Oxfordshire celebrates its annual county day on October 19

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 19 Oct, 10:37 · Archive

Oxfordshire Day is celebrated annually on October 19, coinciding with the feast day of St Frideswide, Oxford's patron saint.

Oxfordshire Day is celebrated annually on 19 October as a way for people across the county to mark and celebrate its heritage and culture. The Oxfordshire Association promotes the occasion, saying residents can celebrate in whatever way they choose, with commemorations ranging from small personal gestures to larger community events.

The date was chosen to align with St Frideswide's Day, the feast day of Oxford's patron saint. St Frideswide was an Anglo-Saxon princess who lived around the turn of the eighth century and established a religious community on the site which would eventually become Christ Church. According to the Museum of Oxford, she established Oxford's first church during the second half of the seventh century. Her Old English name, Friðuswiþ, means 'strong peace', and legend remembers her as a teacher, religious leader and healer.

A priory dedicated to St Frideswide was later built on the site and eventually became part of Cardinal Wolsey's new college, which developed into Christ Church. Christ Church Cathedral now stands on the site of St Frideswide's Anglo-Saxon church and contains her reconstructed medieval shrine. According to legend, St Frideswide fled a Saxon prince who wanted to marry her and travelled to Binsey, where she was said to have created a spring of healing water known as the Treacle Well, in the grounds of St Margaret's Church.

How it is being reported

• Today is Oxfordshire Day - what is it and why do we celebrate it?Today is Oxfordshire Day. Here's what it is, the history behind it and why we celebrate it.Oxford Mail · 19 Oct, 09:54
• Today is Oxfordshire Day - what is it and why do we celebrate it?Today is Oxfordshire Day. Here's what it is, the history behind it and why we celebrate it.Oxfordshire Guardian · 19 Oct, 09:54

In this story: Oxfordshire · St Frideswide · Oxford · Christ Church · Oxfordshire Association · Museum of Oxford

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem