1 mya Prehistory 54 BCE
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54 BCE Roman occupation 410 CE
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410 CE Anglo-Saxon era 1066 CE
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1066 CE Norman period 1299 CE
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1300 CE Late Middle Ages 1499 CE
Rochester Cathedral’s Chapter Library Door dating to the 1340s.
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1300 |
King Edward I passes through Rochester on his way to Canterbury and is recorded as giving seven shillings (35p) at the shrine of St William, and the same again the following day. During his return he gave a further seven shillings at each of the shrines of Ss Paulinus and Ithamar. | |
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1320 |
The south transept was altered to accommodate the altar of the Virgin Mary. | |
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The Black Death struck England in 1347–1349. From then on there were probably considerably more than twenty monks in the priory. |
1340 |
Around this date Hamo de Hythe vaulted the Transepts, raised the central tower and spire, and re-decorated the Quire. The Chapter Library door depicts his soul rising to heaven. |
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The Black Prince defeats John II of France at Poitiers and takes him prisoner. |
1356 |
The alternate lions and fleurs-de-lis reflect King Edward III’s victories, and assumed sovereignty over the French. |
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1360 |
On 2 July John passed through Rochester on his way home and made an offering of 60 crowns (£15) at the Church of St Andrew. | |
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1410 |
The clerestory and vaulting of the north quire aisle was completed and new Perpendicular Period windows inserted into the nave aisles. Possible preparatory work for this is indicated in 1410–11 by the Bridge Wardens of Rochester who recorded a gift of lead from the Lord Prior. | |
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1421 |
To settle the differences between the monks and the parishioners a church is built to the north of the cathedral and dedicated to St. Nicholas to serve as the parish church. A doorway was knocked through the western end of the north aisle (since walled up) to allow processions to pass along the north aisle of the cathedral before leaving by the west door. | |
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1470 |
The great west window is completed. | |
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1490 |
The present Lady Chapel, the latest part of the cathedral, was enlarged as a Quire for the new-style polyphonic choirs who sang at the Lady Chapel altar in the South Transept |
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1500 CE Early Modern era 1799 CE
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