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NORTH EAST TIMELINE

Above: St. Aidan's Statue, Holy Island, Northumberland. Photo courtesy of freefoto.com

Prime Minister Tony Blair and The Millennium History of North East England by David Simpson. Photo courtesy of The Northern Echo

 

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Timeline of North East History

CONQUEST OF THE NORTH 1067AD - 1080AD

By David Simpson

WILLIAM the Conqueror's conquest of the North was not immediate. The northerners massacred his troops at Durham and York and murdered his appointed earls. It was only after William's "Harrying of the North" in the winter of 1069 that the conquest of the region began. It was completed by the construction of Norman castles at York, Richmond, Durham and "New Castle". These became the strongholds of Norman control and authority in the North-East.

1067 – EARL MURDERED
(Newburn-On-Tyne)
King William appoints Copsig, a former lieutenant of Tostig, as Earl of Northumbria but Copsig is captured and beheaded at Newburn. Osulf of Bamburgh claims the Earldom but he is killed by an outlaw. William appoints a noble called Gospatric.

1068 – NORTH-EAST REBELLION CRUSHED
(North-East)
Gospatric supports the Midland-based rebellion of Edwin and Morcar against the King but the rebellion fails and the rebels flee to Scotland.
King William enters York and builds a castle. He grants Yorkshire to William Malet and Robert Fitz Richard. The troops are based at York Castle.

January 30, 1069 – NORMANS SEIZE DURHAM
(Durham City)
Robert Comines, a Norman knight, is appointed Earl of Northumbria by the King. Comines' 700-B army seizes Durham City and the Normans murder many people. Aegelwine, Bishop of Durham, warns Robert that he will be defeated.

January 31, 1069 – MASSACRE IN DURHAM
(Durham City)
Early this morning a mob of Northumbrians broke the gates of Durham and stormed through the streets killing the Normans. Earl Comines flees for safety into the bishop's palace but is killed when it is set alight. The blaze threatens the western tower of Durham Minster but the locals pray and the wind diverts the flames. Only two Normans survive and flee.

February 1069 – SIEGE AT YORK
(York)
The natives of York besiege their castle. Robert Fitz Richard, a Norman commander, is killed.

March 1069 – WILLIAM SACKS YORK
(York)
York is sacked by the Normans under King William. Churches including the Minster are plundered and the rebels flee. William builds an additional castle and the garrison is placed under William FitzOsbern.

September 8, 1069 – DANES AND REBELS ENTER THE HUMBER
(East Yorkshire)
The Danes under King Sweyn enter the Humber with a fleet of ships accompanied by Edgar of Wessex who claims
England's throne. They march
for York.

September 1069 – NORMANS RETREAT AFTER ST CUTHBERT MIRACLE
(Northallerton)
Norman soldiers retreat at Northallerton during a march north to attack Durham. Durham folk claim the Normans were frightened by a miracle fog created by St Cuthbert. The real reason is that they have the Danish invasion of York to contend with. The Norm ans prevent the Danes from making York their headquarters by burning it. But the fires burn out of control, destroying the Anglo-Saxon minster and killing many Normans.

December 1069 – AXHOLME DANES DRIVEN OUT BY CONQUEROR
(Axholme and York)
Danes fortify the Isle of Axholme near Doncaster but King William's army attacks them and they flee. William spends the winter at York.

1069 – CUTHBERT FOLK TAKE FLIGHT
(Durham City and Lindisfarne)
St Cuthbert's Community flee from Durham with St Cuthbert's coffin to escape the Norman army. They seek refuge on Lindisfarne and are surprised by the receding tide allowing them to cross to the island. They proclaim it to be a miracle of St Cuthbert

December 1069-January 1070 – HARRYING OF THE NORTH
(North-East)
King William lays waste to the region in a campaign which will be remembered as the Harrying of the North, destroying all farmland and property between Durham and York. The area is reduced to wasteland by fire and sword. Many Northerners flee to the hill s.

December 1069 – BISHOP PLUNDERS DURHAM MINSTER
(Durham City)
St Cuthbert's Community returns to Durham from Lindisfarne with the saint's body only to find the town has been destroyed. A worse discovery is that Bishop Aegelwine has robbed Durham of its richest treaures and fled.

1070 – SCOTS ATTACK NORTH
(North-East)
Scots under King Malcolm invade the North from Cumbria. They are victorious at Hunderthwaite in Teesdale before plundering Cleveland, Hartlepool and Monkwearmouth. Gospatric, the reappointed Earl of Northumbria, attacks Malcolm's territory in Cumbria.

CONQUEST OF THE NORTH (Norman period) other dates
1067AD / 1070-1080AD

THE TIMELINE BY ERA

ROMAN PERIOD

ANGLO-SAXON PERIOD

VIKING PERIOD

NORMAN PERIOD

MEDIEVAL PERIOD

TUDOR AND STUART PERIOD

GEORGIAN PERIOD

VICTORIAN PERIOD

TWENTIETH CENTURY

 

THE MILLENNIUM HISTORY OF NORTH EAST ENGLAND

by David Simpson

Published by leighton in association with The Northern Echo

ISBN 0-9536984-3-2

The Millennium History of North East England by David Simpson is published by Leighton, The Teleport, Doxford International, Sunderland, SR3 3XD, Tel +44 (0) 191 5252400 Fax +44 (0) 520 1815 www.bepl.com. The book is a 322 page full colour hard back book covering the history of the region from Roman times to the present day. To order copies of the book you can e-mail Andrea.Murphy@bepl.com

Author David Simpson and Paul Callaghan, Managing Director of leighton at the book launch held at Lumley Castle, Durham December 1999

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