Timeline of Leicester facts for kids

This is a timeline showing the exciting history of Leicester, a city in Leicestershire, England. A timeline helps us see important events in order, from the very beginning until today.

Ancient Times: Before the Romans Arrived

Stone Age: Early People and Tools

• Around 12,000 BC – Huge ice sheets melted away. This helped shape the land around the Soar Valley.
• About 10,000–9,500 BC – The first hunter-gatherers lived in the Leicester area. They left behind flint axe heads (tools) in places like Abbey Meadows.
• 9,500–4,500 BC – More hunter-gatherers were active here. Stone tools have been found at Humberstone and Mowmacre Hill.
• 4,500–2,500 BC – People started farming in the area. They cleared forests to grow crops. Over 50 axes and other flint tools have been found across the city.

Bronze Age: Metal and Early Settlements

• 2,500–2,000 BC – People learned how to make pottery.
• 2,000–1,000 BC – People began working with metal. Metal pieces have been found in places like High Street and Abbey Meadows.
  • Pottery from this time has been found in large amounts in Glenfield and Western Park.
  • There is evidence of special areas for rituals and burials in Western Park.
• 1,000 BC – The earliest known permanent settlement was built on Glenfield Ridge. It overlooked the Soar Valley.

Iron Age: Tribes and Early Towns

• Around 750 BC – A legend says that King Leir founded Leicester. This story is from the 12th century.
• Around 200 BC – Strong hill forts were built at places like Ratby and Beacon Hill.
• About 100–50 BC – The Corieltauvi Tribe built a large settlement, called an Oppidum, on the east side of the River Soar.
  • This settlement had the most northern Iron Age coin mint ever found in Europe.

Roman Times: Ratae Corieltauvorum

First Century CE: Roman Arrival and Roads

• 44–46 CE – The Romans conquered this area.
• Around 48–60 CE – The Corieltauvi tribe became allies with Rome.
  • Their main town, Ratae Corieltauvorum (meaning 'Ramparts of the Corieltauvi'), became their capital city.
• About 48 CE – The Fosse Way was built just north of the old Iron Age town. It became a major road connecting Lincoln to Exeter.
  • Today, parts of the Fosse Way are known as Narborough Road and Belgrave Road.
• Around 51 CE – Watling Street was built about 12 miles south of Leicester. This road connected Canterbury and London to Chester.
• About 70 CE – The Via Devana was slowly built. This road connected Ratae to Colchester and Chester.
  • Today, parts of this road are Gartree Road and New Walk.
• Around 75–99 CE – A large ditch was dug around the city, likely for defense. This area became the site of the city walls.
  • Inside these boundaries, a grid of streets was laid out.
  • The main north-south street is now South Gates and Highcross Street.
  • The main east-west street (Fosse Way) is now East Gates and Silver Street.

Second Century CE: City Growth

• 122 CE – The Roman Emperor Hadrian visited Ratae.
• Around 130–200 CE – Ratae grew into an important city.
  • The Forum (a public square) and Basilica (a large hall) were built. This area is now Jubilee Square.
  • Public bath houses (Thermae) were built. You can still see their ruins at the Jewry Wall Museum.
  • The Jewry Wall was built. It was part of a large exercise hall next to the baths.
  • A temple to the god Mithra was built where St Nicholas Circle is today.
  • Beautiful mosaic floors, like the "Peacock Pavement," were laid.

Third Century CE: More Buildings and Walls

• Around 208 CE – Emperor Septimius Severus likely visited Ratae.
• About 220 CE – The city's public buildings expanded.
  • A large indoor market (Macellum) was built north of the Forum.
  • A semi-circular Roman theatre was built next to the market.
• Around 270 CE – Strong city walls were built from stone along the earlier ditches. These walls lasted until the 16th century.
  • You can still see some reused stones in the wall near St Mary de Castro church.
  • The main roads leading into the city through the walls are still used today. These include Gallowtree Gate and Southgates.
  • The walls had four main gates: South Gate, East Gate, North Gate, and West Gate. Their names are still used for streets today.

Fourth and Fifth Centuries CE: Roman Rule Ends

• 360 CE – A big fire destroyed the public baths and other buildings. They were never rebuilt.
• Around 375 CE – Ratae was listed as a stop on a postal route between London and Lincoln.
• 406–420 CE – Roman rule in Britain ended. Many Roman soldiers left, and local leaders took over.

Early Middle Ages: Anglo-Saxons and Danes

Sixth to Eighth Centuries: New Settlers

• Mid-5th to early 6th century – The Middle Angles started living in the Trent and Soar Valleys. They built a small settlement near the old Roman city.
• 653 CE – Cedd's mission brought Christianity to the Middle Angles.
• 680 CE – Cuthwine became the first Anglo-Saxon Bishop of Leicester.
• 792 CE – Bishop Unwona of Leicester traveled to Rome with King Offa.

