England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Oxford St John the Baptist

The Parish

The city of Oxford, the capital of its county of Oxfordshire, actually sits on the ancient border of the county with neighbouring Berkshire. St John's parish is merely one of 15 into which the ancient city is divided. St John largely forms part of the eastern area of the ancient medieval centre of the city and also that portion of Oxford east of the Thames, the parish is a small area immediately north of the Cathedral meadows centred around Merton College, the chapel of which acts as the parish church. Oxford is, of course, famous for its university and other public buildings, the so-called city of dreaming spires. Oxford lies about 55 miles northwest of England's capital of London. The city stands on the conjunction of the Thames with a major tributary, the River Cherwell. The city of Oxford has ancient origins although its name indicates a Saxon foundation and is literally the place where oxen forded the Thames. It was this crossing point which eventually became the crossroads for the A40 & A34 roads which lead to Oxford's growth. Granted its market in the 12th century Oxford grew to become one of the major cities of southern England, at times rivaling London as a centre for the crown. Oxford is sited at around 60 metres above sea level, Merton chapel is also at that height. Oxford's parishes were typically small, only covering the area of a few hundreds of metres in any direction. The city would have had a population of around 22,000 at the time of this transcript and St John's  parish was one of the least populous at that time supporting fewer than 100 of that population. In Domesday times Oxford received 13 mentions, the King, himself, being the principal landowner. As an urban centre it was deficient in the usual agricultural features but still a great source of revenue for the crown. 

The Church

Merton College Chapel stands on Merton Street and holds the parish church of St John as part of its functions. The chapel is a late 13th century construction which has only choir, crossing and transepts, the planned nave and chancel having never been built. There is ample documentation indicating a relatively quick build for the choir between the late 1280s and 1297 placing that structure into the Early English Gothic period. The choir is noted for its enormous 7-light east windows, a veritable masterpiece. Following completion of the choir work on the crossing is documented between 1330 & 1335 in the Decorated era with the transepts following through the 1360s. The chapel was dedicated in 1425 even though the tower has not been added, that work was completed by 1451. Consequently the transepts and tower are all Perpendicular. Of course this is a building to visit on foot after having found a city car park, the building has the normal urban issues of adjacent structures hemming in the chapel as well as the tourist bustle at ground level, the are few good viewpoints for the photographer. Viewing the interior is only available during college tours.