A Brief History of Witney

Witney was first recorded in AD969 though there is evidence of both Iron Age and Roman settlements in the area.

The town started to grow as a result of development by the Bishops of Winchester who are at some time between 1047 and 1070 built a palace at the far end of Church Green opposite the church. The Palace remains open to the public.

In the Doomsday Survey Witney is recorded as having two mills, both for grinding com, but by 1277 at least one cloth or fulling mill was established in the area. By the end of the Middle Ages Witney was a lively market town with a developing industry making blankets and gloves. Near the church is the old Grammar School founded in 1660 by Henry Box, a Master of the Worshipful company of Grocers. In the Market Place you can see the ancient Buttercross which was restored for the,town by William Blake of Cogges in 1683.

The town was not much affected by the Civil War and after Restoration it became a centre for non-conformists. John Wesley was a regular visitor and there were strong Quaker, Baptist and Independent congregations.

The blanket industry continued to thrive and in 1711 the weavers formed a guild. They were granted a Charter by Queen Anne and then built the Blanket Hall in the high street. All blankets made in Witney had to be taken there to be measured and weighed, this enabled the very high quality of the blankets to be maintained.

By 1800 there were five mills working in and around Witney, which by this time was also a thriving agricultural market town. In 1858 a railway company was formed and a branch line from Oxford was opened in 1861. The railway was closed to passengers in 1960 and for freight in 1970. The blanket industry survived the depression well but started to decline after the last war and now there is just one mill left.

Although the milling industry has almost disappeared, Witney has moved on with a surprisingly large number of both small and large business parks, both in and around the town. These parks provide Witney with an all year round strong level of very varied trade. Thriving on this the town is a great place for business and a great place for businesses to be near. There has been a steady growth in population with a large number of high quality housing developments around and in the town centre. These combined with continual and ongoing development, rejuvenation and a busy lively town centre will ensure the continuing success of one of the Cotswold’s beautiful towns.