2004 - Formation of The Blackden Trust

1957 - Jodrell Bank and Sagittarius

Elsewhere… Jodrell Bank radio telescope, half a mile north-east of Toad Hall, comes into use. Light from the star cluster […]

 - Toad Hall cultivates Gooseberries

At Blackden… Frank Carter breeds gooseberry cultivars in Toad Hall’s garden

22 January 1901 - Queen Victoria’s Death

Elsewhere… Queen Victoria Dies

1881 - First Boer War

Elsewhere… The First Boer War between the united Kingdom and the South African Republic takes place

1881 - Toad Hall Occupied

At Blackden… Toad Hall is occupied by two railway signalmen and their families

1865 - End of American Civil War

Elsewhere… The American Civil War comes to an end

1845 - Gooseberry Societies

Elsewhere… 171 gooseberry societies are registered in northern England – the high point of a craze for competitive growing and […]

1841 - The Old Curiosity Shop

Elsewhere… ‘The Old Curiosity Shop’ by Charles Dickens printed in book form

1841 - Manchester-Crewe Railway

At Blackden… The Manchester-Crewe railway opens

1789 - First US Congress Meeting

Elsewhere… Meeting of first US Congress declares the new United States Constitution to be in effect

1763 - 1775 - Atmospheric Steam Engine

Elsewhere… James Watt develops the atmospheric steam engine

1764 - “The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire”

Elsewhere… Edward Gibbon conceives his project to write ‘The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire’

1764 - Broken Gravestones

At Blackden… Broken Gravestone of John Hocknell bears inscription that reads: “… of John Hocknell, son of George and Joan […]

1707 - Acts of Union

Elsewhere… Acts of Union 1707 abolish the kingdoms of England and Scotland, creating a unified Kingdom of Great Britain with […]

1660 - Charles II

Elsewhere… Charles II, the ‘Merry Monarch’, becomes king of England, Scotland and Ireland

1642 - 1651 - Civil Wars

Elsewhere… Civil Wars are raging

1642 - 1651 - Lead Bullets and Cannons

At Blackden… Lead bullets and cannon fragments are stored at Blackden

26 April 1616 - Shakespeare’s Death

Elsewhere… The poet Shakespeare dies in Statford-upon-Avon

1561 - Toad Hall Repairs

At Blackden… Toad Hall undergoes repairs

20th January 1540 - Abbey of St Werburgh

Elsewhere… The Abbey of St Werburgh, Chester, and its possessions are surrendered to the Crown

20th January 1540 - Blackden Changes Hands

At Blackden… The ownership of Blackden is transferred

1536 - 1541 - Henry VIII

Elsewhere… Henry VIII disbands England’s religious houses.

16th Century - The Medicine House is built

Elsewhere… The Medicine House is built at Wrinehill on Egerton estate

1515 - The Manchester Grammar School is founded

Elsewhere… Hugh Oldham founds The Manchester Grammar School

1485 - Battle of Bosworth

Elsewhere… The Battle of Bosworth opens the Tudor age

14th Century - Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Elsewhere… Writing of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The story, written in dialect local to this area, tells of […]

1348 - 1349 - The Black Death

Elsewhere… The Black Death kills up to 60% of England’s population

1287 - St Lucia’s Flood

Elsewhere… St Lucia’s Flood in Netherlands – the fifth largest recorded flood in history

1287 - Blackdens Boundaries are drawn

At Blackden… Blackden’s boundaries described in an agreement between the abbot of the monastery of St Werburgh, Chester, and Thomas […]

1200 - 1220 - The Magna Carta

Elsewhere… The Magna Carta (1215) establishes principle that everybody is subject to the law, limits the power of the monarch […]

12th Century - Blackden joins St Werburgh

At Blackden… The vill of Goostrey, and Blackden with it, are given to the religious community of St Werburgh, Chester

14th October 1066 - Battle of Hastings

Elsewhere… The Battle of Hastings brings England under Norman rule

c. 1000 - Beowulf

Elsewhere… The manuscript of the epic poem Beowulf is created

868 - Oldest extant Books

Elsewhere… The oldest extant printed book is produced in China

4th Century - Constantine the Great

Elsewhere… Christianity becomes officially sanctioned in the Roman Empire under Constantine the Great, emperor from 306-337

4th Century - Roman Pottery

At Blackden… Roman pottery and low-value copper coin, minted in Antioch, are stored at Blackden

AD 122 - Hadrian’s Wall

Elsewhere… The construction of Hadrian’s Wall is begun

2nd Century - Roman Fibula

At Blackden… A Roman fibula (brooch for fastening garments) is left at Blackden

AD 43 - Roman Invasion

Elsewhere… Full Roman invasion of southern Britain begins

4 BC - Birth of Christ

Elsewhere… The Birth of Christ. Traditionally thought of as AD 0, this moment defines how since the 6th century we […]

490 BC - Battle of Marathon

Elsewhere… The Battle of Marathon takes place, marking the start of the Persian invasion of Greece

776 BC - First Olympic Games

Elsewhere… The first Olympic Games are held in Olympia in Greece

1,250 BC - Troy VII Destroyed

Elsewhere… Troy VII – a candidate for Homer’s Troy – is destroyed

1,250 BC - Votive Axe Head

At Blackden… The Votive Bronze Axe Head that was discovered at Blackden is made

c. 1,700 BC - Hebrews held captive

Elsewhere… The Hebrews are held captive in Egypt

c. 1,700 BC - Cremated Remains

At Blackden… Cremated remains of several children and an adult are buried

2,500 BC - Great Pyramid of Giza Built

Elsewhere… The Great Pyramid of Giza was built

2,500 BC - Flint Arrowhead

At Blackden… The flint arrowhead that was discovered at Blackden was made

3,000 BC - Stonehenge begun

Elsewhere… The construction of Stonehenge begun

c. 6,000 BC (Late Mesolithic) - Çatal Höyük

Elsewhere… Çatal Höyük, Turkey: a proto-city that flourished c.7500-5700 BC

c. 6,000 BC (Late Mesolithic) - Flint Knife

At Blackden… The flint knife found at Blackden was made

8,000 BC (Early Mesolithic) - Star Carr

Elsewhere… Star Carr, a much-studied site near Scarborough, originally at the edge of a lake, gives evidence for an abundance […]

8,000 BC (Early Mesolithic) - First Sign of Humans

At Blackden… Flints worked as blades for cutting and borers for making holes are the first signs of human presence

c. 9,500 BC - End of the Last Glacial Period

Elsewhere… End of the last glacial period and the start of our age – the Holocene. As glaciers shrink, plants […]

c. 9,500 BC - The Land Warms Up

In Blackden… The land warms. A lake of impounded water from melting ice bursts suddenly: the flood carves out the […]