) ▁and ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 th ▁century . ▁ ▁The ▁church ▁played ▁a ▁significant ▁role ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁stages ▁of ▁the ▁Oxford ▁Mov ement , ▁being ▁the ▁site ▁of ▁daily ▁services ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁such ▁rit ual ist ▁practices ▁as ▁alt ar ▁cand les ▁and ▁the ▁we aring ▁of ▁E uchar istic ▁vest ments . ▁The ▁leaders ▁of ▁the ▁Mov ement ▁pre ached ▁at ▁the ▁church , ▁and ▁the ▁early ▁T ract ari ans ▁were ▁closely ▁associated ▁with ▁St ▁Thomas ' s . ▁ ▁History ▁ ▁To ▁the ▁Rest oration ▁It ▁has ▁tradition ally ▁been ▁held ▁in ▁Os ney ▁that ▁the ▁church ▁was ▁founded ▁in ▁the ▁reign ▁of ▁Stephen , ▁but ▁this ▁is ▁unlikely ▁to ▁be ▁true , ▁as ▁Thomas ▁Be cket ▁was ▁not ▁mart y red ▁until ▁some ▁fifteen ▁years ▁after ▁Stephen ' s ▁death . ▁It ▁is ▁known ▁that ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 1 8 0 s , ▁the ▁site ▁was ▁granted ▁to ▁the ▁can ons ▁of ▁the ▁nearby ▁Os ney ▁Ab bey , ▁and ▁a ▁chap el ▁was ▁ere cted ▁on ▁the ▁site ▁around ▁ 1 1 9 0 . ▁From ▁the ▁mid - 1 3 th ▁century ▁the ▁Os ney ▁area ▁was ▁referred ▁to ▁as ▁the ▁parish ▁of ▁St ▁Thomas ', ▁but ▁it ▁remained ▁nomin ally ▁a ▁chap el ▁of ▁the ▁ab bey ▁until ▁the ▁dissol ution ▁of ▁the ▁Mon aster ies ▁under ▁Henry ▁VIII , ▁when ▁it ▁was ▁placed ▁under ▁Christ ▁Church , ▁Oxford . ▁Christ ▁Church ▁treated ▁it ▁as ▁a ▁conventional ▁parish ▁church ▁with ▁a