Timeline
1100 Henry I
1135 Stephen
1138William of Aumale defeated the Scots at the Battle of the Standard, became Earl of York and soon afterwards erected a castle on Scarborough rock.
1154 Henry II
1155King Henry evicted William of Aumale, rebuilt Scarborough castle, and founded the royal borough c.1163 with house rents fixed at 4d and 6d a year.
1189 Richard I
1189King Richard 1 gave St Mary's church near the Castle to the Cistercian Order of monks to fund their conferences at Citeaux in France.
1199 John
1216 Henry III
1225King Henry gave Scarborough the right to levy tolls on
boats,ships and carts giving incomes to pay for harbour
piers or quays and town walls.
1252-6King Henry gave Scarborough a 45 day fair, control
of the inland manor and fields of Falsgrave, and the right to make a new high and low water port.
1265 Simon de Montfort summoned borough members to Parliament.
1272 Edward I
1273Burgesses in conflict with castle constable.
c.1280Franciscan friars settled in Scarborough.
1307 Edward II
1312Piers Gaveston, favourite of king Edward II surrendered to rebellious barons at Scarborough.
1317Piped water supply laid from Falsgrave to Scarborough.
1327 Edward III
1342Castle reported to need £200 spent on repairs. The barbican was made.
1349Local outbreaks of the plague-Black Death-with heavy loss of life.
1377 Richard II
1381Rioting at Scarborough when liveried men attacked the homes of leading burgesses, who took sanctuary in churches.
1396King Richard founded a chantry at the Scarborough charnel houses.
1399 Henry IV
1403Scarborough church incomes diverted from Cistercians to
make a new shrine for St John of Bridlington.
1413 Henry V
1415 The port sent seven ships for the French campaign.
1422 Henry VI
1444Scarborough tax cut by half.
1461 Edward IV
1468Scarborough had 18 craft guilds, as well as at least 13 religious guilds.
1470 Henry VI
1471 Edward V
1483 Richard III
1484King Richard III paid brief visit to Scarborough Castle.
1495 Henry VII
1489300 oak trees felled in Pickering forest for the ruined Scarborough quay and pier.
1498Katherine Sage left her great brass pot to Whitby Abbey.
1506Corporation agreed rules for regular church attendance.
1509 Henry VII
1536"Pilgrimage of Grace" rebels planned to take castle.
1538Bridlington Priory and other large monasteries dissolved, bringing much of their town property to laymen.
1547 Edward VI
1553 Jane
1553 Mary 1
1554Thomas Stafford seized castle by walking in, but was soon evicted by the Earl of Westmoreland.
1558 Elizabeth 1
1566?Royal government grant made for reconstruction of a new stone pier.
1567Inhabitants ordered to give three hours labour weekly to pier repair.
1568Castle governor excluded for being "obstinate in religion".
1603 James I
1602Society of shipowners and master mariners formed.
1614Scarborough given a levy on ships voyaging from the north coalfield to sustain its harbour.
c.1629Dame Thomasin Farrer discovered a medicinal spaw water
on the south sands.
1625 Charles I
1534Pews installed in parish church to listen to preaching.
1644Sir Hugh Cholmley held Scarborough as a royalist port until February 1645, then withstood a castle seige. A second royalist rising brought another attack on the town and a castle seige in 1648.
1649 Commonwealth & Protectorate
1651The radical Quaker pioneer George Fox preached at Scarborough, winning over several people.
1660 Charles II
1660Dr Robert Wittie wrote his first book publicising Scarborough spa waters.
1665George Fox imprisoned in Scarborough castle.
1679Visitors reported to be "sporting in Neptune's bosom" i.e. sea bathing.
1685 James II
1688The Town Mayor was tossed in a blanket at the bowling green by army officers, after he had caned the clergyman.
1689 William III & Mary II
1697Celia Fiennes found the best lodgings in Quaker houses.
1702 Anne
1714 George I
1722Bland's cliff horseway made to link upper town to the sands and spa.
1727 George II
1732New levies placed on north east coal exports to pay for a new pier at Scarborough.
1732Thomas
Keregan, the York and Newcastle Actor-Manager, opened a Scarborough theatre.
c.1738 Spa springs temporarily lost due to a cliff fall. Horsefair opened for visiting gentry.
1746New army barracks built at the castle for officers and 120 men, after the Jacobite rising of Bonnie Prince Charlie.
1752York-Scarborough road turnpiked. Scarborough harbour
placed under Harbour commissioners. Scarborough Merchant Seaman's hospital founded.
1759John Wesley, pioneer of Methodism first visited the town.
1760 George III
1767Theatre built in Playhouse yard.
1792Scarborough-Falsgrave walk paved.
1820 George III
1821William Clowes missioned Scarborough for the Primitive Methodists.
1826Scarborough cliff Bridge erected to link town and spa.
1828Museum built at rotunda to show the stratification of the rocks discovered by William Smith. Large town water reservoir made.
1830 William IV
1833 Lively inquiry into the state of the Corporation.
1834Scarborough Herald newspaper launched.
1837 Victoria
1845First
steam engines arrived by rail at the new station.
1853Market Hall built.
1858Sir Joseph Paxton's reconstructed Spa hall opened.
1861St Martin's church built at South Cliff, a pre-Raphaelite treasure house.
1865Valley bridge opened across Ramsdale linking old and new towns.
1867Grand Hotel opened.
1869-71Prince of Wales visited Scarborough.
1876First Scarborough Cricket festival.
1890Royal Albert Drive opened.
1901 Edward VII
1904Buffalo Bill Wild West show visited Scarborough.
1908Marine Drive opened around Castle headland.
1910 George V
1911 George Royal started the Fol de Rols.
1912Opening of Peaseholme Park.
1914Town bombarded by German battle cruisers.
1921Futurist cinema erected.
1927First mock Naval battles staged on Peaseholme Park lake.
1930Public library opened (at last).
1931Miniature railway opened.
1935Northstead Manor Gardens completed.
1936 Edward VIII
1936Odeon cinema opened.
1936 George VI
1939Hull evacuees brought to Scarborough.
1941German aircraft attacks on the town.
1947Art Gallery opened.
1951Wood End Natural History museum opened.
1952 Elizabeth II
1955"In the round" theatre performances started.
1973Northstead Swimming pool opened.
1974Scarborough town merged in wider Scarborough local government district.
Timeline researched by John Rushton.
