Historical Atlas of Oxfordshire

In the autumn of 2026 the Oxfordshire Record Society will publish the updated second edition of the Historical Atlas of Oxfordshire. The Atlas contains over 90 short articles and maps on the history of Oxfordshire. The new edition has updated the existing articles and added extra topics such as shops and shopping, science and technology in the county, mental health and even morris dancing.

The best way to ensure you obtain a copy of the new Atlas is to join the Society as all members will receive a free copy. To join the Society and secure your copy please go to the membership page (where you can join for yourself or as a gift membership for that hard to please friend or relative!)

OXFORDSHIRE RECORD SOCIETY
Mapledurham Bardolph Tomb

Welcome to the Oxfordshire Record Society

The Oxfordshire Record Society was founded in 1919. In 2019, it celebrated 100 years of publishing primary sources for the history of the county of Oxfordshire, and raising awareness and understanding of this vital evidence of the historic county.

The latest volume of our publication is now available to members - read more details here.

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About the Society

The cover of the Oxfordshire Record Society’s very first volume, published in 1919, showed its intention to cover the whole county, taking it beyond the City of Oxford and the university emphases of other organisations. The central symbol is the emblem of Oxfordshire County Council, the first modern county government, established in 1889 and just 30 years old in 1919. At the four corners of the cover are the seals of Banbury, Henley, Chipping Norton, and Woodstock.

The Oxfordshire Record Society celebrates the history and heritage of the county of Oxfordshire through its visual, architectural and documentary heritage. It does so through the publication of an annual volume, as well as occasional ones, and the highlighting of historic collections throughout both the city and the county.

Having celebrated the records of Oxfordshire for over a century, the ORS continues to aim at countywide interests, and to make accessible a variety of records on different periods, places and themes. Special projects include a historical atlas that distils topics from every period of the county’s history; the celebration of our county’s “Hidden Archives”; and the digitisation of its entire back catalogue. Our volumes reach local and family historians, find their place in libraries and archives, and are also valued beyond the county.

Now moving into its second century, the ORS has a substantial record of publication. It continues to aim at countywide interests, and to make accessible a variety of records on different periods, places and themes. It still discovers fresh aspirations and subjects. Recent volumes have opened up 20th-century sources. Up-to-date publishing arrangements have been adopted. Special projects, including an Oxfordshire historical atlas that distils themes from every period of the county’s history, are undertaken. ORS volumes reach local and family historians, find their place in libraries and archives, and are also valued beyond the county, as seen in a recent review of the centenary volume, The Parish in Wartime.

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The Society’s objectives

  • To make primary sources for the history of Oxfordshire’s people and places accessible
  • To raise awareness and understanding of this vital legacy
  • To encourage research and links between researchers

What we do

  • Publish an annual volume of original Oxfordshire sources, with an introduction written by an expert editor
  • Undertake special projects, e.g. An Historical Atlas of Oxfordshire
  • Organise an annual event, including an AGM

Membership of the Oxfordshire Record Society

Join us and enjoy the following:

  • Receipt of our annual publication, a high-quality, hardback volume of original Oxfordshire sources
  • Contact with Oxfordshire historians and participation in our AGM
  • Use of the ORS website and various resources
  • The satisfaction of knowing that you are supporting the Society’s work and objectives, from traditional book publication to new initiatives such as digitisation, all promoting awareness of Oxfordshire’s history