For our October talk, historian and writer Julie Ann Godson took us through some fascinating snapshots of lives and events in Oxfordshire through the centuries.
This talk, based on Julie Ann’s book “On This Day in Oxfordshire” (2019), offered us an intriguing concept. The concept is simply that something interesting, fascinating, disturbing or enlightening will have happened in Oxfordshire on any particular calendar date in history.
From Kaisers to ne’er do wells, from royalty to rock stars, from celebrations to disasters, Julie Ann’s research offers a lively window on life in our county.
Among the examples she gave, the Wychwood villages were a prominent focus, as we were presented a single example date in each calendar month.
For January she chose the 10th when, on this day in 1939, 25 Basque refugee children arrived at Saint Michael’s house in Shipton under Wychwood. She described the mixed reception from the clergy at the time but also the welcoming spirit of the local people who raised funds to provide things such as outings to the seaside.
For the month of May she chose the 23rd May 1887 and a sad event involving a feuding married couple which resulted in a somewhat grisly murder of the poor wife, witnessed amongst others by Alfred Groves of the eponymous Milton under Wychwood building firm. The perpetrator, one Robert Upton, having spent the day working at Shipton Court, was the worse for wear after a drinking session at the Shaven Crown. In illustrating this event, Julie Ann showed an image of the location: in the street at the junction of Shipton Road and the High Street.
Julie Ann’s book contains more than one story of World War II aircraft crashes. Particular to Milton, the crash of a Wellington Mark II at Lower Farm was the event Julie Ann chose for September. This happened on the 16th of that month in 1942, and the story of the personal heroism of a 17-year-old lad Ron Dale was a humbling tale indeed.
The Shaven Crown had another mention for the month of December. On the 7th of this month in 1943, Diana and Oswald Mosley began their time of house arrest there. We were reminded that, although there was certainly a denial of liberty, the terms of the house arrest seemed somewhat lenient. Family members were also accommodated and some eminent visitors allowed, and excursions of up to 7 miles from the building were sanctioned.
These are just a few of the dates which Julie Ann covered. The fact that there are 365 such stories for locations all over Oxfordshire – the tip of the iceberg, some might say – makes for a novel way indeed to remind ourselves of the breadth and depth of the world of Local History!
About Julie Ann Godson
Julie Ann studied modern history at the University of Oxford. She now lives in rural Oxfordshire ad makes regular appearances to talk about her research.
Her website is here