Ninth and Tenth Centuries: Danes and English Kings

• 803 CE – The earliest written record of the town calls it Legorensis Caester.
• 840 CE – Legend says Saint Wigstan, a young prince, was killed near the city.
• 874 CE – Leicester stopped being a bishop's seat when the Danes invaded.
• 877 CE – The Danes took control, and Leicester became one of the Five Boroughs of the Danelaw.
• 880 CE – The oldest part of St Nicholas' Church was built around this time.
• 918 CE – The Danish defenders of Leicester surrendered to Ethelfleda, the Lady of the Mercians.
  • The town's defensive walls were repaired.
  • St Mary's Church was founded.

High Middle Ages: Norman Conquest and Growth

Eleventh Century: Normans and Domesday Book

• Around 1070 CE – The Norman Conquerors arrived in Leicester.
  • Hugh de Grandmesnil was given the land and became the first Sheriff of Leicestershire.
  • Building began on Leicester Castle.
  • St Mary's Church was rebuilt.
• 1072 CE – The bishopric of Leicester moved to Lincoln. Leicester's churches became part of the Diocese of Lincoln.
• 1086 CE – The Domesday Survey recorded the town of Ledecestre (Leicester).
  • Leicester Castle was finished.
  • The walled town had 130 acres and 322 houses.
  • Five churches from this time still exist: St Nicholas Church, St Mary de Castro, All Saints, St Margaret's Church, and St Martin's Church.
  • The town was run by 65 Freemen and a council of 24 Jurats.
  • Leicester Market was already active.

Twelfth Century: Earls and Abbeys

• 1107 CE – Robert de Beaumont became the first Earl of Leicester. He was given the castle and town.
  • He set up a college of priests to serve St Mary de Castro.
• 1143 CE – Leicester Abbey was founded by Robert le Bossu, 2nd Earl of Leicester. All city churches were placed under its control.
• 1173 CE – Leicester was attacked after Robert de Beaumont, 3rd Earl of Leicester rebelled against King Henry II. The castle's main tower was destroyed.

Thirteenth Century: Fairs and Friars

• 1228 CE – Leicester had an active fair.
• Around 1230 CE – The Franciscans (Greyfriars) built St Mary Magdalene's Friary inside the town's southern wall.
• 1231 CE – Simon de Montfort, the Earl of Leicester, forced the Jewish community to leave the town.
• Around 1247 CE – The Dominicans (Blackfriars) built St Clement's Priory in the northwest corner of the old town walls.
• Around 1254 CE – The Augustinians (Austinfriars) built St Katherine's Priory near West Bridge.
• 1265 CE – Edmund Crouchback was given the earldom of Leicester and the city after Simon de Montfort's death.
• 1269 CE – Leicester was ranked as the 13th richest town in England.

Late Middle Ages: Royal Visits and Changes=

Fourteenth Century: Parliament and Hospitals

• 1300 CE – King Edward I stayed at Leicester Castle.
• 1307 CE – King Edward II allowed a fair to be held for 17 days after Trinity Sunday.
• 1318 CE – The Parliament of England met in Leicester for the first time.
• 1330 CE – Trinity Hospital was founded south of the castle walls.
• 1353 CE – The Newarke area was built around Trinity Hospital. A college of priests was set up for the new Church of the Annunciation.
• 1360 CE – Philippa of Lancaster was born at Leicester Castle. She later became Queen of Portugal.
• 1377 CE – Leicester was ranked as the 17th richest town in England.
• 1390 CE – The Corpus Christi Guildhall was built.
• 1399 CE – John of Gaunt died at Leicester Castle.
  • Henry Bolingbroke became King Henry IV. Leicester Castle became property of the English Crown.
  • St Mary de Castro became one of the King's Chapels.

Fifteenth Century: Pilgrims and Kings

• 1414 CE – The Parliament of England met in Leicester at the Greyfriars Friary.
• 1419 CE – Margery Kempe, a famous pilgrim, visited Leicester. She was accused of heresy but was found innocent.
• 1425–1427 CE – The English royal court stayed at Leicester Castle.
  • The young King Henry VI stayed at the castle and had his coming-of-age ceremonies there.
• 1426 CE – The "Parliament of Bats" was held in the Great Hall of the castle.
• Around 1444 CE – Most of St Margaret's Church was rebuilt.
• 1485 CE – Richard III spent his last night in Leicester before the Battle of Bosworth Field. His body was later brought back and buried at Greyfriars.

