Online Encyclopedia

part of their courses through it . These tributaries are as follows, pursuing the main river down-wards . (I) The Windrush, rising in Gloucestershire, follows a narrow and pleasant valley as far as See also:

WITNEY

Witney, after which it meanders in several branches through See also:

rich flat See also:

COUNTRY (from the Mid. Eng. contre or contrie, and O. Fr. cuntree; Late Lat. contrata, showing the derivation from contra, opposite, over against, thus the tract of land which fronts the sight, cf. Ger. Gegend, neighbourhood)

country, to join the Thames at Newbridge . (2) The Evenlode, also rising in Gloucestershire, forms the western county boundary for a short distance, and followsa similar but more beautiful valley to the Thames below Eynsham . From the See also:

north it receives the Glyme, which joins it on the confines of See also:

BLENHEIM (Ger. Blindheim)

Blenheim See also:

Park, where the woodland scenery is of See also:

PECULIAR

peculiar richness . (3) The Cherwell, rising in Northamptonshire, forms some to m. of the eastern boundary, and with a straight southerly course joins the Thames at Oxford . From the See also:

east it receives the See also:

Ray, which drains the flat See also:

TRACT (from Lat. tractare, to treat of a matter, through Provencal tractat and Ital. trattato)

tract of Ot See also:

MOOR

Moor . (4) The Thame, rising In Buckinghamshire, runs See also:

south-See also:

west and west, forming 6 m. of the eastern boundary, after which it turns south to join the Thames near See also:

Dorchester .

Above the point of junction the Thames is often called the See also:

ISIS (Egyptian Ese)

Isis . Lastly, a small part of the north-eastern boundary is formed by the See also:

GREAT

Great See also:

OUSE

Ouse (which discharges into the North See also:

Sea), here a very slight stream, some of whose See also:

head-feeders rise within Oxfordshire . The See also:

low hills which See also:

lie south of the Windrush, and those between it and the Evenlode (which attain a greater height) are foothills of the Cotteswold range, the greater part of which lies in Gloucestershire . Between the Windrush and Evenlode they are clothed with the remaining See also:

woods of Wychwood See also:

FOREST

Forest, one of the See also:

ancient forests of England, which was a royal preserve from the See also:

time of See also:

John, and was disafforested in 1862 . Its extent was 3735 acres of forest proper . The hills continued north of the Evenlode (but not under the name of Cotteswold) at an See also:

AVERAGE

average See also:

ELEVATION

elevation over 500 ft . The range terminates at Edge See also:

Hill, just outside the county in Warwickshire . The hills bordering the Cherwell basin on the east are of slight elevation, until, See also:

RUNNING

running east from Oxford into Buckinghamshire, a considerable line of heights is found north of the Thame valley, reaching 56o ft. in Shotover hill, overlooking Oxford . Across the south-east of the county stretches the hold line of the Chiltern Hills, running N.E. and S.W . On the western brow, Nettlebed See also:

COMMON

Common, an extensive See also:

plateau, reaches at some points nearly 700 ft. of See also:

ALTITUDE (Lat. altitudo, from altus, high)

altitude . The See also:

DISTRICT

district was probably once covered with forest, and there are still many See also:

FINE

fine beeches, oaks and ash trees . See also:

William See also:

Camden in his survey of the See also:

BRITISH

British Isles (1586) mentions forests as a particular feature of Oxfordshire scenery, and there are traces still See also:

LEFT

left of natural woodland in various parts of the See also:

LOWER

lower country .

The Thames flows through a deep See also:

gap from about See also:

GORING, GEORGE GORING, LORD (1608-1657)

Goring downwards, between the Chilterns and the Berkshire See also:

DOWNS

Downs . Here, as above at Nuneham and other points, the sylvan scenery is fine, and Henley and Goring are favourite See also:

RIVERSIDE

riverside resorts on the Oxfordshire See also:

SHORE

shore . The western feeders of the Thames and Cherwell have much rich woodland in their narrow valleys, and the sequestered See also:

VILLAGE

village of Great Tew, on a tributary of the Cherwell river, may be singled out as having a situation of exceptional beauty . See also:

