Oxford Castle
Encyclopedia
Oxford Castle is a large, partly ruined Norman
medieval castle
situated on the west edge of Oxford
in Oxfordshire
, England. The original moat
ed, wooden motte and bailey castle was replaced with stone in the 11th century and played an important role in the conflict of the Anarchy
. In the 14th century the military value of the castle diminished and the site became used primarily for county
administration and for detaining prisoners. Most of the castle was destroyed during the English Civil War
and by the 18th century the remaining buildings were used as Oxford's local prison
. A new prison complex was built on the site from 1785 onwards and expanded in 1876; this ultimately became HM Prison
Oxford. The prison closed in 1996 and was redeveloped as a hotel
. Today the medieval remains of the castle, including the motte and St George's Tower, are classed as a Grade I listed building and as a Scheduled Monument.
baron
, Robert D'Oyly
the senior from 1071-3. D'Oyly had arrived in England with William I during the Norman Conquest of England
in 1066 and was granted extensive lands in Oxfordshire. Oxford had been stormed during the invasion with considerable damage, and William instructed D'Oyly to build a castle to dominate the town. In due course D'Oyly became the pre-eminent landowner in Oxfordshire and was confirmed with a hereditary royal constableship for Oxford Castle. Oxford Castle was not amongst the 48 mentioned in the Domesday Book
of 1086, however not every castle in existence at the time was recorded in the survey.
D'Oyly positioned his castle to the west side of the town, using the natural protection of a stream of the River Thames
on the far side of the castle, now known as Castle Mill Stream
, and diverting the stream to produce a moat
. There has been debate as to whether there was an earlier English fortification on the site, but whilst there is archaeological evidence of earlier Anglo-Saxon habitation there is no conclusive evidence of fortification. Although Oxford Castle was clearly an "urban castle" it remains uncertain if local buildings had to be demolished to make room for the castle; the Domesday Book
does not record any demolition, so the land may have already been empty due to the damage caused by the Norman seizure of the town. Alternatively the castle may have been imposed over an existing street frontage which would have required the demolition of at least several houses.
The initial castle was probably a large motte and bailey design, copying the design of the castle that D'Oyly had already built twelve miles away at Wallingford
. The motte was originally around 60 ft (18m) high and 40 ft (12m) wide, constructed like the bailey
from layers of gravel
and strengthened with clay
facing. There has been debate over the sequencing of the motte and the bailey; it has been suggested that the bailey may have built first, which would make the initial castle design a ringwork
rather than a motte and bailey.
By the mid-12th century Oxford Castle had been significantly extended in stone. The first such work was St George's Tower, built of coral rag
stone in 1074, 30 ft by 30 ft (9m by 9m) at the base and tapering significantly towards the top for stability. This particular tower was the tallest of the castle towers, possibly because it covered the approach to the old west gate of the city, and included a chapel and a crypt on the inside of the walls. It is possible that the stone chapel itself may have built on the site of a previous church on the same site. St George's chapel was endowed with a college of priests by D'Oyly and his close friend, Roger d'Ivry
in 1074, and originally enjoyed a nave, chancel and an apsidal sanctuary; the crypt was a typical early Norman design with solid pillars and arches.
The wooden keep was replaced with a ten-sided stone shell keep
, 58 ft (18m) wide on top of the mound, closely resembling similar structures at Tonbridge
and Arundel Castle
s. The keep included a number of buildings, leaving an inner courtyard only 22 ft (7m) across. Stairs led down from within the keep to an underground 12 ft (4m) wide hexagonal stone chamber, containing a 54 ft (16m) deep well providing water supplies in the event of siege.
