SDS Heritage

1400

1400

Geoffrey Chaucer (born 1341), author of The Canterbury Tales, and one of the first major writers in the English language, dies and is buried in Westminster Abbey.

1415

1415

Henry V defeats the French at the Battle of Agincourt, renewing claims to the French throne. Inflicting a humiliating defeat on the much larger French army, the English archers play a key role in the victory.

1437

1437

Henry VI, who had acceded to the throne before his first birthday after the sudden death of his father in 1422, is now considered old enough to rule himself.

1455

1455

A power struggle between two branches of the royal family results in civil war. The Wars of the Roses, fought between the Lancaster and York houses, would last for a further thirty years.

1477

1477

William Caxton publishes the first printed book in England, "Dictes of Sayengs of the Philosophres", from his press in Westminster.

1478

1478

Author of "Utopia" Thomas More is born. Originally written in Latin and published in 1516, the best-selling satire of the travel literature of the day is translated into English in 1551.

1440

1440

Founded by King Henry VI as "The King’s College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor" Eton College is established in this year.
1508

1508

On 21 April, at the age of seventeen, Henry VIII inherits the throne from his father, Henry VII.

1515

1515

As a reward for helping Henry VIII’s campaign in France, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey is made lord chancellor of England on 24 December.

1553

1553

Daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, Mary is proclaimed queen on 3 August, and becomes the first woman to be crowned monarch of England in her own right.

1564

1564

William Shakespeare is born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, and baptised on 26 April. The first collected edition of his works, known as "the First Folio", is published in 1623.

1576

1576

The first London theatre (aptly called "The Theatre") opens to the public. Built by James Burbage, the Elizabethan entrepreneur also constructed the "Globe" theatre.

1572

1572

Harrow School was formally founded in 1572 by John Lyon under a Royal Charter of Elizabeth I.

1567

1567

Rugby School was founded as a provision in the will of Lawrence Sheriff, who had made his fortune supplying groceries to Queen Elizabeth I.

1558

1558

The licence to found Brentwood School in Essex, as "The Grammar School of Antony Browne, Serjeant at the Law, in Brentwood" was granted by Queen Mary to Sir Antony Browne on 5 July.

1556

1556

In his will, Sir William Laxton decreed the founding of a school, Oundle School, for the local boys of Oundle, which was to be maintained by the Worshipful Company of Grocers.

1552

1552

Part of the Foundation of schools, King Edward’s School in Birmingham is founded by King Edward VI. Christ’s Hospital school was also founded in this year.

1525

1525

The Royal Grammar School in Newcastle upon Tyne is founded by Thomas Horsley, the city’s mayor.

1516

1516

Bolton Grammar School is established.

1514

1514

Pocklington School in East Riding, Yorkshire, was founded by John Dolman.

1502

1502

Founded by Sir John Percyvale, a former Lord Mayor of London, as Macclesfield Grammar School, The King’s School, Macclesfield is established in this year.
1605

1605

A gunpowder plot to assassinate James I and the government is discovered and foiled. Guy Fawkes and his co-conspirators had planned to blow up the houses of parliament by igniting barrels of gunpowder in a vault.|

1611

1611

The authorised version of the Bible (also known as the "King James Bible") is first published in English.

1620

1620

Escaping religious persecution in England, the Pilgrim Fathers, set sail for America in the Mayflower. They land at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts.

1660

1660

Samuel Pepys starts his decade long diary. A naval administrator and later a member of parliament, Pepys’ diaries would provide historians with valuable insights into life in 17th century.

1666

1666

The Great Fire of London destroys two-thirds of the city, leaving 65,000 homeless. The fire started in a baker’s shop in Pudding Lane.

1694

1694

Scottish merchant William Paterson establishes the Bank of England to assist the Crown in managing its considerable debts. It continues to issue bank notes to this day.
1721

1721

Sir Robert Walpole becomes first lord of the treasury and chancellor of the exchequer. Walpole is given 10 Downing Street, still the prime minister’s official residence today.

1736

1736

Inventor and mechanical engineer in steam engine technology, James Watt is born in Greenock on 18 January.

1744

1744

The British naval commander George Anson begins his four year round the world voyage in HMS ’Centurion’. He returns with nearly £500,000 of Spanish treasure.

1768

1768

Captain James Cook leads the first of his expeditions aboard HMS Endeavour. He sails to the Pacific, circumnavigates New Zealand and charts the east coast of Australia.

1771

1771

Inventor Richard Arkwright opens the first cotton mill in Cromford, Derbyshire, using his own patented spinning machine, the water frame.

1788

1788

The first edition of "The Times of London" (originally founded in 1785 as the Daily Universal Register) is published on 1 January.
1801

1801

England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland are formally joined under the Act of Union to create the United Kingdom.

1807

1807

After an act to end the supply of slaves on British ships to colonies passes in parliament the year before, the trade is completely abolished in Britain, ending 200 years of slavery.

1815

1815

Masterminded by British general, Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, the Battle of Waterloo ends in a decisive victory for Britain and its allies in the Napoleonic wars.

1825

1825

On 27 September, the first public steam railway runs between Stockton and Darlington, ushering in the Railway Age with the building of an extensive railway network in Britain.

1831

1831

Chemist and physicist Michael Faraday discovers electromagnetic induction, the principle behind the electric transformer and generator.