GEOLOGY (from Gr. yp7, the earth, and Abyor, science)

Geology.—The See also:

INFLUENCE (Late Lat. influentia, from influere, to flow in)

influence of the rocky substratum upon the See also:

CHARACTER (Gr. xapareri7p, from xap&crew, to scratch)

character of the scenery and See also:

SOIL

soil is clearly marked . It is sufficient to point, on the one See also:

hand, to the dry chalky upland of the Chiltern Hills and the oolitic See also:

LIMESTONE

limestone hills in the north-west, or the See also:

Corn-brash with its rich, fertile soil; and, on the other hand, to the dreary scenery of the Oxford See also:

Clay See also:

LAND

land with its See also:

COLD (in O. Eng. cald and ceald, a word coming ultimately from a root cognate with the Lat. gelu, gelidus, and common in the Teutonic languages, which usually have two distinct forms for the substantive and the adjective, cf. Ger. Kolte, kalt, Dutch koude

cold, unproductive soil . Cretaceous rocks occupy the south-eastern corner of the county; See also:

JURASSIC

Jurassic rocks prevail over the See also:

REMAINDER, REVERSION

remainder . The See also:

general See also:

DIP (Old Eng. dyppan, connected with the common Teutonic root seen in " deep ")

dip is towards the south-east, and the strike of the strata is S.W.–N.E.; therefore in passing from south to north, beds are traversed which are successively lower and older . The Chiltern Hills, with a strong scarp facing the north-west, are formed of See also:

CHALK

Chalk, the Lower Chalk at the See also:

FOOT

foot and the hard Chalk See also:

rock at the See also:

SUMMIT

summit; from the See also:

TOP (cf. Dan. top, Ger. Topf, also meaning pot)

top of the hills the Upper Chalk-with-Flints descends steadily towards the Thames . Here and there, as at Shiplake and Nettlebed, outliers of See also:

TERTIARY

Tertiary See also:

CLAYS, PAUL JEAN (1819-1900)

clays See also:

REST (O. Eng. rest, reste, bed, cognate with other Teutonic forms, e.g. Ger. Rast, Riiste, rest, and probably Gothic Rasta, league, i.e. resting or stopping place)

rest upon it . The Upper See also:

GREENSAND

Greensand forms a low feature at the foot of the Chalk hills; this is succeeded by the See also:

GAULT

Gault, with an outcrop varying from 4 M. to 11 M. wide between Dorchester and See also:

Sydenham; it is a See also:

PALE (through Fr. pal, from Lat. palms, a stake, for paglus, from the stem pag- of pangere, to fix; " pole " is from the same original source)

pale See also:

BLUE (common in different forms to most European languages)

blue clay, dug for bricks at Culham . The Lower Greensand appears from beneath the Gault at Culham and Nuneham See also:

COURTNEY, LEONARD HENRY COURTNEY, BARON

Courtney and in outliers north of Cuddesdon . The Kimmeridge clay, in the grass-covered vales between See also:

SANDFORD, JOHN DE (d. 1294)

Sandford and Waterperry, is separated from the Lower Greensand by the See also:

Portland limestone and Portland sands and by the thin Purbeck beds; it is dug for bricks at Headington .

Both Portland and Purbeck beds may be observed in Shotover hill; the Portland limestone is quarried at Garsington . The See also:

CORAL

Coral Rag,with calcareous grit at the See also:

BASE

base, is a shelly, coral-bearing limestone, traceable from Sandford to See also:

WHEATLEY, FRANCIS (1747–1801)

Wheatley; it has been extensively quarried at Heading-ton hill . North-west of the last-named formation a broad outcrop of Oxford Clay crosses the county; while this is mostly under pasture, the next lower formation, the See also:

CORNBRASH

Cornbrash, a brownish rubbly limestone, gives rise to a loose See also:

brown soil very suitable for the cultivation of See also:

wheat . Exposures of Cornbrash occur at See also:

Norton See also:

BRIDGE

Bridge, See also:

WOODSTOCK

Woodstock and See also:

SHIPTON, MOTHER

Shipton; it forms a broad plateau between See also:

Middleton Stoney and See also:

