Blenheim Palace digitises centuries-old archive collection

The project has brought to light more than 200 documents and revealed fresh detail about life in the villages of Wolvercote, Cutteslowe, and Godstow.

The archives date from 1616 to 1836 and include deeds, correspondence, wills, a land survey and inventories relating to property and land.

Claire Scott, archive assistant at Blenheim Palace, said: “This project has revealed an extraordinary range of material that sheds light on centuries of life in Wolvercote, Godstow and Cutteslowe.

“Being able to catalogue and digitise these documents for the first time has opened up stories that were previously hidden in uncatalogued boxes, and we’re delighted that the Wolvercote History Society and the wider community can now explore them in detail.”

Following funding secured by Wolvercote Local History Society through the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), the documents have been made accessible to the Society.

Highlights from the collection include 1710 deeds for the Manors of Wolvercote and Godstow, records from Wolvercote Mill, and a 1731 land survey listing tenants and field names.

Notices of distress, including a record of a forced auction from 1831, are also among the newly accessible documents.

The Wolvercote Local History Society plans to continue researching the collection and will share its findings with the community.

Michael Daniell, volunteer archivist at Wolvercote Local History Society, said: “We really appreciate the generous co-operation of The Blenheim Archives and the public funding that has enabled the cataloguing.

“This now makes it possible for anyone to dig deeper into the history of Wolvercote and Cutteslowe.”