Lunchtime Talk: ‘Over the Hills to Glory: The story of the Ascott Martyrs’

‘Over the Hills to Glory: The story of the Ascott Martyrs’

In 1873, 16 women from the Oxfordshire village of Ascott-under-Wychwood – two with their babies – were imprisoned for supporting agricultural labourers who were striking in an attempt to force their employers to improve their meagre wages. They were each sentenced to seven to ten days of imprisonment with hard labour.

The resulting public outcry demonstrates the support and solidarity of the local community for the women’s determined, courageous actions, and their significance at the national level.

The Ascott Martyrs’ story sheds light on the conditions of agricultural labourers and their families, who at that time made up the bulk of the rural population, and the early history of agricultural trade unionism in Oxfordshire. The extensive press coverage of the events of 1873 also reveals much about the everyday lives of these women, whose actions challenge the popular idea of passive, submissive, apolitical, Victorian womanhood in radical ways.

Tickets cost £6 and are available online via Eventbrite (booking fee applies) or at the Museum shop. Tickets for this event also include access to our Galleries.

Complimentary tea and coffee will be available to enjoy during the talk. We recommend arriving before the start of the talk if you would like to grab a refreshment.

Sales from tickets help support our work to deliver fun and accessible family activities, community engagement projects, schools workshops, exhibitions and special events for Oxford’s people in our Museum spaces.

Carol Anderson was for many years the Director of The Oxfordshire Museum at Woodstock, and Manager of the County’s Museum Service. Her interest in the archaeology and history of Oxfordshire is wide ranging. Since retirement, her research interests have focused on aspects of the history of the Wychwoods, and in particular on an incident that took place a little over 150 years ago in the village of Ascott-under-Wychwood where she lives. She lectures frequently on the Ascott Martyrs and other topics related to local history. Carol is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, Chair of the Ascott Martyrs Educational Trust, and volunteers for the Wychwoods Local History Society Archive and the Burford Tolsey Museum and Archive. She is also a Trustee of the Oxfordshire Buildings Trust and a committee member of the Oxfordshire Local History Association. When a busy retirement allows, she is also an enthusiastic, but very inexperienced, family historian.

Scaffolding at Oxford Town Hall:

From August 2025, scaffolding will be in place outside Oxford Town Hall. Both entrances to the Town Hall (main steps and level access entrance) will remain fully open and accessible while these essential maintenance works are carried out. More information can be found on our Plan Your Visit page.

Access:

There is step-free, level entry access to the Town Hall via the entrance closest to Carfax Tower (to the left of the main steps as you face the Town Hall). Inside the Museum, Museum Makers is accessible via a platform lift to the Galleries and then a lift to the basement.

Accessible toilets are available in the Museum (close to Museum Makers) and in the Town Hall on the ground floor, before entering the Museum. Please contact the Museum team if you’d like to talk to a member of staff about your access requirements. Further access information can be found on our page dedicated to access at the museum.

Photo consent:

Please be aware that photographs will be taken at this event for use in marketing. If you (or a member of your group) would prefer not to be photographed, please let a member of staff know during the event.