^5o The ^atural Hi/lory 
kind of Fortification ; but at this time it Teems it was fo conlider- 
able, that it had the reputation of a Burg ; for King Edward com- 
ing againft it the fame year, his Army is faid to have beliegedthe 
^i^r^ and taken it, and to have Oain the Vanifi King, Earl Toiler,' 
and Earl o^nnan his fon^ his brother^ and all others whatever with- 
in the Town And again, An. i o i o . when the 'Danes over-ran 
moftof this part of England^ we find this Town amongft others 
to have fuffered much by them, ^, 
12 0. Qhiffingnorton^ anciently Ceapan-nepnme, v^^as alfo mod 
certainly a Town of note in the Saxons Azys^ as one may gather 
from its name, it being fo called from Ceapan Emere^ to buy or 
chea-^en^ fo that it implies as much as Mercat Norton^ or Norton 
where the people ufually cheapened Wares. And Whitney^ now 
Witney^ feems to have been a Town of good repute before the 
Conque^l^ it being given about the year 1 040. to the Church of 
St. Swithins Winton : with eight other Manors^ by Ahinm then 
Bidiop of that See^ who for his over-familiarity with Einma Mo- 
ther to K. Ed^vard the Confefor^ was caufeleily fufpefted of Adul- 
tery with her : Of which fufpition Queen Emma purging herfelf 
and him by the Fire Ordeal^ of walking bare-foot over nine red- 
hot flough-fiares without hurt; in thankfulnefs C'^^isfaid) they 
each gave ximtM^inors to the Church of Winchesler^ which are all 
named by Mr. Dugdalc, Witney being one of thofe given by ^Z- 
winu6 ^, 
121. And the neighboring Town of B amp t on ^znckntly Bemcune, 
feems to be of much about the fame antiquity^ yet neither can I 
find any higher Record of it, than of Leofric Chaplain to King 
Edward the ConfeJJor^ who 1046. upon the union of the Bi- 
fliopricks of Criditon and Cornwall and both of them tranflated to 
Exeter^ whereof he was made the firft Bifiop^ quickly after gave 
to this his new Church his lan5 «r Bemtune \ to which it belongs to 
this very day. 
122. Which is all I could meet with of the Towns of Oxford- ' 
fiire be fore the Conqueji (for after long fearch I could find no- ' 
thing of Deddington, till about the Reign of King Edvp, 2. where- 
of when I come to fpeak of the Caflle there) concerning which 
I could have added much more, and brought their Hijlory down 
^ Chro7!ologiaS.txonica) in An-c^2i. ^ 'joh.'Bron2ton Ahb.'jamal.m An.citat- ^ Mo7iafiici Avglicani , 
fol I . mer Addenda-)^ag. 980. f £ Cod. vet. MS. in Bih. Bod fol. Med. 120. in princip- 
to 
