It began as a bit of friendly rivalry for a proud title. But now the ancient dust is really going to fly, with two mayors gearing up for a parchment punch-up, writes SUZANNE HUBAND.

At stake is the claim to be Oxfordshire's oldest town, a title claimed by no less than three Oxfordshire towns - Abingdon, Wallingford and Burford.

Wallingford is ready to fight to the last ditch to defend its claim.

And Abingdon is scandalised at any suggestion that it's not only Oxfordshire's oldest town, but the oldest settlement in Britain.

Now the Mayor of Burford, Keith Davies, wants to have the matter settled once and for all - by challenging his Wallingford counterpart to a duel.

What began as a war of words could now be settled by two Mayors facing each other in combat with rolled-up charters. The defiant Burford Mayor insisted right was on his side: "No other town in Oxfordshire, and certainly not Wallingford, that recent arrival from Berkshire, possesses chartered status as old as Burford.

"So Wallingford, a duel between the towns fought with a rolled up ancient parchment?" he taunted. "That should make the dust fly."

The Mayor of Wallingford Betty Atkins said: "I have met the Mayor of Burford, and I'm afraid he is a lot bigger than me. But I shall expect him to challenge me properly."

Behind the bravado, is a serious dispute which the three towns know could have important financial implications for tourism.

Abingdon wasted no time in seeing the financial potential of being the country's oldest settlement after archaeologists established that discovered people had settled in the town as far back as 6,000 years ago. The town's latest tourist leaflet proudly claims the title, which also appears on plaques around the town.

Abingdon's claim, first made three years ago, led to an immediate battle with Colchester, which hotly maintained that its own antiquity far surpassed Abingdon's.

But both the World Geographical Society and Oxford Archaeological Unit strongly upheld Abingdon's claim.

Wallingford was next to enter the fray, insisting that it all comes down to the date on a town's charter. And as Mayor Betty Atkins proudly announced, Wallingford's goes all the way back to 1155. But that was enough to have Burford huffing and puffing that its charter was a good half century older.

Dr David Miles, of the Oxford Archaeological Unit, said it all came down to what you call a town. "The key question is whether continuity of settlement can be demonstrated," he said.

CHARTERED TOWNS

Burford before 1107, but probably 1090.

Wallingford 1155.

Oxford 1156.

Woodstock 1453.

Henley 1568.

Chipping Norton 1607.

Specific charters are in short supply. Most Oxfordshire towns seem simply to have markets or fairs granted and were going concerns long before their charters. Grants of markets and fairs were given to Watlington, Wantage and Thame in the 13th century, while Witney has no charter.

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