What is the oldest University in Britain?
Third-oldest university in England debate of London in 1836. Neither Oxford nor Cambridge, the oldest two universities in England (founded pre-1116 and in 1209 respectively) were founded by Act of Parliament or Royal Charter (Charters were bestowed on Oxford and Cambridge in 1248 and 1231 respectively, although neither is still in force), and both owe their incorporation to an act of parliament in 1571. No university in Britain was founded by grant of a royal charter to the institution prior to London in 1836. From 1836 to 1992, in contrast, only one university (Newcastle, established by Act of Parliament) was not founded by royal charter.
Oldest town in Britain Oldest town in Britain The title of oldest town in Britain is claimed by a number of settlements in Great Britain. Abingdon in the English county of Oxfordshire (historically Berkshire) claims to be the oldest town in Britain in "continuous settlement". Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age remains have been found in and around the town, and evidence of a late-Iron Age enclosure of 33 hectares known as an 'oppidum' was discovered underneath the town centre in 1991. It continued to be used as a town throughout the Roman occupation of Britain and subsequently became a Saxon settlement, named Sevekesham