O X F 
•ctomparatively few in Oxford, meeting-houfes are neither 
frequent nor fpacious in extent. Here are, however, cha- 
pels belonging to the Roman Catholics, the Quakers, the 
Baptifts, and the Methodifts-: a new Wefieyan chapel was 
opened on the 19th of February, 1818. 
Among what have been termed the municipal public 
buildings, the Town and County Hall may properly claim 
the precedence as the feat of the courts of juftice, and 
the focus of the municipal authority. It is a fpacious 
edifice of ftone, having a pediment over the centre of the 
front, which exhibits a range of ruftic work in its lower 
clivilion. The expenfe of erefiling it was chiefly defrayed 
by Thomas Rowney, efq. late high-fteward of the city. 
The Radclifie Infirmary is one of the public edifices 
conferred on Oxford by the munificence of Dr. Rad- 
cliffe ; it having been built by his truftees with part of 
the funds remaining in their hands after the completion 
of the RadclifFe Library. It is a ftone building, well 
adapted for the reception of patients, and has extenfive 
grounds attached, the donation ofT. Rowney, efq. above 
mentioned. The charity is fupported by voluntary fub- 
fcriptions. 
The Town and County Gaol is a large edifice of ftone, 
with feparate lodgings, and yards of exercife for the debt¬ 
ors and felons. It occupies a part of the fite of the old 
caftle, built by Robert d’Oigly, and difplays much more 
lightnefs and architeftural tafte than is ufual in ftrufif ures 
of a fimliar dcfcription. It was defigned and erefited by 
D. Harris, efq. architect. 
The City Bridewell is a modern building, fubftantial 
in its conftruftion, and well arranged for the purpofes to 
which it is appropriated. Before the erection of this edi¬ 
fice, in 1789, offenders, within the jurifdiflion of the 
mayor, were placed in a prifon over the north gate, called 
Bocardo, where Cranmer, Ridley, and Latimer, werecon- 
fined, and whence they were led to the ftake. In a 
■final 1 room, which forms the entrance to the Bridewell, is 
ftill preferved the door which is faid to have led to the 
cell of thefe illuftrious martyrs. 
The General Market-houfe is a commodious range of 
building, erefited under the authority of an aft of par¬ 
liament, and certainly conftituting one of the greateft 
improvements effected during the laft century. It is fe- 
parated into three divifions, one appropriated to butchers, 
a fecond tp the venders of poultry, bacon, &c. and a 
third to the fale of vegetables and fruits. Round the 
•whole are ranges of fhops under an arcade. Market-days, 
Wednefday and Saturday. 
The Houfe of Induftry Hands near the Infirmary. It 
was built for the reception of the poor of eleven parifhes, 
and is confequently a ftrufiture of confiderable extent, 
but pofiefies no architectural features worthy of remark. 
The other principal charitable inftitutions in Oxford are. 
Boulter’s and Stone’s alms-houfes, and four charity- 
fchools, one of which, for fifty-four boys, is fupported 
by the univerfity. 
A Provident or Saving Banh was eftablifhed here on the 
22d of April, 1816. • On the 3d of January, 1818, it ap¬ 
peared, that the number of perfons who had depofited 
money therein was 530, and the amount 72891. 19s. 4d. 
of which upwards of 1400I. had been paid in within the 
laft three months. 
This city, as has been already hinted, contained no 
fewer than nineteen religious houfes prior to the refor¬ 
mation, fome of which were converted into collegiate 
eftablilhments. The names of thefe monaftic inftitutions 
wereasfollows s i.St.Fridefwide’s Priory ; 2. St. George’s 
College; 3. Ofney Abbey ; 4. Rowley Abbey; 5. St. 
Bernard’s College; 6. Canterbury College; 7. Durham 
College; 8. Gloucefter Hall; 9. London College ; 10. St. 
Mary’s College; xi. St. Bartholomew’s Hofpital; 12. St. 
John’s Hofpital ; 13. Auftin Friars ; 14. Black Friars ; 15. 
Grey Friars; 16. White Friars; 17. Crouched Friars; 
18. Friars de Sacco; 19. Trinity-Houfe, But of thefe 
we caft now notice only two or three. 
