Peterborough Cathedral Peterborough, England

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c. 655
Peada, son of King Penda of Mercia, founds a monastery called Medeswell, later Medehamstede ("the home/farmstead in the water meadows"), on the north bank of the River Nene
c. 800
Creation of the Hedda Stone, carved with Anglo-Saxon reliefs, at Peterborough's monastery
c. 1000
A monk from Peterborough Abbey steals the arm of St Oswald (d. 642) from Bamburgh Castle, making Peterborough a major pilgrimage destination
1070
Hereward the Wake (a.k.a. Hereward the Exile) raids Peterborough and its abbey with an army of Danish mercenaries
1071
William the Conqueror lodges 60 knights on Peterborough Abbey's estates and constructs a motte and bailey castle near the abbey
1102
Flemish mercenaries raid Peterborough Abbey, stealing its gold and silver items
1116
A fire, probably from a bakery, destroys most of Peterborough and its abbey; only the chapter-house and dormitory survive
1118-1238
Construction of Peterborough Abbey's new church, which survives today as Peterborough Cathedral
1154
King Henry II visits Peterborough Abbey with his Chancellor Thomas Becket
1174-77
Construction of the Becket Chapel to hold relics and adjacent hospital
1216
King John stays at Peterborough Abbey while waging war in the region, perhaps leaving a draft copy of Magna Carta
c. 1230-c. 1250
Creation of the painted wooden ceiling of Peterborough Cathedral, which survives intact today
1272-86
Lady Chapel is added to the north side of the church (later destroyed in the Civil War)
1302
King Edward I stays at Peterborough Abbey for several days
1308
"License to crenellate" is granted to Peterborough Cathedral, enabling fortification of the monastic gateway and King's Lodging
1314
King Edward II stays at Peterborough Abbey on his way to Scotland, where he will be defeated at the Battle of Bannockburn
1349
The Black Death kills a third of the townspeople and half the monks at Peterborough
c. 1370
Peterborough Abbey's central tower is renovated; its main beams and roof bosses date from this period
1375
Construction of the Galilee Porch on the west front of Peterborough Abbey
1402
Peterborough's abbots are designated "mitred abbots," granting them the same powers as bishops
1452
King Henry VI visits Peterborough Abbey on a pilgrimage
1461
Peterborough's abbey and town are sacked by a Lancastrian army during the Wars of the Roses, due to its association with Fotheringhay Castle, seat of the House of York
1496-1509
Peterborough Abbey is extended at its east end, creating a "New Building" or retrochoir with fan vaulting probably designed by John Wastell, who will later work on King's College Chapel
1530
Cardinal Wolsey celebrates Easter at Peterborough Abbey on his way north into exile
29 Jan 1536
Burial of Catherine of Aragon in Peterborough Cathedral
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