Robert D'Oyly the younger
, Robert D'Oyly the senior's nephew, inherited the castle by the time of the civil war of the Anarchy
in the 1140s. After initially supporting King Stephen, Robert declared his support for Empress Matilda
, Stephen's rival for the throne, and in 1141 the Empress marched to Oxford to use the castle as her base of operations. Stephen responded by marching unexpectedly from Bristol
in December, attacking and seizing the town of Oxford and besieging Matilda in the castle. Stephen set up two large mounds alongside the castle, called Jew's Mount and Mount Pelham, on which he placed siege engines, largely for show, and proceeded to wait for Matilda's supplies to run low over the next three months. Stephen himself would have had difficulty in supplying his men through the winter period, and this decision shows the apparent strength of Oxford Castle at this time.
Matilda responded to her predicament by escaping from the castle; the popular version of this has the Empress waiting until the Castle Mill Stream
was frozen over and then dressed in white to act as camouflage
in the snow
, being lowered down the walls with three or four knights, before escaping through Stephen's lines in the night whilst the king's sentries attempted to raise the alarm. The chronicler William of Malmesbury
, however, suggests that Matilda did not climb down the walls, but instead escaped from one of the gates. Matilda reached Abingdon safely and Oxford Castle surrendered to Stephen the following day. Robert had died during the final weeks of the siege and the castle was given to William de Chesney
for the remainder of the war. At the end of the war the constableship of Oxford Castle was granted to Roger de Bussy before being reclaimed by Henry D'Oyly, Robert D'Oyly the younger's son, in 1154.
In the Barons' War
of 1215–7 the castle was attacked again, leading to further improvements in its defences. In 1220 Falkes de Breauté
, who controlled many royal castle in the middle of England, demolished the Church of St Budoc to the south-east of the castle and built a moated barbican to further defend the main gate. The remaining wooden buildings were replaced in stone, including the new Round Tower which was built in 1235. King Henry III turned part of the castle into a prison, specifically for holding troublesome University clerks
, and also improved the castle chapel, replacing the older barred windows with stained glass
in 1243 and 1246. Due to the presence of Beaumont Palace
to the north of Oxford, however, the castle never became a royal residence.
were held there until 1577, when plague broke out during what became known as the "Black Assize
s": the Lord Lieutenant
of Oxfordshire, two knights, eighty gentlemen and the entire grand jury
for the session all died, including Sir Robert D'Oyley, a relative of the founder of the castle. In the aftermath the castle was abandoned as a location for future hearings.
By the 16th century the barbican had been dismantled to make way for houses and the moat had begun to be reoccupied for housing; by 1600 the moat was almost entirely silted up and houses had been built all around the edge of the bailey wall. In 1611 King James I then sold Oxford Castle to Francis James and Robert Younglove, who in turn sold the property to Christ Church College in 1613; the college then leased it to a number of local families over the coming years. By this time Oxford Castle was in a weakened state, with a large crack running down the side of the keep.
In 1642 the English Civil War
broke out, with the city of Oxford becoming the capital of the Royalist faction. Parliamentary forces successfully besieged Oxford
in 1646 and the city was occupied by Colonel Ingoldsby. Ingoldsby focussed on improving the fortification of the castle rather than the surrounding town, and in 1649 pulled down most of the medieval stonework, replacing it with more modern earth bulwark
s and reinforcing the keep with earth works to form a probable gun-platform. In 1652, during the third English Civil War
, the Parliamentary garrison responded to the proximity of Charles II's forces by pulling down these defences as well and retreating to New College
instead, causing great damage to the college in the process. In the event, Oxford saw no fresh fighting; early in the 18th century, however, the keep was finally pulled down and the top of the motte landscaped to form its current condition.
for the execution of prisoners, such as the notorious Mary Blandy
in 1752. For most of the 18th century the castle prison was run by the local Etty and Wisdom families and in increasing disrepair. In the 1770s the castle was visited several times by the prison reformer John Howard
, who criticised the size and quality of the establishment, including the extent of the vermin
that invested the prison. Partially as a result of this critique, the decision was taken to rebuild the Oxford Prison.
