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

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 Thomas parish is merely one of 15 into which the ancient city is divided. St Thomas largely forms the westernmost portion of the ancient mediaeval centre of the city. 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 Thomas' church 5 metres lower. 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 Thomas parish was the third most populous at that time supporting around 3,600 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

St Thomas' church lies in the southwestern part of the city not too far from the River Thames and on the eastern side of Becket Street which runs southwards from the A420. The church probably dates from the 12th century when it was founded and then dedicated to St Nicholas, Pevsner seriously laments, however, the severe restorations of the church which "one is in doubt all the time what represents true evidence". The only certain dates he attributes are to the western tower, which, being Perpendicular in style, is of the 15th century. The northern aisle is of 1890 but the nave is a mixture of possibly old (13th century) and certainly new. The church is best approached by the small side street of St Thomas Street where there are some parking spots and a metal gateway grants access. The churchyard is very hemmed in with both trees and neighbouring buildings making photography rather tricky.