Early Modern Period: Reformation and Civil War

Sixteenth Century: Religious Changes

• Around 1500 CE – The Leicester Abbey Eastern Wall was built.
• 1513 CE – Wyggeston Hospital was founded.
• 1530 CE – Cardinal Thomas Wolsey died at Leicester Abbey.
• 1534 CE – Leicester's churches officially stopped being Roman Catholic. They became part of the Church of England.
• 1535 CE – Smaller monasteries in Leicester were closed down. This included the Greyfriars and Austin Friars.
• 1538 CE – All other monasteries in the city were closed, including Leicester Abbey and St Clement's Dominican Priory.
• 1541 CE – Leicester's churches moved from the Lincoln Diocese to the new Diocese of Peterborough.
• 1550 CE – The Free Grammar School was established.
• 1558 CE – The Act of Uniformity returned Leicester's churches to state Protestantism.
• 1589 CE – Elizabeth I created the Corporation of Leicester. This replaced the old council of Burgesses.

Seventeenth Century: Witch Trials and Riots

• 1616 CE – The famous Leicester Boy Trials took place. A 13-year-old boy accused 15 women of witchcraft. Nine were executed.
• 1627–1628 CE – Riots happened in Leicester to protest against the fencing off of Leicester Forest.
• 1645 CE – Leicester was attacked during the English Civil War. This was known as the Siege of Leicester.
• 1680 CE – Knitting frames for making hosiery were introduced.
  • Leicester's Quakers built their first meeting house.

Eighteenth Century: New Buildings and End of Witchcraft Accusations

• 1708 CE – The Great Meeting House was built for Protestant Dissenters. Today it is the Leicester Unitarian Chapel.
• 1717 CE – The last English witch trial was held in Leicester. The two accused women were found innocent.
• 1751 CE – The Leicester Journal newspaper began publishing.
• 1760 CE – The last recorded accusation of witchcraft in Leicester happened.
• 1771 CE – Leicester Royal Infirmary opened.
• 1773 CE – The High Cross in High Street was removed.
• 1792 CE – The Leicester Chronicle newspaper began publishing.

Nineteenth Century: Growth and Industry

Early 1800s: Population Boom and Enclosures

• 1800 CE – The City Rooms opened.
• 1801 CE – The population of Leicester was 17,005.
• 1804 CE – The common lands around the city were controversially fenced off.
• 1806 CE – Racecourse was established.
• 1816 CE – James Towle, a famous Luddite, was executed in the city.

1820s: Gas, Cricket, and Prisons

• 1821 CE – Leicester Gas Company was started.
• 1825 CE – Wharf Street Cricket Ground opened.
• 1827 CE – St George parish church was completed.
• 1828 CE – The new Leicester Prison opened.

1830s: Railways and Police

• 1832 CE – The Leicester and Swannington Railway began operating.
• 1835 CE – Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society was founded.
• 1836 CE – The Leicester Borough Police Force was established.
• 1838 CE – A Union Workhouse was built.
• 1839 CE – Christ Church Bow Street was consecrated.

1840s: More Railways and Museums

• 1840 CE – The Midland Counties Railway opened.
• 1849 CE – The Leicester Museum & Art Gallery opened.

1850s: Water and Secularism

• 1851 CE – A pumping station was built near the River Soar.
  • The Leicester Secular Society was established.
• 1853 CE – Leicester got its first piped water supply.
• 1857 CE – The Hitchin-Leicester railway began operating.

1860s: Elephant Man and City Improvements

• 1861 CE – Population: 68,056.
• 1862 CE – Joseph Merrick, known as the "Elephant Man," was born in Leicester.
• 1863 CE – The Old Bow Bridge was replaced with an iron bridge.
• 1867 CE – Major restoration work on St Martin's Church was completed.
• 1868 CE – The Haymarket Memorial Clock Tower was built.

1870s: Art, Trams, and Town Hall

• 1870 CE – Leicester School of Art was founded.
• 1871 CE – Population: 95,084.
• 1872 CE – Leicester Borough Fire Brigade was established.
• 1874 CE – Leicester's first horse-drawn tram service began.
  • The Leicester Mercury newspaper began publishing.
• 1876 CE – Leicester Town Hall was built.
• 1877 CE – The Wyggeston Hospital School opened.
• 1878 CE – Leicestershire County Cricket Club's new ground at Grace Road opened.
• 1879 CE – The first public swimming baths opened.

1880s: Parks and Football

• 1880 CE – Leicester Tigers Rugby Union Football Club was founded.
• 1881 CE – Population: 122,351.
  • The Leicester Secular Hall was built.
• 1882 CE – Victoria Park and Abbey Park opened.
  • Holy Cross Priory was established. This was the first Roman Catholic church consecrated in the city since the Reformation.
• 1884 CE – Leicester Fosse football club was formed.
• 1889 CE – Leicester became a County borough.