In 1785 the castle site was purchased by the Oxford County Justices and rebuilding commenced under the London architect William Blackburn
. The wider castle site had already begun to change by the late 18th century, with New Road
being built through the bailey and the last parts of the castle moat being filled in to allow the construction of the new canal
terminus in Oxford. The new prison build resulted in the destruction of the old college attached to St George's chapel, and the repositioning of part of the crypt; the work was finally completed by Daniel Harris
in 1805. Harris acquired a reasonable salary as the new governor and used convict labour from the prison to conduct early archaeological excavations at the castle with the help of the antiquarian Edward King.
In the 19th century the site continued to be developed, with various new buildings constructed, including the new County Hall, the Militia Armoury; the prison itself was extended in 1876, growing to occupy most of the remaining space. In 1888 national prison reforms led to the renaming of the county prison as HM Prison
Oxford.
The prison was closed in 1996 and the site reverted to Oxfordshire County Council
. The remains of the castle are classed as a Grade I listed building and as a Scheduled Monument. Still visible is the castle motte, St George's Tower and the crypt.
The Oxford Prison buildings have since been redeveloped as a shopping and heritage complex, with guided tours of the historic buildings and open courtyards for markets and theatrical performances. The complex includes a hotel in the Malmaison
chain, Malmaison Oxford, occupying a large part of the former prison block, with converted jail cells as guest rooms; those parts of the prison associated with corporal or capital punishment, however, have been converted to offices rather than being used for guests.
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
medieval castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
situated on the west edge of 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...
in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, England. The original moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
ed, wooden motte and bailey castle was replaced with stone in the 11th century and played an important role in the conflict of the Anarchy
The Anarchy
The Anarchy or The Nineteen-Year Winter was a period of English history during the reign of King Stephen, which was characterised by civil war and unsettled government...
. In the 14th century the military value of the castle diminished and the site became used primarily for county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
administration and for detaining prisoners. Most of the castle was destroyed during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
and by the 18th century the remaining buildings were used as Oxford's local prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
. A new prison complex was built on the site from 1785 onwards and expanded in 1876; this ultimately became HM Prison
Her Majesty's Prison Service
Her Majesty's Prison Service is a part of the National Offender Management Service of the Government of the United Kingdom tasked with managing most of the prisons within England and Wales...
Oxford. The prison closed in 1996 and was redeveloped as a hotel
Malmaison (hotel chain)
Malmaison is a hotel brand in the United Kingdom. The group operates 12 hotels and is wholly owned by MWB Group Holdings.-History:The hotel brand was formed in 1994 and is named after the Château de Malmaison on the outskirts of Paris....
. Today the medieval remains of the castle, including the motte and St George's Tower, are classed as a Grade I listed building and as a Scheduled Monument.
Construction
According to the Abingdon Chronicle, Oxford Castle was built by the NormanNormans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
, Robert D'Oyly
Robert D'Oyly (Oxford)
Robert D'Oyly was a Norman nobleman who accompanied William the Conqueror on the Norman Conquest, his invasion of England. He died in 1091.-Background:Robert was the son of Walter D'Oyly and elder brother to Nigel D'Oyly...
the senior from 1071-3. D'Oyly had arrived in England with William I during the Norman Conquest of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1066 and was granted extensive lands in Oxfordshire. Oxford had been stormed during the invasion with considerable damage, and William instructed D'Oyly to build a castle to dominate the town. In due course D'Oyly became the pre-eminent landowner in Oxfordshire and was confirmed with a hereditary royal constableship for Oxford Castle. Oxford Castle was not amongst the 48 mentioned in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086, however not every castle in existence at the time was recorded in the survey.
D'Oyly positioned his castle to the west side of the town, using the natural protection of a stream of the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
on the far side of the castle, now known as Castle Mill Stream
Castle Mill Stream
Castle Mill Stream is a backwater of the River Thames in the west of Oxford, England. It is 5.5 km long.-Course:The stream leaves the main course of the Thames at the south end of Port Meadow, immediately upstream of Medley Footbridge. It then flows under the Cherwell Valley railway line and turns...