Vol. XVIII. No. 1232. 
O R D. 161 
St. Fridefwide’s Priory is faid to have been originally 
founded for nuns of noble birth, by Didanus, an earl of 
Oxford, about the year 727, and to have derived its name 
from Fridefwide, his daughter, whom he appointed the 
firft priorefs. In 1111 it was made the feat of a fociety 
of regular Auguftine canons, and continued fuch till its 
fuppreflion, when the fite and buildings were granted to 
cardinal Wolfeyforhis college of Chrift-church. 
Ofney Abbey was originally a priory for Auguftine or 
black canons, founded by Robert d’Oigly, nephew to 
that Robert who was the founder of the caftle; but was 
fhortly after conftituted an abbey. Within the walls of 
this religious feminary flood a moft magnificent church, 
the grandeur and extent of which were much increafed by 
the additional building erefted by John Leech, abbot of 
this houfe, and other,benefactors. The church, with the 
adjacent edifices, continued to be the admiration of be¬ 
holders, till, with other focieties of like nature, it felt the 
efteCls of the reformation, though it efcaped, for a time, 
total demolition ; for Henry VIII. converted it into a 
cathedral, and eftablifhed therein a bifhop, dean, and 
other officers ; in which ftate it continued till the bifliop- 
ric and chapter were transferred to St. Fridefwide’s col¬ 
lege, now Chrift-church ; and Robert King, the abbot, 
was made firft bifhop of Oxford. From this time a gra¬ 
dual demolition has been made, till there are fcarcely any 
veftiges of it remaining. It is probable that what the refor¬ 
mation began the rebellion completed. But it fortu¬ 
nately happened, that Mr. John Aubrey, the author of 
the Antiquities of Surry, then a gentleman-commoner of 
Trinity-college, whofe natural turn for the ftudies of an¬ 
tiquity led him to fear the entire deftruftion of this 
magnificent ftruCture, was induced to procure the view 
of it, as it appeared juft before the rebellion commenced. 
What became of the original plate is not known : the 
imprefiion is found but in very few copies of the Monaf- 
ticon, vol, ii. page 136. and, wherever it is, it renders 
that copy of the work more valuable. A correCf re-en¬ 
graving of the print was given in the Gentleman’s Ma¬ 
gazine for April 1771 ; which, fays the proprietor, “ will 
doubtlefs bean acceptable prefent to the public, whether 
as a curious fpecimen of ancient architefture, or for the 
urpofe of inferting it in the work above mentioned .” This 
int, of tearing a plate out of one book to ftick it into 
another, has been fo well attended to, that the print has 
again become fcarce, the copper having been probably 
deftroyed in the fire of 1785. It has therefore been again 
re-engraved for the prefent work. 
The Carmelite or White Friars firft fettled in Oxford 
A. D. 1254, in a houfe given them by Nicholas de Meules 
near the river, oppofite to Rowley. About fixty years 
afterwards, however, they were transferred by king Ed¬ 
ward II. to the ancient palace of Beaumont, which they 
poflefled till the fuppreflion. 
The Palace of Beaumont, juft mentioned, ftood on the 
weft fide of the city. It was built by Henry I. before 
the year 1128, and continued to be a favourite regal re- 
fidence during feveral fucceeding reigns. Henry II. 
fpent much of his time in this palace, which had the ho¬ 
nour of giving birth to his gallant fon, Richard I. All 
the buddings were pulled down at the diflolution, ex¬ 
cept the hall, the materials of which were afterwards 
ufed by archbilhop Laud, in his additions to St. John’s 
college. Only a fmall low fragment of them, therefore, 
now remains; and this appears to have conftituted apart 
of one of its inferior divifions. 
The Caftle, built, or, as King fuppofes, reftored, by 
Robert d’Oigly, was a fortrefs of prodigious ftrength, 
and occupied a great extent of ground clofe to the river 
Ifis, towards the weftern fide of the city. Being in a 
neglefiled ftate, and much decayed, in the reign of 
Charles I. it was repaired and rendered a poll of defence 
by that monarch; but, after it became poflefled by the 
parliament, a great part of its buildings were demolilhed. 
Hence the only remains of it now in exiftence are the 
T t mount, 
