A TIMELINE OF LANCASTER
By Tim Lambert
c. 80 AD The Romans build a fort on the site of Lancaster
407 The Roman army leaves Britain
c. 630 A church exists on the site of St Mary's
Late 11th century The Normans build a castle at Lancaster
c. 1100 Lancaster grows into a town
1170 The stone keep of Lancaster Castle is built
1193 Lancaster is given a charter (a document granting the people certain rights)
1196 Lancaster Castle is first used as a prison
c. 1260 Dominican friars known as black friars come to Lancaster
1322 The Scots attack and burn Lancaster
1349 The Black Death kills maybe half the population of Lancaster
1357 A leper hostel dedicated to St Leonard is founded
1389 The Scots raid Lancaster again
1536 During the Pilgrimage of Grace rebels come to Lancaster but they later disperse
1612 The trial of the Pendle witches is held in Lancaster
1642 During the Civil War parliamentary soldiers capture Lancaster
1643 Royalists capture Lancaster but later withdraw as they are needed elsewhere
1651 Charles I is declared king of England in Lancaster but his troops are defeated at the battle of Worcester and his forced to flee abroad
Late 17th Century Lancaster benefits from the growth of trade with North American colonies
1708 The Meeting House is built
1720 Pennys Hospital is built
1755 St John's Church is built
1759 Assembly Rooms are built
1764 The Old Custom House is built
1781 A dispensary opens where the poor can obtain free medicines
1783 The Old Town Hall is built
1784 Dalton Square is laid out
1788 Skerton Bridge is built. Lancaster is a flourishing port and is also famous for furniture making.
1792 A canal opens from Lancaster to Preston
1798 The Palatine Hall is built
1801 Lancaster has a population of over 6,000. Lancaster gains its first newspaper. However Lancaster begins to decline as a port.
1825 Lancaster gains gas street light
1836 Ryelands House is built
1840 A railway to Preston opens
1853 Lancaster gains a piped water supply. Ripley hospital is built.
1855 A cemetery opens
1859 St Peters Roman Catholic Church is built
1871 Lancaster has a population of 9,713
1896 Lancaster Infirmary opens
1905 Trams begin running in Lancaster
1906 The Queen Victoria Monument is erected in Dalton Square
1909 A new Town Hall is built
1923 The first museum in Lancaster opens
1925 St Peter's Church is made a cathedral
1930 The trams stop running
1937 Lancaster is made a city
1939 A new bus station is built
1962 Furniture production in Lancaster ends
1964 Lancaster University is founded
1984 Tim Lambert graduates from Lancaster University
1985 The Custom House is made a Maritime Museum
1989-90 St Nicholas Arcades are redeveloped
1995 Marketgate Shopping Centre is built
2007 The University of Cumbria is founded