, and diverting the stream to produce a moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
. There has been debate as to whether there was an earlier English fortification on the site, but whilst there is archaeological evidence of earlier Anglo-Saxon habitation there is no conclusive evidence of fortification. Although Oxford Castle was clearly an "urban castle" it remains uncertain if local buildings had to be demolished to make room for the castle; the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
does not record any demolition, so the land may have already been empty due to the damage caused by the Norman seizure of the town. Alternatively the castle may have been imposed over an existing street frontage which would have required the demolition of at least several houses.
The initial castle was probably a large motte and bailey design, copying the design of the castle that D'Oyly had already built twelve miles away at Wallingford
Wallingford Castle
Wallingford Castle was a major medieval castle situated in Wallingford in the English county of Oxfordshire , adjacent to the River Thames...
. The motte was originally around 60 ft (18m) high and 40 ft (12m) wide, constructed like the bailey
Bailey
-Fictional Characters:* Beetle Bailey, a comic strip created by Mort Walker* Bailey Pickett, a character on The Suite Life on Deck* Miranda Bailey, a character Grey's Anatomy...
from layers of gravel
Gravel
Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...
and strengthened with clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
facing. There has been debate over the sequencing of the motte and the bailey; it has been suggested that the bailey may have built first, which would make the initial castle design a ringwork
Ringwork
A ringwork is a form of fortified defensive structure, usually circular or oval in shape. Ringworks are essentially motte-and-bailey castles minus the motte...
rather than a motte and bailey.
By the mid-12th century Oxford Castle had been significantly extended in stone. The first such work was St George's Tower, built of coral rag
Coral rag
Coral rag is a rubbly limestone composed of ancient coral reef material. The term also refers to the building blocks quarried from these strata which are an important local building material in areas such as the east African coast and the Caribbean basin .It is also the name of a member — the Coral...
stone in 1074, 30 ft by 30 ft (9m by 9m) at the base and tapering significantly towards the top for stability. This particular tower was the tallest of the castle towers, possibly because it covered the approach to the old west gate of the city, and included a chapel and a crypt on the inside of the walls. It is possible that the stone chapel itself may have built on the site of a previous church on the same site. St George's chapel was endowed with a college of priests by D'Oyly and his close friend, Roger d'Ivry
Roger d'Ivry
Roger d'Ivry or d'Ivri was an 11th century nobleman from Ivry-la-Bataille in Normandy. He took part in William of Normandy's conquest of England in 1066 and founded the Abbey of Notre-Dame-d'Ivry in 1071...
in 1074, and originally enjoyed a nave, chancel and an apsidal sanctuary; the crypt was a typical early Norman design with solid pillars and arches.
The wooden keep was replaced with a ten-sided stone shell keep
Shell keep
A shell keep is a style of medieval fortification, best described as a stone structure circling the top of a motte.In English castle morphology, shell keeps are perceived as the successors to motte-and-bailey castles, with the wooden fence around the top of the motte replaced by a stone wall...
, 58 ft (18m) wide on top of the mound, closely resembling similar structures at Tonbridge
Tonbridge Castle
Tonbridge Castle is situated in the town of the same name, Kent, England.-Early history:Following the Norman Conquest, Richard Fitz Gilbert was granted land in Kent to guard the crossing of the River Medway. He erected a simple Motte-and-bailey castle on the site. To dig the moat and erect the...
and Arundel Castle
Arundel Castle
Arundel Castle in Arundel, West Sussex, England is a restored medieval castle. It was founded by Roger de Montgomery on Christmas Day 1067. Roger became the first to hold the earldom of Arundel by the graces of William the Conqueror...
s. The keep included a number of buildings, leaving an inner courtyard only 22 ft (7m) across. Stairs led down from within the keep to an underground 12 ft (4m) wide hexagonal stone chamber, containing a 54 ft (16m) deep well providing water supplies in the event of siege.
