Photo and information originally supplied by Josie Smith (née Druce) for the Eynsham Record 24, 2007 (opens in new window). A summary follows below.
On 17 July 1860, Eynsham farmer and prominent agriculturalist Samuel Druce died at his home in Mill Street. A few days earlier, he was thrown out of his gig in a hay-field and crushed by the wheels as they ran over him. He never recovered consciousness. He was a founder member of the Royal Agricultural Society and took an active part in the management of its affairs until the end of his life. With John Hitchman of Little Milton and aided by his sons he produced a breed of sheep known as Oxfordshire Downs. With his wife, Hannah, he donated land which had been used for cock fighting as a site for the Board School at the junction of Swan Street and Station Road.