
A timeline
995
Community of St Cuthbert arrive on Durham Peninusula
1069
English attack the Normans in Durham. William the Conquerer responds with the ‘harrying of the North’.
1072
Work begun on the building of Durham Castle
1099-1128
Ranulf Flambard is Bishop of Durham. He carries out major building work on the Cathedral, Castle and in the town, including moving the Market Place to its present location and building Framwellgate Bridge.
1311-1315
Durham suffers when it is repeatedly attacked by the Scots
1315
Townspeople of Durham petition the King for permission to build defensive walls around the Market Place.
1349-1350
Black Death comes to Durham. Many residents die. The plague returns in 1416 and 1438.
1450
Permission to pump water from Fram Well to the Market Place is given by Thomas Billingham. A pant is built to provide access to the water.
1538
Commissioners of Henry VIII enter the Cathedral and deface the shrine of St Cuthbert
1539
The monastery at Durham surrenders – many of the monks become part of the new Dean and Chapter
1565
Corporation of Durham founded
1569
The Rising of the North. The Earls of Northumberland and Cumberland lead a force from Raby Castle to Durham to restore the old Catholic Mass. The rising is put down and 500 people are executed. The Earl of Westmorland’s house in the Market Place is seized and given to the Corporation of Durham. The building is eventually knocked down and the site used to build the Town Hall and indoor market.
1617
The old Market Cross in the Market Place is replaced by a new structure. This lasts until 1780 when it was knocked down and replaced by a piazza. Both buildings provided shelter for traders and their goods. The latter building survived until 1852 when the new indoor market was opened.
mid-1600s
Durham does well in the period of the Commonwealth as the bishopric is abolished and the powers of the Church suppressed.
1660
At the Restoration, John Cosin is made Bishop of Durham. Both he and his successor, Bishop Crewe, carry out a lot of building work in Durham.
1729
Statue of Neptune erected in the Market Place to commemorate a plan to make Durham a port by enlarging the River Wear. The plan never took off.
Late 1700s
Many improvements made to Durham – including the building of Prebends Bridge and the demolition of Clayport.
1841
Part of St Nicholas’s Church is taken down to improve access to the Market Place.
1848-1852
New Town Hall and indoor market built
1857-1858
St Nicholas’s church taken down and rebuilt. The old building dated back to the 12th century but by the mid-19th century was in a very poor state of repair.
1861
Statue of Marquess of Londonderry erected in the Market Place.
1863
A new pant was built.
1902
Another pant replaced the one erected in 1863.
1923
The pant in the Market Place is demolised. The statue of Neptune is moved to Wharton Park.
1950s The statue of the Marquess of Londonderry is taken away for repairs but is replaced in its original position.1991
The statue of Neptune is returned to the Market Place.