Role in the Anarchy and Barons War
Robert D'Oyly (Osney)
Robert D'Oyly was a 12th century English nobleman, son of Nigel D'Oyly, and nephew of Robert D'Oyly, founder of Oxford Castle.Robert married Edith Forne, daughter of Lord Greystock, who had been King Henry I of England's concubine, in 1120...
, Robert D'Oyly the senior's nephew, inherited the castle by the time of the civil war of the Anarchy
The Anarchy
The Anarchy or The Nineteen-Year Winter was a period of English history during the reign of King Stephen, which was characterised by civil war and unsettled government...
in the 1140s. After initially supporting King Stephen, Robert declared his support for Empress Matilda
Empress Matilda
Empress Matilda , also known as Matilda of England or Maude, was the daughter and heir of King Henry I of England. Matilda and her younger brother, William Adelin, were the only legitimate children of King Henry to survive to adulthood...
, Stephen's rival for the throne, and in 1141 the Empress marched to Oxford to use the castle as her base of operations. Stephen responded by marching unexpectedly from Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
in December, attacking and seizing the town of Oxford and besieging Matilda in the castle. Stephen set up two large mounds alongside the castle, called Jew's Mount and Mount Pelham, on which he placed siege engines, largely for show, and proceeded to wait for Matilda's supplies to run low over the next three months. Stephen himself would have had difficulty in supplying his men through the winter period, and this decision shows the apparent strength of Oxford Castle at this time.
Matilda responded to her predicament by escaping from the castle; the popular version of this has the Empress waiting until the Castle Mill Stream
Castle Mill Stream
Castle Mill Stream is a backwater of the River Thames in the west of Oxford, England. It is 5.5 km long.-Course:The stream leaves the main course of the Thames at the south end of Port Meadow, immediately upstream of Medley Footbridge. It then flows under the Cherwell Valley railway line and turns...
was frozen over and then dressed in white to act as camouflage
Camouflage
Camouflage is a method of concealment that allows an otherwise visible animal, military vehicle, or other object to remain unnoticed, by blending with its environment. Examples include a leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier and a leaf-mimic butterfly...
in the snow
Snow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...
, being lowered down the walls with three or four knights, before escaping through Stephen's lines in the night whilst the king's sentries attempted to raise the alarm. The chronicler William of Malmesbury
William of Malmesbury
William of Malmesbury was the foremost English historian of the 12th century. C. Warren Hollister so ranks him among the most talented generation of writers of history since Bede, "a gifted historical scholar and an omnivorous reader, impressively well versed in the literature of classical,...
, however, suggests that Matilda did not climb down the walls, but instead escaped from one of the gates. Matilda reached Abingdon safely and Oxford Castle surrendered to Stephen the following day. Robert had died during the final weeks of the siege and the castle was given to William de Chesney
William de Chesney
William de Chesney was an Anglo-Norman magnate during the reign of King Stephen of England and King Henry II of England . Chesney was part of a large family; one of his brothers became Bishop of Lincoln and another Abbot of Evesham Abbey. Stephen may have named him Sheriff of Oxfordshire...
for the remainder of the war. At the end of the war the constableship of Oxford Castle was granted to Roger de Bussy before being reclaimed by Henry D'Oyly, Robert D'Oyly the younger's son, in 1154.
In the Barons' War
First Barons' War
The First Barons' War was a civil war in the Kingdom of England, between a group of rebellious barons—led by Robert Fitzwalter and supported by a French army under the future Louis VIII of France—and King John of England...
of 1215–7 the castle was attacked again, leading to further improvements in its defences. In 1220 Falkes de Breauté
Falkes de Breauté
Sir Falkes de Breauté was an Anglo-Norman soldier who earned high office by loyally serving first King John and later King Henry III in First Barons' War. He played a key role in the Battle of Lincoln Fair in 1217. He attempted to rival Hubert de Burgh, and as a result fell from power in 1224...