BICESTER

Bicester . Inliers also lie in the Oxford Clay See also:

PLAIN (O. Fr. plain, from Lat. plenum)

plain at See also:

ISLIP

Islip, Charlton, Merton and See also:

Black See also:

HORSE (a word common to Teutonic languages in such forms as hors, hros, ros; cf. the Ger. ross)

Horse Hill . Wychwood Forest has given its name to the " Forest See also:

MARBLE (from Lat. marmor, Gr. pApµapos, shining stone)

Marble," an inconstant See also:

SERIES (a Latin word from serere, to join)

series of limestones which thin out eastward and become argillaceous . The Great Oolite limestones, with the " Stonesfield See also:

SLATE (properly CLAY SLATE; in M. Eng. slat or sclat, from O. Fr. esclat, a small piece of wood used as a tile; esclater, to break into pieces, whence modern Fr. eclat, the root being seen also in Ger. schleissen, to split)

Slate " at the base and occasional marls, See also:

FORM (Lat. forma)

form the higher ground in the north-west . An excellent freestone is quarried at Tainton and See also:

Milton . The Inferior Oolite series of sands and limestones forms the Rollright See also:

Ridge and caps Shenlow and Epwell hills; it also reaches down to Chipping Norton and eastward to See also:

STEEPLE (akin to " steep")

Steeple See also:

ASTON, ANTHONY (fl. 1712-1731)

Aston . The three divisions of the See also:

LIAS

Lias are represented in the N.W. of the county . The most important is the See also:

MIDDLE

middle member with marlstone, which, being a hard calcareous See also:

bed at the top, forms an elevated ridge along the limit of the outcrop . The marlstone is quarried for See also:

BUILDING

building See also:

stone at Hornton, and for road See also:

metal in many places, and, as it contains a considerable amount of See also:

IRON [symbol Fe, atomic weight 55.85 (0=16)]

iron See also:

OXIDE

oxide, it has been extensively worked for iron at Adderbury, Fawler and elsewhere .

The Upper Lias clays occur mostly as unimportant outliers . The Lower Lias clays have been exposed by the Evenlode near Charlbury and by the Cherwell in the upper part of its valley . A hard shelly limestone called See also:

BANBURY

Banbury marble occurs in this part of the Lias . Glacial See also:

DRIFT (from "drive ")

drift is sparingly scattered over the south-western part of the county, but is more plentiful in the north-eastern portion . Valley gravels are associated with the main stream courses and See also:

GRAVEL, or PEBBLE BEDS

gravel, clay-withflints and See also:

BRICK (derived according to some etymologists from the Teutonic bricke, a disk or plate; but more authoritatively, through the French brique, originally a " broken piece," applied especially to bread, and so to clay, from the Teutonic brikan, to break)

brick See also:

earth rest upon much of the chalk slope . See also:

COAL

Coal See also:

MEASURES

Measures have been proved at a See also:

DEPTH

depth of about 1200 ft. near See also:

BURFORD

Burford . See also:

CLIMATE

Climate and See also:

Agriculture.—The climate is healthy and generally dry except in the low ground bordering the Thames, as at Oxford; but colder than the other southern districts of England, especially in the See also:

BLEAK, or BLICK (Alburnus lucidus)

bleak and exposed regions of the Chilterns . Crops are later in the uplands than in more northerly situations at a lower elevation . In the See also:

NORTHERN

northern districts there is a strong yet friable See also:

LOAM (O.E. lam; the word appears in Dut. leem and Ger. Lehm; the ultimate origin is the root lai-, meaning " to be sticky," which is seen in the cognate " lime," Lat. limus, mud, clay)

loam, well adapted for all kinds of crops . The centre of the county is occupied for the most part by a See also:

GOOD, JOHN MASON (1764-1827)

good friable but not so rich soil, formed of decomposed See also:

SANDSTONE

sandstone, chalk and limestone . A large district in the south-east is occupied by the chalk of the Chiltern Hills, partly wooded, partly arable, and partly used as See also:

sheep-walks . The remainder of the county is occupied by a variety of See also:

MISCELLANEOUS

miscellaneous soils ranging from coarse See also:

sand to heavy tenacious clay, and occasionally very fertile .

