Prior to 1836, many charities were administered by Oxford City Council, and a number of records of various city charities can be found in the Oxford City Archive catalogues in the ORO searchroom. Following a number of significant financial losses and subsequent criticism from the commissioners for municipal corporations, the Oxford Municipal Charities were formed in 1836. The first few decades were marked by a number of prolonged disputes over the composition of the new body of trustees; this was eventually settled by a Charity Commissioners Scheme in 1884.
The 1884 Scheme divided the Charities into four branches: loans, apprenticeship, alms-houses and annuities, and general purposes. The name of the organisation was changed to the Oxford City Charities in 1959, and again in 1971 to the City of Oxford Charities.
For further informaton see:
Crossley, A., Victoria County History, A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 4 (City of Oxford), (1979)
and
Tiffany, M.N.E., 'Mr. Stone's Hospitall: The History of the Rev. Mr. William Stone and his Hospital', (2000)
This collection was deposited as accessions 1164 and 4495 (April 1999) and catalogued by Hannah Jones in November 2009.