of the historic core formed part of the surveys of historic towns carried out in
OXFORD ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCE ASSESSMENT- POST MEDIEVAL
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