Oxford inokuba yindawo efanelekileyo kubakhenkethi abatyelelayo ENgilani, njengoko esi 'sixeko seentonga zokuphupha' uloliwe nje omfutshane okanye ukukhwela imoto usuka eLondon. Kufuneka iqatshelwe ukuba iOxford idume ngokuba neyunivesithi yakudala kwilizwe elithetha isiNgesi.
Namhlanje kuphantse kube nzima ukucinga ngeOxford ngaphandle kweeyunivesithi ezininzi ezichaze imbonakalo yomhlaba, kodwa iziqalo zemfundo kunye nenkcubeko yazo zibuyela kwixesha lamaSaxon.
Babalaselisa, ngendlela, nembali ye KwiYunivesithi yaseOxford kunye neDyunivesithi yeCawa yaseSanta María de La Virgen ezidityanisiweyo ukusukela oko yaqala le ndlu yezifundo. Ukongeza ekusebenzeni njengendawo yonqulo, iSanta Maria la Virgen yayiyindawo yeentlanganiso zokuqala zaseyunivesithi, igumbi lenkomfa kunye nelayibrari.
Kwaye njengoko ootitshala abaninzi kunye nabafundi bajoyina iziko, iyunivesithi yashiya isakhiwo secawa ukuze amakhaya amatsha kunye nezikolo zakhiwe ngeCawa yaseSanta Maria la Virgen. Elona candelo lidala kulecawe yile nqaba, eyakhiwa ngo-1280, kwaye inqaba yayo embejembeje yongezwa phakathi kuka-1315 ukuya ku-1325. Hi ndlela leyi, iindwendwe ezinyuka kule nqaba zifumana iimbono ezintle ngeOxford.
Imbali ibalisa ukuba iSt Mary yeVirgin Church yayiyindawo yokuvavanywa kwabefundisi abathathu abadumileyo bamaProtestanti ababizwa ngokuba yiOxford Martyrs- uBhishophu Hugh Latimer, uBhishophu uNicholas Ridley, kunye no-Archbishop Thomas Cranmer Utyholwa ngokuwexuka, uLatimer noRidley batshiswa ngo-Okthobha u-1555; UCranmer wadibana nokufa yena ngo-Matshi 1556. Umnqamlezo kwindlela ngaseBalliol College uphawula indawo abafele kuyo.
Enye inkcukacha yembali kukuba uJohn Henry Newman waba ngummeli kaMariya oyiNtombikazi ngo-1828 apho iintshumayelo zakhe zaziyimbali. U-Newman uthathe inxaxheba kwi-Oxford Movement, iqela elazama ukubuyisela i-Anglican Church kwi-orthodoxy yenkolo. UNewman waguqukela kubuKatolika ngo-1845 kwaye waba likhadinali ngo-1879.