Gloucester History

The History of Gloucester

The city centre of Gloucester stands on the site of a Roman fortress dating from the 60s, which by about AD 97 had been made a colonia – a self-governing city with similar rights to those of Rome itself. We have attempted to split the history of Gloucester into manageable sections, so click on each section shown on this page

Introduction Roman Gloucester
Saxon Gloucester Norman Gloucester
13th Century Gloucester 14th & 15th Century Gloucester
16th Century Gloucester 18th Century Gloucester
19th Century Gloucester Famous Gloucester People
College Street Gloucester Gloucester Wagon Works
Gloucester Tabulae Civil War

Important Dates in The History of Gloucester

c.2500,000 – 3500   BC Nomadic Hunter   Gatherers
c 3500 – 1600 BC The first farmers occupy the   Severn Vale
AD 48-49 Roman Army establishes a   fort at Kingsholm
c AD 65 New fortress built on   present day city centre
c AD 97 Foundation of Colonia Nervia   Glevensium
AD 577 Battle of Dyrham: Saxons win   control of Gloucester
AD 679 St Peters Abbey ( Gloucester   Cathedral ) founded
AD 877 Vikings under Guthrum camp   in the city for the winter

 

AD 871-879 Alfred the Great opens a   mint at Gloucester, issuing silver pennies
AD 900 Aethelfaeda founds the   Minster of St Oswald and rebuilt the city
AD 1052 Rebuilding of St Peters   Abbey
AD 1043 – 1062 King Edward the Confessor   held his Witan at Gloucester 9 times
AD 1068 William the Conqueror builds   castle at Gloucester
AD 1089 The foundation stone of the   current Cathedral was laid by Serlo
AD 1110 – 1120 New castle built on site of   modern prison
AD 1137 Llanthony Secunda Priory   founded at Hempsted
AD 1141 King Stephen imprisoned in   Gloucester
AD 1155 Gloucester’s oldest known   Charter from Henry 11
AD 1216 Henry 111 crowned at St   Peters Abbey
AD 1239 Blackfriars   founded
AD   1327 Edward 11 murdered at   Berkley Castle and buried in St Peters Abbey making Gloucester the 15th   wealthiest town in England
AD 1378 Parliament held in College   Green
AD 1412 Great Cloister finished at   St Peters Abbey – considered the birthplace of fan vaulting
AD 1450 The New Inn built by St Peters for a lodging for   pilgrims
AD 1457 Tower of St Peters Abbey   finished
AD 1483 King Richard 111 visits   Gloucester and grants letters patent
AD 1541 St Peters Abbey is converted   to become the Cathedral of the new diocese
AD 1542 The first corporation water   supply
AD 1555 Bishop John Hooper burned at the stake as a   Protestant martyr
AD 1580 Queen Elizabeth 1 awards the   city status of port
AD 1643 23 March Royalist Army of 1500 men   captured at Hignam
AD 1643 10   August King Charles 1 refused entry   to the city. He besieges Gloucester with 30000 men
AD 1643 5   September The Earl of Essex raises the   siege
AD 1648 Gloucester’s first fire   engine
AD 1654 First HMS Gloucester   launched
AD 1661 Orders from Charles 11 to   destroy City defences
1714 George   Whitefield born at the Bell Inn Westgate   St
1722 Gloucester Journal   published
AD 1736 Robert   Raikes born at Ladybellgate House Gloucester
AD 1750 John   Stafford Smith born
AD 1755-61 Gloucester Infirmary   built
AD 1791 County Prison   Built
AD 1802 Charles   Wheatstone born in Westgate St
AD 1827 Gloucester Berkley canal   opened
AD 1849 William Ernest Henley born   in Westgate St
AD 1879 Horse drawn trams   introduced
AD 1890 Ivor   Gurney born in Queen St Gloucester
AD 1891 Public Baths   opened
AD 1900 Electric lighting installed   in city
AD 1904 Electric   trams
AD 1945 Right granted to the   Gloucestershire regiment to march through the streets of the city with drums   beating, colours flying and bayonets fixed
AD 1955 Queen Elizabeth 11 and the   Duke of Endiburgh visit Gloucester on the 800th anniversary of the Royal charter   of 1155
AD 1957 City twinned with Trier in Germany
AD 1960 Freedom of entry to City   given to RAF
AD 1963 Freedom of entry to City   given to Royal Gloucestershire Hussars
AD 1966 Freedom of entry to City   given to 14th Signal Regiment
AD 1967 City twinned with   Metz
AD 1972 City twinned with   Gouda
AD 1977 250th Anniversary of the 3   Choirs Festival at Gloucester Cathedral
Ad 1982 Launch of 10th HMS   Gloucester
AD 1983 500th Anniversary of the   Charter of Incorporation
AD 1990 Winner of England for   excellence award: Tourism destination of the year.