Oxfordshire Record Office
Encyclopedia
Oxfordshire History Centre is located in St Luke’s Church, Cowley
, Oxford
. It aims to collect, preserve and make available the records of the historic county of Oxfordshire
. It holds original records and printed material from the 12th to 21st century, which are available for all to see free of charge. It is owned and run by Oxfordshire County Council
. It is recognised as a place of deposit by The National Archives.
in 1935 and was located in County Hall in Oxford. It had the remit to collect historic documents relating to the history of Oxfordshire as well as the records of Oxfordshire County Council itself. These collections were significantly enlarged when the Bodleian Library
transferred responsibility for the Diocesan, Archdeaconry and Parish
collections of Oxfordshire to the History Centre in 1984.
As the collections grew, the storage space in County Hall was augmented by a series of remote stores. However, by the 1990s increasing visitor numbers as well as a desperate need for more storage space meant that a new building was essential. The Diocese of Oxford
offered the County Council the redundant church of St. Luke in Cowley and this building, first built by Lord Nuffield as a place of worship for the workers in his Cowley plant was converted with the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund
, Paul Getty
and other donors.
The new Office opened to the public in November 2000.
In 2011 The former Oxfordshire Record Office and Oxfordshire Studies services were merged into one comprehensive history service and renamed Oxforshire History Centre.
Any organisation or private individual is welcome to deposit relevant records concerning Oxfordshire.
Catalogues can be accessed on Heritage Search, A2A or in the searchroom.
and Local Studies Librarian
. However, relevant records are located elsewhere:
This site was designed to allow people to access some of Oxfordshire’s interesting history without necessarily visiting the Oxfordshire History Centre.
It features the Dark Archivist, who takes the visitor around Oxfordshire through the ages, searching for sinister crimes which took place hundreds of years ago, looking for old remedies and reading up on crimes as they might have been written up by journalists today.
Cowley, Oxford
Cowley in Oxford, England, is a residential and industrial area that forms a small conurbation within greater Oxford. Cowley's neighbours are central Oxford to the northwest, Rose Hill and Blackbird Leys to the south, New Headington to the north and the villages of Horspath and Garsington across...
, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. It aims to collect, preserve and make available the records of the historic county of Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
. It holds original records and printed material from the 12th to 21st century, which are available for all to see free of charge. It is owned and run by Oxfordshire County Council
Oxfordshire County Council
Oxfordshire County Council, established in 1889, is the county council, or upper-tier local authority, for the non-metropolitan county of Oxfordshire, in the South East of England, an elected body responsible for the most strategic local government services in the county.-History:County Councils...
. It is recognised as a place of deposit by The National Archives.
History
An Office was established by Oxfordshire County CouncilOxfordshire County Council
Oxfordshire County Council, established in 1889, is the county council, or upper-tier local authority, for the non-metropolitan county of Oxfordshire, in the South East of England, an elected body responsible for the most strategic local government services in the county.-History:County Councils...
in 1935 and was located in County Hall in Oxford. It had the remit to collect historic documents relating to the history of Oxfordshire as well as the records of Oxfordshire County Council itself. These collections were significantly enlarged when the Bodleian Library
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library , the main research library of the University of Oxford, is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in Britain is second in size only to the British Library...
transferred responsibility for the Diocesan, Archdeaconry and Parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
collections of Oxfordshire to the History Centre in 1984.
As the collections grew, the storage space in County Hall was augmented by a series of remote stores. However, by the 1990s increasing visitor numbers as well as a desperate need for more storage space meant that a new building was essential. The Diocese of Oxford
Diocese of Oxford
-History:The Diocese of Oxford was created in 1541 out of part of the Diocese of Lincoln.In 1836 the Archdeaconry of Berkshire was transferred from the Diocese of Salisbury to Oxford...
offered the County Council the redundant church of St. Luke in Cowley and this building, first built by Lord Nuffield as a place of worship for the workers in his Cowley plant was converted with the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund
Heritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...
, Paul Getty
Paul Getty
Sir John Paul Getty KBE , born Eugene Paul Getty, was a wealthy American-born British philanthropist and book collector. He was the elder son of Jean Paul Getty, Sr...
and other donors.
The new Office opened to the public in November 2000.
In 2011 The former Oxfordshire Record Office and Oxfordshire Studies services were merged into one comprehensive history service and renamed Oxforshire History Centre.
Visitor Information
Oxfordshire History Centre is open Tuesday from 10am-5pm and Wednesday-Saturday from 9am-5pm. Please note it is closed the Saturday before a bank holiday. The Centre is part of the County Archive Network Research, so those readers’ tickets are valid. For further information and contact details please see the visitors page.Holdings
Oxfordshire History Centre holds a wide range of records which may be of use in family history, local history or other types of research:- Local administrative records of the county, including the Quarter Sessions, County Council, District Councils, Parish Councils, Poor Law Union and Borough records.
- Oxford City Archives
- Records of the Church of England including diocesan and archdeaconry records, registers of baptism, marriages and burials. Probate, Church Court and school records and poor law papers.
- Business and organisation records
- Nonconformist records
- Solicitors’ records
- Estate and family records
- Local newspapers
- Historic and Ordnance surveyOrdnance SurveyOrdnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
mapping - Open access reference library
- Oxfordshire Photographic Archive
- Oral history resources
Any organisation or private individual is welcome to deposit relevant records concerning Oxfordshire.
Catalogues can be accessed on Heritage Search, A2A or in the searchroom.
Information about other records
On site the records are cared for by are professionally qualified Archivists a ConservatorConservator
A Conservator is a judge delegated by the pope to defend certain privileged classes of persons — as universities, Roman Catholic religious orders, chapters, the poor — from manifest or notorious injury or violence, without recourse to a judicial process...
and Local Studies Librarian
Librarian
A librarian is an information professional trained in library and information science, which is the organization and management of information services or materials for those with information needs...
. However, relevant records are located elsewhere:
- Modern Oxfordshire County Council records. These are held by the Records Management Unit based in County Hall, Oxford.
- Local history reference library 'The county's most extensive online and print reference collection, including local and family history, newspapers and magazines' This is also run by Oxfordshire County Council and based at the Westgate Library in Oxford.
- Vale of White Horse Records. This area was originally part of the historic county of BerkshireBerkshireBerkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
before the 1974 local government reorganisation. As a result the historic records are kept at Berkshire Record OfficeBerkshire Record OfficeThe Berkshire Record Office is the county record office for Berkshire, England. It is located in Reading. The Berkshire Record Office opened on 10 August 1948.-Further reading:...
.
Dark Archivist
In May 2007 Oxfordshire History Centre launched the Dark Archivist website.This site was designed to allow people to access some of Oxfordshire’s interesting history without necessarily visiting the Oxfordshire History Centre.
It features the Dark Archivist, who takes the visitor around Oxfordshire through the ages, searching for sinister crimes which took place hundreds of years ago, looking for old remedies and reading up on crimes as they might have been written up by journalists today.