Abingdon Law is an expression for summary execution, without trial. The term takes its name from the town of Abingdon then in Berkshire now in Oxfordshire, England. In 1644 and again in 1645, the town was attacked, unsuccessfully, and the defenders executed every prisoner taken, without trial. Research Abingdon Law
The dinosaurs were a family of reptiles which lived on the earth millions of years ago. About 400 types of dinosaur have been identified. Dinosaurs ranged in size from about as big as a pigeon to twice the height of a giraffe. It is estimated that dinosaurs lived for between 70 and 130 years, and unusually continued growing for their entire life. The first description of a dinosaur was given in the book 'The Natural History of Oxfordshire' by Dr Robert Plot published in 1677, in which he included a drawing of a thighbone which he claimed came from a giant man, subsequently it has been identified as the thighbone of the dinosaur Megalosaurus. Research Dinosaur
Eustreptospondylus was a carnivorousdinosaur of the order Saurischia that lived in the Jurasic period. Eustreptospondylus was about seven metres long, walked on its two hind legs and had a large head armed with sharp teeth. The feet were bird-like, furnished with three toes in front and one short toe behind, all armed with a claw. The forelegs had three fingers to each hand. Remains of Eustreptospondylus were found at Oxfordshire, England and were named and partly classified in 1964. Research Eustreptospondylus
Megalosaurus was a large carnivorousdinosaur from the Jurrasic period. Remains were first found in 1818 in slate mines in Oxfordshire, England. Megalosaurus was about nine metres long and walked on its hind legs, each of which had a foot furnished with four toes each with a strong claw. The arms were furnished with hands with three fingers. Twenty distinct species of Megalosaurus have been discovered in rocks spanning 100 million years. Research Megalosaurus
Maria Edgworth was an English writer. She was in 1767 at Black Bourton, in Oxfordshire and died in 1849. Her first novel, Castle Rackrent, a tale of Irish life, published in 1800, immediately established her reputation. Her later works include Belinda, Moral Tales, Leonora, Popular Tales, Tales of Fashionable Life, Patronage, Harrington, Ormond, and Helen, besides an Essay on Irish Bulls and a work on Practical Education, largely based on Rousseau's Emile. Maria Edgeworth's characteristics are a simple and lucid style and considerable power of observation, but she was not a great creative artist, and her work lacks poetic elevation. Research Maria Edgeworth
Sir Richard Baker was an English historian. He was born in 1568 at Kent and died in 1645. Educated at Oxford, knighted in 1603 by James I, in 1620 he was appointed high sheriff of Oxfordshire, where he had estates. Having given security for a debt incurred by his wife's family, he was thrown into Fleet Prison, where, after continuing some years, he died in 1645. During his imprisonment he wrote some devotional books and his Chronicle of the Kings of England, first published in 1643, and afterwards continued by Edward Phillips, the nephew of Milton, and others - a work of great popularity in its day, though of no permanent value. Research Richard Baker
Jack May was an English actor. He was born in 1922 at Henley-On-Thames, Oxfordshire and died in 1997. He is best known for his role as Nelson Gabriel in the BBC radio soap opera The Archers. Research Jack May
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