Oxford and Cambridge - More Information
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The universities of Oxford and Cambridge are sometimes referred to collectively as Oxbridge. The two universities have a long history of competition with each other. Today this is expressed primarily through the annual boat race, and rugby match (The Varsity Match).
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Oxford is the first Saxon settlement developed around a place where ox-drovers had a major crossing point over the River Thames. The exact whereabouts of this crossing is uncertain, but it is believed to be near the present Magdalen Bridge. The first name given to the crossing was Oxnaforde (the ford of the oxen).
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The first colleges of Oxford were built in the 13th century, but it wasn't until 1878 that women were admitted to the university, 1920 when they were awarded degrees, and 1974 when the last of the all-male colleges opened their doors to women.
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Oxford was hit hard by the Black Plague (1348-1350). The colleges kept country houses where scholars could flee during periods of plague, but the residents of the city had no such recourse. The population of the city dropped heavily, and the colleges took full advantage by buying up vacant property and greatly expanding their holdings within Oxford.
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One of the notorious events is the St Scholastica Day riot of February 10, 1355. Following a dispute about beer in a tavern between townspeople and two students of the University of Oxford, the insults exchanged grew into armed clashes between locals and students over the next two days which left 63 scholars and perhaps 30 locals dead. The dispute was settled in favour of the university with a special charter. Annually, on February 10, the town mayor and councillors had to march bareheaded through the streets and pay to the university a fine of one penny for every scholar killed. The penance ended in 1825 when the mayor refused to take part.
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Hitler was intending to use Oxford as his capital if he conquered England which is one of the reasons it was not bombed.
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Cambridge was founded in 43AD by the Roman emperor Cantabrigensis, but remained an insignificant market town until the foundation of the university.
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Cambridge's famous Cavendish Laboratory of experimental physics was opened in 1873; the Cavendish professors have been outstanding names in physics.
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The chapel of King's College (1446), the Fitzwilliam Museum, and the botanic gardens are notable features of the university.
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Cambridge University is one of the wealthiest institutions in the Great Britain and it does not rely on the income it derives from student fees; its main sources of money come from the land it owns, especially Felixstowe docks (the major container port in the UK) and from the science parks and laboratories around Cambridge.
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