Uncover Oxfordshire’s past with Heritage Search

Here is news of a set of free online catalogues from Oxfordshire County Council’s heritage services.

Residents and people interested in the history of Oxfordshire can now uncover more of the county’s rich past with Oxfordshire County Council’s new Heritage Search.

This brand-new resource is free to use and contains a comprehensive catalogue of historical resources, including a wide range of archive documents, books, photographs, maps and much more, relating to the history of Oxfordshire ¬from ancient artefacts to modern-day landmarks.

Whether you are a student, historian, or simply an enthusiast of local history, Heritage Search is your ultimate, free-to-use resource. You can easily find out about items of interest and dive deeper into the fascinating world of Oxfordshire’s heritage.

You can also display historic maps of Oxfordshire and plot many of our heritage assets, like photographs and archaeological finds, on the new mapping platform.

Typical ( small sample) search result for Shipton under Wychwood

Visit the site here: https://heritagesearch.oxfordshire.gov.uk/

Examples of what you can find:

  • Archives catalogue of documents created by local councils and other official bodies, churches, schools, businesses, and individuals; including written records, maps and plans. (12th to 21st century)
  • Local Studies catalogue of published material, including books, journals, articles, and maps about Oxfordshire people, places and topics
  • Oral history catalogue of sound recordings, including extracts from Radio Oxford programmes back to 1970, and field recordings made since the 1960s
  • People & Business indexes of articles relating to Oxfordshire people and businesses, from local newspapers (1791-2011)
  • Poor Law index of individuals and families named in the Oxfordshire Poor Law records (1601-1891)
  • Miscellaneous lists including tithe and enclosure records, sale catalogues and digital publications
  • Archaeology catalogue of all the material that is cared for by Oxfordshire Museums Service and which was recovered through archaeological processes
  • The Historic Environment Record (HER), an index of buildings, monuments, excavations and finds in Oxfordshire
  • Social history catalogue of objects from agricultural machinery to textiles as well as the art collection
  • Ordnance Survey maps detailed maps to help explore your changing local landscape
    (1876-1996)
  • District valuation maps and surveys recording property ownership, created under the 1910 Finance Act
  • Tithe maps – colour scans from original maps (1830s-1850s), covering 44% of historic Oxfordshire parishes
  • Aerial photos from 1961, 1981 and 1991