1890s: City Expansion and New Stations

• 1891 CE – Population: 174,624.
  • Filbert Street stadium opened.
  • Abbey Pumping Station began operating.
  • The Borough of Leicester grew much larger, adding areas like Aylestone and Belgrave.
• 1892 CE – Leicester Tigers moved to their new home at Welford Road Stadium.
• 1894 CE – Leicester Fosse joined the Football League.
• 1898 CE – The Grand Hotel was built.
• 1899 CE – British United Shoe Machinery was established.
  • Leicester Central railway station opened.

Twentieth Century: Modern Leicester

1900s: Electric Trams and MPs

• 1901 CE – Population: 211,579.
• 1904 CE – All of Leicester's horse-drawn trams were converted to electric trams.
• 1906 CE – Future Prime Minister James Ramsay MacDonald was elected as an MP for Leicester.

1910s: Fire, Flu, and City Status

• 1911 CE – The "Great Fire of Leicester" damaged St. George the Martyr church and nearby factories.
• 1913 CE – De Montfort Hall opened.
• 1918–1919 CE – The Spanish Influenza epidemic killed about 1,600 people in Leicester.
• 1919 CE – King George V and Queen Mary visited the city.
  • Leicester was granted city status, restoring its historic Roman city status.

1920s: University and Memorials

• 1921 CE – Population: 234,000.
  • The University College of Leicester was established.
• 1923 CE – Winston Churchill ran for Liberal candidate in Leicester West but lost.
• 1925 CE – The Arch of Remembrance was completed in Victoria Park. It honors those who died in World War I.
• 1927 CE – The Diocese of Leicester was established.
  • St Martin's Church became Leicester Cathedral.
  • Dr. Cyril Bardsley became the first Bishop of Leicester since 870 CE.

1930s: More Expansion and Marches

• 1932 CE – The Little Theatre opened.
• 1935 CE – Humberstone, Knighton, and New Parks were added to the city of Leicester.
  • Oswald Mosley and the Blackshirts held demonstrations in Leicester.
• 1936 CE – The city boundaries were extended again to include most of Evington.
  • The Jarrow Marchers arrived in Leicester.

1940s: War and Royal Visits

• 1940 CE – Leicester had its worst air raid of World War II on November 19.
• 1946 CE – King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visited Leicester to mark the end of World War II.
• 1947 CE – University of Leicester Botanic Garden opened.

1950s: Music and Queen's Visit

• 1958 CE – Buddy Holly and the Crickets performed at De Montfort Hall.
  • Queen Elizabeth II visited the city for the first time as monarch.

1960s: Museums and Polytechnics

• 1962 CE – Jewry Wall Museum was built.
• 1963 CE – The Beatles performed live at De Montfort Hall.
• 1966 CE – The City of Leicester Polytechnic was established.
• 1969 CE – The Museum of the Royal Leicestershire Regiment opened.

1970s: Shopping and New Council

• 1972 CE – Abbey Pumping Station museum opened.
• 1973 CE – Haymarket Shopping Centre opened.
• 1974 CE – Leicester City Council was established.

1980s: Hospital Extension

• 1980 CE – The Leicester Royal Infirmary extension was opened by Queen Elizabeth II.

1990s: University and Unitary Authority

• 1992 CE – The Leicester Polytechnic became De Montfort University.
• 1997 CE – Leicester City Council became a unitary authority.

Twenty-First Century: New Millennium and Discoveries

2000s: Space, Stadiums, and Theatre

• 2002 CE – The National Space Centre opened.
  • Filbert Street Stadium closed after 110 years.
  • The new Leicester City Stadium opened.
• 2008 CE – Curve theatre opened.

2010s: King Richard III and Football Glory

• 2011 CE – An elected mayor was introduced for Leicester.
• 2012 CE – Queen Elizabeth II visited Leicester during her Diamond Jubilee tour.
  • The remains of King Richard III were found under a car park. This was the site of the former Greyfriars chapel.
• 2015 CE – King Richard III was reburied in Leicester Cathedral.
• 2016 CE – Leicester City won the 2015–16 Premier League title. This was a huge surprise, as they were 5000-to-1 outsiders.

2020s: Pandemic and Community Events

• 2020–2022 CE – The COVID-19 pandemic affected Leicester. The city had many cases and was under a longer lockdown.
• 2020 CE – A new St Margaret's Bus Station building was completed.
• 2022 CE – The 2022 Leicester unrest occurred. This was an outbreak of tension between some Hindu and Muslim communities in the city.