In 1723, John Holloway, a wealthy clothier born in Witney but then living in London, founded the Bluecoat School.

Actually a house that John Holloway had originally had built for himself, the schoolhouse provided was divided up so that the master of the school could live in one part and the boys in the other.

It was set up to educate sons of journeymen weavers in reading, writing and accounting with a view to them becoming apprenticed when they left. In the terms of John Holloway's will ten boys from Witney and five from Hailey were to be educated at the school and were given blue coats to wear.