Ghosts of a way of life that for the most part has long since vanished still linger in the morning mists through which some of us commuters on the Cotswold Line travel into Oxford. They exist in the shape of the cattle and horses, and even the geese, grazing on the ancient common lands of Port Meadow, Wolvercote Green, and Wolvercote Common — though in the case of the last two, they only exist thanks to a long struggle on behalf of Wolvercote commoners against an array of mighty forces, ranging from rapacious landlords, keen to enclose their commons, to unfriendly people from both the Town and Gown elements of Oxford.

Now the Wolvercote Commoners Committee is set to celebrate its 80th birthday with a celebration dance. It was founded in March 1929, a year after the village of Wolvercote became incorporated into the City of Oxford.

The present chairman of the committee, Peter Adams, in a house overlooking the common and complete with boundary stones in the garden bearing the symbol of the Oxford Ox, said: “After 1928 of course Wolvercote had no parish council (as we had become part of Oxford) so no one was there to look after the affairs of the common and the commoners — who of course still had the right to graze their animals there.

“So the committee was formed and has played a major role in the affairs of Wolvercote ever since.”

Indeed, judging from previous troubles in Wolvercote’s history, pandemonium would soon have broken out had the committee not been formed to defend the commoners’ rights, which were constantly under attack.

In 1892, for instance, hundreds of people from Oxford attacked the Wolvercote Commoners, even leading to a few legs being broken, in something called ever afterwards the Battle of Wolvercote. The point of issue then, as had so often been the case before, was exactly where the boundary lay (now marked by a ditch) between Port Meadow, where freemen of Oxford had the right to graze their animals, and Wolvercote Common, where the commoners had the right to graze theirs.

Then, long before that, Oxford historian Anthony Wood, recorded the riots of 1662 when an Oxford University student was caught stealing a goose from Wolvercote Common and put in the stocks, still dressed in full academic garb. He was set free by about 30 or 40 of his student friends, who then smashed all the windows in the village and marched off with a goose hanging from a pole!

Successive landlords, notably members of the Walter family, and later the dukes of Marlborough, brought mixed blessings to Wolvercote. In the 17th century, David Walter was a stout defender of the rights of commoners, and the Marlboroughs brought work to the village by investing in the paper mill and the canals — including the waterway known as Duke’s Cut — though their activities did sometimes threaten to enclose some of the villagers’ precious open spaces.

But despite all adversity, there the commons still are. Now Wolvercote Common, Wolvercote Green and Port Meadow are all Sites of Special Scientific Interest, thanks to sprays having been banned there long ago. And they are all policed by the Sheriff of Oxford, who from time to time conducts surprise round-ups of grazing animals to make sure none are there that should not be there.

The committee has much to celebrate. Over the years it has engendered a particularly strong community spirit: tree planting in Goose Green, and a community orchard, have both won awards from the Oxford Preservation Trust.

Tickets to the Wolvercote Commoners’ Committee 80th Anniversary Dance on Friday, March 27, are available at £5.50 adults, £3.30 children. Further information, telephone: 01865 554040 or 01865 554458.