, who controlled many royal castle in the middle of England, demolished the Church of St Budoc to the south-east of the castle and built a moated barbican to further defend the main gate. The remaining wooden buildings were replaced in stone, including the new Round Tower which was built in 1235. King Henry III turned part of the castle into a prison, specifically for holding troublesome University clerks
Scholarly method
Scholarly method or scholarship is the body of principles and practices used by scholars to make their claims about the world as valid and trustworthy as possible, and to make them known to the scholarly public.-Methods:...
, and also improved the castle chapel, replacing the older barred windows with stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
in 1243 and 1246. Due to the presence of Beaumont Palace
Beaumont Palace
Beaumont Palace built outside the north gate of Oxford was intended by Henry I about 1130 to serve as a royal palace conveniently close to the royal hunting-lodge at Woodstock . Its former presence is recorded in Beaumont Street, Oxford...
to the north of Oxford, however, the castle never became a royal residence.
14th–17th centuries
By 1327 the fortification, particularly the castle gates and the barbican, was in poor condition and £800 was estimated to be required for repairs. From the 1350s onwards the castle had little military utility and was increasingly allowed to fall into disrepair. The castle became the centre for the administration of the county of Oxford, and gaol and assizesAssizes (England and Wales)
The Courts of Assize, or Assizes, were periodic criminal courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the Quarter Sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court...
were held there until 1577, when plague broke out during what became known as the "Black Assize
Black Assize
The Black Assize was a plague of Epidemic typhus that struck the town of Oxford in England on July 6, 1577. About 300 people including the chief baron and sheriff, are thought to have died as a result of the plague...
s": the Lord Lieutenant
Lord Lieutenant
The title Lord Lieutenant is given to the British monarch's personal representatives in the United Kingdom, usually in a county or similar circumscription, with varying tasks throughout history. Usually a retired local notable, senior military officer, peer or business person is given the post...
of Oxfordshire, two knights, eighty gentlemen and the entire grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
for the session all died, including Sir Robert D'Oyley, a relative of the founder of the castle. In the aftermath the castle was abandoned as a location for future hearings.
By the 16th century the barbican had been dismantled to make way for houses and the moat had begun to be reoccupied for housing; by 1600 the moat was almost entirely silted up and houses had been built all around the edge of the bailey wall. In 1611 King James I then sold Oxford Castle to Francis James and Robert Younglove, who in turn sold the property to Christ Church College in 1613; the college then leased it to a number of local families over the coming years. By this time Oxford Castle was in a weakened state, with a large crack running down the side of the keep.
In 1642 the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
broke out, with the city of Oxford becoming the capital of the Royalist faction. Parliamentary forces successfully besieged Oxford
Siege of Oxford
The Siege of Oxford was a Parliamentarian victory late in the First English Civil War. Whereas the title of the event may suggest a single siege, there were in fact three individual engagements that took place over a period of three years....
in 1646 and the city was occupied by Colonel Ingoldsby. Ingoldsby focussed on improving the fortification of the castle rather than the surrounding town, and in 1649 pulled down most of the medieval stonework, replacing it with more modern earth bulwark
Bulwark
Bulwark may refer to:*A bastion or fortifications in general*In naval terminology, an extension of a ship's sides above deck level*HMS Bulwark, any of several Royal Navy ships*USS Bulwark, any of several US Navy ships...
s and reinforcing the keep with earth works to form a probable gun-platform. In 1652, during the third English Civil War
Third English Civil War
The Third English Civil War was the last of the English Civil Wars , a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists....
, the Parliamentary garrison responded to the proximity of Charles II's forces by pulling down these defences as well and retreating to New College
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
instead, causing great damage to the college in the process. In the event, Oxford saw no fresh fighting; early in the 18th century, however, the keep was finally pulled down and the top of the motte landscaped to form its current condition.
