The latest volume for Oxfordshire is devoted to eight parishes between the market towns of Burford and Witney in the west of the county. The area is predominantly rural, the only urban centre being Carterton. Founded in 1900 as a colony of smallholders, it became one of the county's fastest growing towns after World War II due to its proximity to Brize Norton's military airbase. Oxfordshire: Volume XV is a richly detailed history of these parishes, covering everything from Anglo-Saxon settlement to 20th-century urbanisation, agriculture to rural industry, religious influences to famous residents.
Reviews
One can only congratulate the Oxfordshire team and its sponsors, and urge them onwards in this first-rate enterprise. RURAL HISTORYA high class and scholarly work. [...] For those who are serious about their family history research, the VCH is an absolutely essential buy. FAMILY HISTORY MONTHLY
The series goes from strength to strength. AGRICULTURAL HISTORY REVIEW
The fifteen volumes that constitute the Oxfordshire Victoria County History represent a formidable corpus of scholarship. This book, with its intelligent use of landscape evidence, maps and photographs, is a pleasure to read and is a worthy addition to perhaps the most impressive series of its type in the country. LANDSCAPE HISTORY