Blackthorn's name comes from the Old English 'blaec-þorn' or 'þyrne', meaning - quite literally - 'black thorn'. Iron Age and Roman artifacts have been found in and around the village, suggesting that it has been inhabited since ancient times.

From the Norman Conquest (1066) until the Dissolution of the Monasteries (1539), the manorial overlordship of Blackthorn followed the same as Ambrosden, as it was considered to be part of the same parish; however, after this point, Queen Elizabeth I sold the manor of Blackthorn seperately, to John Denton of Bicester. Later Lords of the Manor include:

1564 - the Nourse family of Woodeaton.
1636 - Edward Rudge.
1713 - Sebastian Smyth.
1787 - Sir John Whalley-Gardiner, 1st Baronet of Roche Court (Fareham, Hampshire).
1820 - Richard Cox of Oxford.
1852 - James Morrell of the Morrell Brewery family of Oxford.

Blackthorn has never had its own church; instead, residents would walk to St Mary's in nearby Ambrosden. However, during the 1820's, permission was granted for religious meetings to be held in an old bakery in the village. In 1844, such meetings took place in a resident's house, and in 1870 a Congregational chapel was built in Blackthorn. This was torn down and replaced by a new chapel in 1926, which was still being used for worship in 1944, and still in some small use up until the 1970's. The chapel is now a private home.

During the 17th century, the game of 'quintain' was played on the village green in Blackthorn - this was a game very similar to jousting, from what I gather! Another popular village pastime was 'singlesticks' (involving a type of martial art using sticks as a weapon), and events were held on Blackthorn Hill during the 18th century.

Stone Pits Farm in Blackthorn is so named after a quarry which once supplied limestone to other localities; during the 1740's, limestone from this site was used to build Ambrosden House for Sir Edward Turner. By 1819, brick and tile works had begun to operate within the village, and was still in business up until 1957.

A windmill was situated on Blackthorn Hill by 1809, and Ordnance Survey maps from the 1880's onwards show 2 windmills existing on the site.

Towards the end of the 18th century, Blackthorn - just like many other villages in the area - began to suffer from poverty, partially due to a population influx, which mostly consisted of agricultural labourers coming to the hamlet in search of work. Overcrowding and an unsanitary water supply led to a cholera epidemic in 1823, which claimed the lives of at least 27 inhabitants. Another reason for the population boom was the fact that Blackthorn was one of several 'open villages', meaning that paupers could settle there and claim Parish Poor Relief straightaway, whereas in 'closed villages', you'd need to have resided in that location for a certain amount of time before being entitled to financial assistance. The 1851 census recorded the peak of Blackthorn's population (417 people), but these numbers gradually declined over subsequent decades.

Blackthorn Bridge, which crosses the River Ray, was built in 1833, replacing an earlier wooden bridge. A railway station was built in the village in 1910, but closed around 50 years later.

Throughout its history, Blackthorn has had 2 recorded public houses - The Rose & Crown (which closed in 1994), and The Royal Oak (which closed prior to the former pub). The latter had an adjacent butcher's shop and garage, but these too have since closed. There may also have been another called The Swan Inn, mentioned in 1855.

Writing in 1823, historian John Dunkin said the following:

"The villagers of Blackthorn have a tradition that their parish church was originally intended to have been erected in a field now in the occupation of Mr King, known by the name of 'Church Lays'; and that the workmen actually proceeded to lay the foundation, but, to their astonishment, found that the whole of the materials were removed to Ambrosden during the night. Despairing, therefore, of overcoming the activity of their supernatural opponent, the parishioners acquiesced in his choice of a situation, and the building proceeded without further interruption. The inhabitants farther say that the memory of the transaction is preserved in the name of the field."

The photo below shows Mary Peverill, who was born in Blackthorn in 1808 - the daughter of John and Sarah Peverill. Mary married John Frederick Barrett (also of Blackthorn, son of Thomas & Catherine) in Ambrosden in 1826, and the couple later emigrated to Nova Scotia, Canada. Mary died in 1877. Photo credit: Pat Mac Smith, Ancestry. Many other Oxfordshire folk emigrated around this time, probably due to the 'agricultural depression'.