CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND—According to a statement released by the University of Cambridge, a review of medieval coroners’ inquests into more than 350 murders in London, Oxford, and York has determined that the murder rate in Oxford was four to five times higher than in the other two cities. The study found that 75 percent of the Oxford perpetrators were identified as “clericus,” which is likely to refer to a student or other member of the university, while 72 percent of the murder victims received the same designation. “Oxford students were all male and typically aged between 14 and 21, the peak for violence and risk-taking,” explained Manuel Eisner of Cambridge University. “These were young men freed from tight controls of family, parish, or guild, and thrust into an environment full of weapons, with ample access to alehouses and sex workers,” he added. Meanwhile, murders in York were attributed to feuds between artisans working in the same professions, such as tanner workers and glove makers. In London, the prevalence of knives and axes meant that small altercations over things like “eel-skin littering” and “careless urination” could escalate to homicide. To read about excavations in Oxford that revealed artifacts belonging to the university's medieval students, go to "Tales Out of School."