1840

1840

After Rowland Hill’s proposal to make a uniform rate of a penny per letter (irrespective of distance) is implemented in 1840, the volume of post sent in Britain soars.
1859

1859

Engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel (b.1806) dies, five years before his design for the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, is completed.

1863

1863

The Metropolitan Railway opens the world’s first underground railway between Bishop’s Road, Paddington and Farringdon Street.

1865

1865

William Booth, a London minister, takes his message to the streets, where he can reach the poor and homeless. From these early missions the Salvation Army is formed.

1887

1887

Sir Frank Bowden purchases an interest in a small bicycle company on Raleigh Street, Nottingham. Taking its name from the street, the Raleigh Bicycle Company is formed three years later.

1897

1897

Guglielmo Marconi is awarded a patent following his first successful wireless radio communication from Lavernock Point in South Wales, to Flat Holm Island in the Bristol Channel.
1901

1901

Frank Hornby applies for a patent that would later lead to the establishment of Meccano Ltd.

1907

1907

Lord Robert Baden-Powell organises a camping expedition on Brownsea Island, bringing together 20 boys from different backgrounds, and starting the Scouts movement.

1918

1918

On 29 November of the previous year, an Act of Parliament establishing an Air Force received the Royal Assent, and the Royal Air Force and Women’s Royal Air Force were formed on 1 April 1918.

1926

1926

On 26 January, John Logie Baird demonstrates his invention of a machine for the transmission of pictures, which he called television.

1941

1941

The jet engine makes its first test flight on 15 May. Royal Air Force officer Frank Whittle, made a major contribution to its invention.

1948

1948

Former Welsh miner turned Labour politician Nye Bevan’s vision of free health care for everyone becomes a reality on 5 July when the National Health Service is formed.
1952

1952

Elizabeth II succeeds her father, George VI who passed away on 6 February 1952. She is crowned a year later on 2 June 1953.

1953

1953

Scientists James Watson and Francis Crick discover the structure of a chemical called deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA.

1955

1955

Known as "Mr Motor Racing", Sir Stirling Moss OBE achieves his first Grand Prix win at British Grand Prix at Aintree, driving the Mercedes-Benz W196.

1962

1962

After joining EMI’s Parlophone label, "Love Me Do", the Beatles’ first single is released, reaching number 17 in the UK chart.

1966

1966

England beat Germany 4 - 2 in a closely contested final to win the World Cup at Wembley stadium. Geoff Hurst scores three of England’s four goals - the only footballer to get a hat-trick in a world cup final.

1969

1969

Concorde, the supersonic airliner jointly developed by Britain and France, makes its maiden flight. It will be another seven years before it begins commercial flights.
1974

1974

Developed by BBC engineers working on ways to provide subtitles for the deaf, Ceefax (a play on "see facts") first broadcast on 23 September.

1976

1976

Legendary motorbike racer Barry Sheene won the first of two consecutive 500cc Motorcycle Championships.

1979

1979

Margaret Thatcher becomes Britain’s first female prime minister. One of the dominant political figures of the twentieth century, she would go on to serve three consecutive terms in office.

1982

1982

On 2 November at 4.45pm, Channel 4 began its broadcast, showing the quiz show "Countdown" with Richard Whiteley.

1984

1984

Bob Geldof and Midge Ure form the charity group Band Aid to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia. "Do They Know It’s Christmas?" is the Christmas number one, and sells more than 3,000,000 copies.

1989

1989

Tim Berners-Lee invents a new way to share information using existing internet technology. The World Wide Web is born. A year later he programs the first web browser.
1992

1992

The Channel Tunnel opens, linking the UK with mainland Europe. An average of 40m below the sea bed, measuring 50km in length, it is the world’s longest undersea tunnel.

1995

1995

After demonstrating his invention on the Tomorrow’s World TV programme, Trevor Baylis’ innovative wind-up radio goes into production in Cape Town, South Africa.

1996

1996

A former 150 acre safari park in Windsor is transformed by more than 25 million bricks to become the first LEGOLAND theme park outside of Denmark.

2003

2003

England win the Rugby Union World Cup in Australia, beating the hosts, with Jonny Wilkinson scoring the winning drop-goal in extra time.

2004

2004

Kelly Holmes wins gold medals in both the 1500m and 800m events at the Olympic Games in Athens.

2005

2005

On 7 February, Dame Ellen Patricia MacArthur, DBE becomes the world record holder for the fastest solo circumnavigation of the globe.

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1400

1415

1437

1455

1477

1478

1440

1508

1515

1553

1564

1576

1572

1567

1558

1556

1552

1525

1516

1514

1502

1605

1611

1620

1660

1666

1694

1721

1736

1744

1768

1771

1788

1801

1807

1815

1825

1831

1840

1859

1863

1865

1887

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1901

1907

1918

1926

1941

1948

1952

1953

1955

1962

1966

1969

1974

1976

1979

1982

1984

1989

1992

1995

1996

2003

2004

2005

Contact SDS Heritage

If you’d like to get in touch with SDS Heritage, please call us on 01202 496513.

About you

Your enquiry

Contact us

Business Hours

Come in! We're open!

Or shop online any time you like!

Great Briton Poll

SDS Heritage