Role as prison
Oxford Castle was primarily used after the Civil War as the local prison. Like other prisons at the time, the property was leased out by the owners, in this case Christ Church College, to wardens who would make their profit by charging prisoners for their food and accommodation. The prison also contained a gallowsGallows
A gallows is a frame, typically wooden, used for execution by hanging, or by means to torture before execution, as was used when being hanged, drawn and quartered...
for the execution of prisoners, such as the notorious Mary Blandy
Mary Blandy
Mary Blandy was a female murderer in 18th century England. In 1751, she poisoned her father, Francis Blandy, with arsenic...
in 1752. For most of the 18th century the castle prison was run by the local Etty and Wisdom families and in increasing disrepair. In the 1770s the castle was visited several times by the prison reformer John Howard
John Howard (prison reformer)
John Howard was a philanthropist and the first English prison reformer.-Birth and early life:Howard was born in Lower Clapton, London. His father, also John, was a wealthy upholsterer at Smithfield Market in the city...
, who criticised the size and quality of the establishment, including the extent of the vermin
Vermin
Vermin is a term applied to various animal species regarded by some as pests or nuisances and especially to those associated with the carrying of disease. Since the term is defined in relation to human activities, which species are included will vary from area to area and even person to person...
that invested the prison. Partially as a result of this critique, the decision was taken to rebuild the Oxford Prison.
In 1785 the castle site was purchased by the Oxford County Justices and rebuilding commenced under the London architect William Blackburn
William Blackburn
William Blackburn was the leading prison architect of the Georgian Era. Following the principles of John Howard, his designs aimed to provide inmates with dry and airy cells....
. The wider castle site had already begun to change by the late 18th century, with New Road
New Road, Oxford
New Road is a street in west central Oxford, England. It links Park End Street and Worcester Street to the west with Queen Street and Castle Street to the east. To the south is Oxford Castle and the former Oxford Prison, now a Malmaison hotel. To the north is Nuffield College, a graduate college of...
being built through the bailey and the last parts of the castle moat being filled in to allow the construction of the new canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
terminus in Oxford. The new prison build resulted in the destruction of the old college attached to St George's chapel, and the repositioning of part of the crypt; the work was finally completed by Daniel Harris
Daniel Harris (Oxford)
Daniel Harris was a builder, prison governor, civil engineer and architect who lived and practised in Oxford.-Family:Harris's birthplace is obscure but he was born about 1761, as the entry in St-Peter-le-Bailey's register for his death in 1840 records his age as 79. He married Elizabeth Tomkins of...
in 1805. Harris acquired a reasonable salary as the new governor and used convict labour from the prison to conduct early archaeological excavations at the castle with the help of the antiquarian Edward King.
In the 19th century the site continued to be developed, with various new buildings constructed, including the new County Hall, the Militia Armoury; the prison itself was extended in 1876, growing to occupy most of the remaining space. In 1888 national prison reforms led to the renaming of the county prison as HM Prison
Her Majesty's Prison Service
Her Majesty's Prison Service is a part of the National Offender Management Service of the Government of the United Kingdom tasked with managing most of the prisons within England and Wales...
Oxford.
Today
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...
. The remains of the castle are classed as a Grade I listed building and as a Scheduled Monument. Still visible is the castle motte, St George's Tower and the crypt.
The Oxford Prison buildings have since been redeveloped as a shopping and heritage complex, with guided tours of the historic buildings and open courtyards for markets and theatrical performances. The complex includes a hotel in the Malmaison
Malmaison (hotel chain)
Malmaison is a hotel brand in the United Kingdom. The group operates 12 hotels and is wholly owned by MWB Group Holdings.-History:The hotel brand was formed in 1994 and is named after the Château de Malmaison on the outskirts of Paris....
chain, Malmaison Oxford, occupying a large part of the former prison block, with converted jail cells as guest rooms; those parts of the prison associated with corporal or capital punishment, however, have been converted to offices rather than being used for guests.