Burford

Market town on the River Windrush, in Oxfordshire, England, 26 km/16 mi west of Oxford; population (2001) 1,900. The largely medieval town centre, with its steep main street of houses and shops built of local stone, attracts tourists headed for the Cotswold Hills to the southwest.

Like other towns in the Cotswolds, Burford grew wealthy on the wool trade in the Middle Ages, reaching its peak of prosperity in the early 16th century. Buildings from that time include Burford Priory and the church of St John the Baptist, which has a Norman tower.

Burford was the scene of the overthrow of Ethelbald of Mercia by Cuthred of Wessex in 752. Burford was obliged to send a member to Parliament in 1306, but successfully petitioned to be excused for centuries thereafter. The ancient corporation was dissolved in 1861. The town seal dates from about 1250.