Origins of Oxonmoot

In his personal 'zine Nazgul, or The Wakefiedl Charivari, number 4, dated December 1973, under the heading "A Visit to Oxford?", John Abbot wrote:

What do you think of the idea of an Oxford Moot this year? No, seriously. Whilst watching the re-run of the television "Review" film about Professor Tolkien, it struck me that the Soc. might be interested in arranging an Official Visit dreaming spirewards. Consider Oxford's associations with the Professor, Lewis Carroll, Jessic Kemball-Cook and the Pre-Raphaelites, to name but a few. Maybe some modest hotel could be selected as H.Q.; and perhaps a Grand Tour(s) organised to take in some fo the Colleges, breweries and finer points of the City. Anyway, you might like to register your thoughts with the Committee (not with NAZGUL, or course), so that they can consider the idea. Do we have any Oxford experts to advise us, by the way?

Thus Oxonmoot was born. For more information see About Oxonmoot.

Previous Locations

Year Location Dates Notable Items
2007 Lady Margaret's Hall 14 - 16 Sept The Cambridge Tolkien Society presented several entertainment numbers: Excertps of the BBC radio adaptation, Lord of the Goons and Sound of the Mumaks.
2006 Somerville College 15 - 17 Sept Party held in a marquee becaue the college changed their minds about allowing the use of the dining hall.
2005 St Peter's College   Smaller Oxonmoot because some people attended Tolkien 2005 instead of Oxonmoot rather than as well as.
2004 St. Hilda's College 17 - 19 Sep  
2003 St Hugh's College 18 - 21 Sep An extra day for the eleventy first anniversary of Tolkien's birth.
2002 St Antonys College 13-15 Sep  
2001 21-23 Sep
2000 22-24 Sep
1999 Exeter College 24-26 Sep
1998 25-27 Sep
1997 19-21 Sep Filmed by the BBC for An Awfully Big Adventure
1996 University College 20-22 Sep  
1995 15-17 Sep
1994 16-18 Sep
1993 17-19 Sep
1992 Keble College 21-23 Aug Incorporated with the 1992 J.R.R. Tolkien Centenary Conference
1991 University College 20-22 Sep  
1990 Oxford Town Hall 21-24 Sep
1989 22-24 Sep LotR’y Raffle
Farmer Giles of Ham play
1988 23-25 Sep  
1987 25-27 Sep
1986 19-21 Sep
1985 27-29 Sep
1984 5-7 Oct
1983 23-25 Sep
1982 Cotswold Lodge Hotel 24-26 Sep
1981 The Turf Tavern 25-27 Sep
1980 26-28 Sep
1979 The Eastgate Hotel 28-30 Sep
1978 22-24 Sep
1977 The Welsh Poney 23-25 Sep
1976 1-3 Oct
1975 5-7 Sep
1974 13-15 Sep

Many thanks to Charles Noad for compiling the original list of Oxonmoots from which this page was constructed.