On This Day In History: Riot Over Wine In Oxford – On Feb 10, 1355

On February 10, 1355, the so-called St Scholastica Day Riot took place in Oxford, England.

There are conflicting reports on what exactly happened in what is now known as “The St. Scholastica’s Day Riots”. The students complained about the quality of the ales they were drinking, which led to assaults.

The landlord, John Barford, who was at the time Mayor of the town, replied with many unpleasant words and was hit on the head by a tankard thrown by a student. As a result of this action, he went to St Martin’s, the City Church, and rang the bell, to gather the townsmen to arms.

A ‘disagreement’ between the Oxford students and the Oxford inhabitants resulted in approximately 100 deaths and permanently soured the relationship between ‘town and gown’.