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600
Nottingham was called Tig Guocobauc, meaning a place or house of cave dwellings, and formed part of the Kingdom of Mercia, later coming under the rule of a Saxon (English) chieftain named Snot who called it Snotingaham, meaning the home, dwelling or homestead (the ham) of Snot’s people.
867
Nottingham was captured by Danish Vikings and later became one of the Five Burghs (fortified towns) of The Danelaw.
867
As a legacy of the Danish occupation, some street names in Nottingham include ‘Gate’ from the Danish word for ‘Street’. Examples, many created centuries later, are; Barker Gate, Bridlesmith Gate, Castle Gate, Fletcher Gate, French Gate, Hounds Gate, Lister Gate and Pilcher Gate.
868
Records first suggest the existence of caves in Nottingham, thanks to a Welsh monk called Asser.
918
King Edward the Elder recaptured Nottingham for the English.
920
The first bridge was built over the River Trent at Nottingham; ordered by King Edward the Elder.
1067
William the Conqueror ordered the first wooden Castle to be built on Castle Rock.
1068
Nottingham’s French Borough and Saturday Market were established.
1086
The Domesday Book refers to Nottingham as Snotingeham and Snotingham.
1086
A church was mentioned in the Domesday Survey of Nottingham, probably St Mary’s, with the Priest named as Aitard.
1100
The approximate construction date of the original St Peter’s Church.
1103-8
St Mary’s Church was mentioned by name when it featured in the foundation charter of Lenton Priory.
1103-14
The Cluniac Priory of Lenton was founded.
1140
Robert of Gloucester and the army of the Empress Matilda attacked Nottingham Castle, held by King Stephen, they set fire to the town and massacred the parishioners of St Peter’s who had taken refuge in the church.
1153
Much of Nottingham was destroyed by fire.
1155
A Royal Charter granted by Henry II confirmed Nottingham’s rights and liberties.
c1156
Henry II replaced the old bridge over the River Trent with a new one, called the Heth Beth Bridge.
1170
Nottingham Castle was rebuilt in stone as a principal royal fortress by Henry II and from this point onwards was the foremost royal castle in the Midlands. The King and court would stay for a week or more and national parliaments were held within the grounds.
1170
Newstead Abbey was probably founded in 1170 by Henry II in atonement for the murder of Thomas a Becket.
1180
Nottingham’s St Peter’s Church shows traces of construction from about this date; the original church of around 1100 was destroyed by fire.
1180
Nottingham was the first place in England to record an earthquake.
1189
The approximate establishment date of Nottingham’s Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem public house.
25 March 1194
King Richard I, the Lionheart, arrived with great fanfare in Nottingham to start the siege of the castle, held by supporters of his younger brother John.
28 March 1194
King Richard I, the Lionheart, captured Nottingham Castle from his younger brother John after a three day siege.
1212
During an uprising by the Welsh Prince Llewellyn, King John ordered the execution of 28 Welsh boy hostages, who were hanged on the walls of Nottingham Castle.
15 June 1215
Magna Carta was signed by King John at Runnymede; the first document forced onto an English King by a group of his subjects in an attempt to limit his powers by law and protect their privileges. The charter was an important part of the process that led to the rule of constitutional law in the English speaking world.
1240
The approximate establishment date of Nottingham’s Ye Olde Salutation Inn public house.
1251
Henry lll ordered improvements to Nottingham Castle, including a twin towered gatehouse.
1276
Nottingham’s Carmelite Friary (White Friary) was founded on land between Friar Lane and St James’ Street known as Friar Yard.
12 February 1284
The Royal Charter of Edward I granted the office of Mayor to Nottingham; the first appointment was Roger de Crophill.
1302
The earliest mention of Nottingham’s Bridge Estate for the maintenance of bridges over the River Trent.
1304
Oak panelling was used in a building in the original Shambles; a group of shops near the Market Place, this panelling is still in use in the present day Council House that was later built on the site.
19 October 1330
Roger Mortimer, the lover of Queen Isabella, was captured by supporters of her son, King Edward III, who entered the castle through the system of caves in Castle Rock.
1346
Goose Fair (or Goods Fair as it was originally known) was cancelled because of the Black Death.
1348-49
About half of Nottingham’s population of around 3,000 people died during the Black Death.
1375
The first written record of the Shire Hall site in the Lace Market being used as a law court.
1377
A capitation tax roll of Edward III showed the population of Nottingham to be 2,300.
1380s
The south aisle wall was the first part of the Church of St Mary the Virgin to be constructed, the church is mentioned in the Domesday Book and is believed to have been on the site since the early Saxon period, the main body of the present building is at least the third on the site.
1392
The Mayor of Nottingham, John de Plumptre, founded Plumptre Hospital.
1396
The unallocated common well providing water to Nottingham had its hauling equipment repaired.
1401
Pope Boniface IX granted a ten year Indulgence for alms to be used for the fabric, conservation or repair of St Mary’s Church.
1437
The approximate establishment date of Nottingham’s Bell Inn, a Grade II listed public house.
1449
The first written reference to the Shire Hall site in the Lace Market being used as a prison.
28 June 1449
The Charter of King Henry VI separated the borough of Nottingham from the county and approved the appointment of Sheriffs for the two Boroughs of Nottingham; the first incumbents were William Sadler and Thomas Lyng.
1458
Wealthy local merchant Thomas Thurland built the historic mansion Thurland Hall, the building and grounds covering about eight and a half acres near the centre of Nottingham.
1476-80
New building and refurbishment of Nottingham Castle was completed for Edward lV.
1483
The Mayor and other local notables welcomed Richard Duke of Gloucester (later Richard III) on his visit to Nottingham.
11 August 1485
King Richard III was hunting in Bestwood, Sherwood Forest, when he received news that Henry Tudor had landed in Pembrokeshire with an army. Richard withdrew to Nottingham Castle and summoned his supporters.
20 August 1485
King Richard III rallied his troops at Nottingham Castle ready to depart for the Battle of Bosworth. This led him to become the last English king to die in battle.
22 August 1485
King Richard III left Nottingham Castle and rode to meet Henry Tudor at Bosworth, where he died in battle.
16 June 1487
7,000 men were killed at the battle of Stoke Field, between Nottingham and Newark; it was the last major engagement of the Wars of the Roses and the bloodiest battle ever fought in Nottinghamshire.
12 October 1492
The first sighting of land (the Bahamas) on the first voyage to the New World by Christopher Columbus.
References?
Very few I’m afraid, as I mentioned in the intro to the post:
“One thing I didn’t do when I originally compiled the list, and now regret, is to cite source material. I will gradually address this, but due to the huge variety of sources it will take a very long time.
I’ve put the sources of information I can remember in the References section and hope that I’ve not made too many mistakes in writing the lists. I’ve also inserted one or two events that were external to Nottingham, just to give a little context.”