n.
Administrative (pop., 2001: 605,492) and historic county, south-central England.
It consists of two upland areas divided by a broad vale. Evidence of inhabitation dates from the Paleolithic , Mesolithic , and Neolithic periods. Dorchester was an important Roman settlement; subsequent Saxon settlement was concentrated along the Thames River valley. The county saw action during the English Civil Wars . Oxfordshire's economy is basically agricultural, with sheep farming and wool production. Cowley, a suburb of the county seat of Oxford , is the major industrial centre.