Originally known simply as 'Eatun' (meaning 'homestead on a river or on an island' - possibly referring to it being situated in an isolated clearing amidst dense woodland), the village of Woodeaton acquired the rest of its name in order to distinguish it from nearby Watereaton.

At the time of the Domesday Book being written (1086), this tiny hamlet was part of a manor held by Roger D'Ivry.

At the centre of the village, near the green, are the remnants of a 13th century stone cross; only the shaft and base remain.

In 1544, Richard Taverner purchased the manor of Woodeaton, and had a substantial residence built there by the mid-1550's. Woodeaton remained in the Taverner family up until 1604, at which time it was acquired by the Nourse family (who originally hailed from Buckinghamshire). In 1774, the last male heir - John Nourse - died, bequeathing the manor to his daughter, Elizabeth Weyland (wife of John Weyland). The following year, the Weylands demolished the manor house, replacing it with the one which still exists today (Woodeaton Manor).

The house was owned by the Weylands until 1912, when Captain Mark Weyland - a descendent of John and Elizabeth - sold the building, along with much of their land in and around the village. Christ Church (Oxford) now owns most of the former Weyland family estate, and since 1950, the manor house has been used as a special-needs school ran by Oxfordshire County Council.

Woodeaton had a Saxon church by the 11th century, which was at this time made of timber, and was destroyed in a fire circa 1080 AD; the present-day church (Holy Rood) was built as an extension of a Norman stone church, which replaced the original Saxon one. The church was altered and extended several times since, with the belltower being added in either the 14th or 15th century, and the south porch in the 18th century.

On 4th October 1784, James Sadler - the first Englishman to fly a hot air balloon - landed near the village after taking off from Christ Church Meadow in Oxford. He had flown a distance of around 6 miles, and reached an altitude of around 3,600 feet, which I think we can all agree was a spectacular achievement for this time period!

Archaeological excavations have discovered the remains of a Romano-Celtic temple north of where the church now stands in Woodeaton, along with a shrine, and evidence to suggest that a Romano-British settlement once stood close to the modern village. Numerous Bronze Age have also been discovered there. The most notable find in this area was an Anglo-Saxon pendant, dating back to the 6th century, which was found within the site of the Roman temple.

The picture below shows Woodeaton Manor House circa 1791, and is borrowed from the 'Riba-Pix' website.