By Tim Lambert
c 650 The Saxons create a settlement at Hereford
676 Hereford is given a bishop
700 Hereford has grown into a busy little market town
760 The English fight the Welsh at Hereford
900 Hereford is a fortified settlement as well as a market town
914 The Danes attack Hereford but are repulsed
1055 The Welsh burn Hereford
1100 Many Normans live in Hereford. A stone bridge is built over the Wye.
1121 There is a Jewish community in Hereford. The town has an annual fair as well as weekly markets.
1180 A new Bishops Palace is built
1189 Hereford is given a charter (a document granting the townspeople certain rights)
1227 Hereford is given a second fair. In Hereford, the main industry is wool making.
1282 Bishop Thomas Cantilupe dies and is buried in Hereford. In 1320 he is canonised and people flock to visit his remains.
1383 the first record of a mayor in Hereford
1384 A grammar school is founded in Hereford. The population of Hereford is about 5,000.
1580 Plague strikes Hereford
1610 Plague strikes Hereford again
1614 Coningsby Hospital is built
1621 The Old House is built
1630 Aubreys Almshouses are built
1642-45 During the Civil War Hereford changes hands several times
1680 The wool industry in Hereford is in rapid decline
1757 Hereford has a population of 5,592. It has declined in importance since the Middle Ages and is now a quiet market town.
1774 A group of men is formed with powers to pave and light the streets of Hereford.
1783 Hereford Hospital is built
1786 The west tower of Hereford Cathedral collapses
1801 Hereford has a population of 6,838
1836 Hereford gains gas street lighting
1854 The railway reaches Hereford
1856 A waterworks is built in Hereford
1860 The Buttermarket is built
1873 A museum and library opens
1897 Victoria Suspension Bridge is built
1899 Hereford gains an electricity supply
1904 A new Town Hall is built
1911 The first cinema in Hereford opens
1922 A War Memorial opens in St Peters Square
1931 The population of Hereford is 24,000
1940 The County Hospital opens
1949 Hereford Technical College opens
1968 An inner ring-road is completed
1981 Hereford Cider Museum opens
1996 Mappa Mundi Library opens
1998 The Courtyard Arts Centre opens
2005 A statue of composer Edward Elgar is unveiled
