England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Oxford St Martin

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 Martin's parish is merely one of 15 into which the ancient city is divided. St Martin sits at the very centre of Oxford at the crossroads of St Aldate's, Cornmarket, Queen, and High Streets, known as the Carfax. 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, St Martin's former church 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 Martin's  parish was a one of the smaller parishes within that total supporting around 450 parishioners, the volume of marriages recorded at this parish church is way beyond that to be expected for such a population being more typical of one with around 1,000. 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

The former church of St Martin occupied the central position at the critical meeting point of streets from the form compass points, north, south, east & west known as The Carfax. From its foundation in c1120 through to its demolition it served as the town church rather than the gown of the university being the church of the civic leadership. By 1820 the church had fallen into a semi-ruinous state and parts were demolished to improve the road layout for the increasing traffic. Finally in 1896 the church was demolished with the sole exception of its 12th century western tower, now known as the Carfax Tower and a primary meeting point for Oxford's citizens. The tower is 74 feet in height and historically no building was allowed to exceed that height, a situation now much more lax. Like most Oxford churches there is no parking suitable and one should be sought in a car park and the tower visited on foot. The principal difficulty for the photographer is usually the exceptionally crowded streets surrounding the tower.