Nearly seven-eighths of the area of the county, a high proportion, is under cultivation . The acreage under See also:

GRAIN (derived through the French from Lat. granum, seed, from an Aryan root meaning " to wear down," which also appears in the common Teutonic word " corn ")

grain crops is nearly equally divided between See also:

BARLEY (Hordeum sativum)

barley, oats and wheat . There is a considerable acreage under beans . More than See also:

HALF

half the See also:

TOTAL

total acreage under See also:

green crops is occupied by turnips, and vetches and tares are also largely grown . Along the smaller streams there are very rich meadows for grazing, but those on the Thames and Cherwell are subject to floods . The See also:

DAIRY

dairy See also:

SYSTEM

system prevails in many places, but the See also:

MILK (0. Eng. meoluc; from a common Indo-European root, cf. Lat. mulgere, Gr. ?t dXyetv)

milk is manufactured into See also:

BUTTER (Lat. butyrum, Gr. 0obrvpov, apparently connected with $ous, cow, and rvpbs, cheese, but, according to the New English Dictionary, perhaps of Scythian origin)

butter, little See also:

CHEESE (Lat. caseus)

cheese being made . The improved shorthorn is the most common breed, but See also:

ALDERNEY (Fr. Aurigny)

Alderney and See also:

Devonshire cows are largely kept . Of sheep, Southdowns are kept on the lower grounds, and Lelcesters , and Cotteswolds on the hills . Pigs are extensively reared, the county being famous for its brawn . Manufactures.—Blankets are manufactured at Witney, and See also:

TWEED

tweed, girths and horsecloths at Chipping Norton . There are See also:

paper See also:

mills at Shiplake, Sandford-on-Thames, Wolvercot and Eynsham, using water See also:

POWER [WILLIAM GRATTAN] TYRONE (1797-1841)

power, as do the blanket See also:

WORKS

works and many mills on the tributary streams of the Thames . Agricultural implements and portable engines are made at Banbury, and gloves at Woodstock, the last a very ancient See also:

INDUSTRY (Lat. industria, from indu-, a form of the pre, position in, and either stare, to stand, or struere, to pile up)

industry .

Banbury has been See also:

long celebrated for the manufacture of a peculiar cake . Some iron ore is raised (from the middle Lias), and the quarries and clays for brick-making are important, as already indicated . A large number of See also:

WOMEN

women and girls are employed in several of the towns and villages in the See also:

LACE (corresponding to Ital. merletto, trina; Genoese Pizzo; Ger. spitzen; Fr. dentelle; Dutch kanten; Span. encaje; the English word owes something to the Fr. lassis or laces, but both are connected with the earlier Lat. laqueus; early French laces were

lace manufacture . Communications.—The northern line of the Great Western railway, leaving the main line at Didcot Junction in Berkshire, runs north through Oxfordshire by the Cherwell valley . Oxford is the junction for the See also:

Worcester line, running north-west by the Evenlode valley, with branches from Chipping Norton Junction into Gloucestershire (See also:

CHELTENHAM

Cheltenham), and across the north-west of the county to the northern line at See also:

King's See also:

Sutton . From Oxford also the East See also:

Gloucester line serves Witney and the upper Thames . Another Great Western line, from See also:

MAIDENHEAD

Maidenhead and See also:

LONDON

London, enters the county on the east, has a See also:

BRANCH (from the Fr. branche, late Lat. branca, an animal's paw)

branch to Watlington, serves the See also:

TOWN

town of Thame, and runs to Oxford . The Great Central railway has a branch from its main line at See also:

WOODFORD

Woodford in Northamptonshire to Banbury, the north and south expresses using the Great Western route south-See also:

ward . Branches of the London and North Western railway from Bletchley terminate at Oxford and Banbury . As regards watercoznmunications, the Thames is navigable for large launches to Oxford, and for See also:

BARGES

barges over the whole of its Oxfordshire course . None of its tributaries in this county is commercially navigable . The Oxford See also:

Canal, opened in 1790, follows the Cherwell north from Oxford and ultimately connects with the See also:

GRAND

Grand Junction and See also:

Warwick canals .