Describe what life was like In Oxford during the Civil War.

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DESCRIBE WHAT LIFE WAS LIKE IN OXFORD DURING THE CIVIL WAR

During the period of the civil war Oxford life was changing dramatically. Many different people were affected in many different ways; it was dependent on who you were. The gown had life quite easy were as the town did not, but life wasn’t just that simple, life did change due to circumstances and the Kings needs overtime. Oxford soon became known as a garrison city, sieges and battles took place all over the city. Many different divisions and rivalries worsened through out his war that made life increasingly difficult overtime.

With the development of Oxford as a garrison city, the Oxford citizens had to deal with a new way of life. Changes through out the city were occurring so that they could prepare for attacks by the enemy. Soldiers had to set up defences in the form of ditches and trenches to lower the amount of invaders in the city. Storm poles were set up so that enemies could not climb the walls and enter the city. There were also rivers that could provide a liability if the enemy could get boats through into the city but this was unlikely as the rivers were heavily guarded as well. Of course there was much activity in the city. Soldiers guarded the streets carrying guns and weaponry in case of an attack. This would provide nervousness in people as they were indirectly intimidated by them. The king also ordered the people to share and give up their homes to the soldiers and courtiers, this led to much overcrowding which inevitably led to disease. The close living meant that germs could spread easier and quicker.  

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Life for the town was, for most of the time, pretty poor and hard. The main issue was the living conditions. The soldiers were made to live with people in their homes. This was a problem as most houses were overcrowded with the large families as it were but with soldiers living there as well the immense overcrowding led to disease. The main disease at that would spread was something known as ‘camp fever’, or Typhus. According to a Roundhead spy, around 40 people died every week. Fire destroyed around 200-300 homes and killed around 100 people. The King ...

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