The church of St. Paul's built by Ethelbert burnt down this year.

The collapse of a building at Calne caused the deaths and injuries of many of the senior witan of England who were on the first floor. Archbishop Dunstan survived as he remained standing on a beam.

A large part of London, including the King's palace, were destroyed by fire.

Mount Vesuvius erupted around this time.

Stormy weather destroyed crops and diseases killed many cattle during the year.

Extremely cold weather caused many deaths amongst animals and people.

A large earthquake is supposed to have been felt across England.

Mount Vesuvius the large volcano in southern Italy erupted.

A large earthquake was felt in Worcester and Derby and many people were reportedly killed.

Extremely strong winds destroyed churches and buildings.

A fire broke out in the city of l271:Canterbury which spread to the monastery. The buildings and main Saxon church were badly damaged. Stigand was the archbishop at the time but would shortly be deposed by Lanfranc who would start the reconstruction work.

A devastating took hold in London and much of the city was reduced to ashes.

Violent storms killed many people while cattle died from disease.

Work on rebuilding St. Paul's Cathedral started after the Old St. Paul's burnt down and a good deal of London as well. The person in charge of the rebuilding work was Mauritius, chaplain to William the Conqueror and Bishop of London. The new Cathedral was reportedly extremely large.

An earthquake was felt across England.

London was hit by a terrible storm, possibly a tornado. Damage was done to the Tower of London, the old wooden London Bridge and many churches and buildings. Around the country storms destroyed steeples of churches, such as at Old Sarum.

A year after the tornado that struck London, a great fire took hold in the city and did a large amount of damage.

William Rufus was buried under the tower of Winchester Cathedral. The tower fell down either in 1101 or 1107. The cause was blamed on the wickedness of the King's bones but was probably due to poor construction or uncertain foundations.

On the morning of mass day of St. Lawrence, strong winds did more damage that anyone could remember. (St. Lawrence's day appears to be August 10th, but this may not have been the case in medieval times.)

Venice was hit by severe floods. Shortly afterwards a fire broke out destroying several districts of the city. Several months later another more deadly fire started. As many of the buildings were constructed of wood the fire spread out of control. The disasters led to future buildings being constructed of stone and brick.

An extreme winter prevented the growing of crops and cattle died of disease.

The city of Worcester, its cathedral and castle were damaged by an accidental fire.

Chichester Cathedral suffered a disastrous fire in this year.

An accidental fire destroys the abbey at Peterborough.

The son of Henry I was drowned attempting a crossing from Normandy to England. It should have been a straight forward sea crossing from Normandy to England and the weather was good, but the young prince and his young friends had delayed the sailing with their merrymaking in Normandy. The crew of the White Ship were supplied with beer and as a result were in no state to handle the ship safely. The ship hit rocks and began to sink. Prince William was initially rescued and placed in a small boat but on his orders he tried to rescue his sister and the boat was overwhelmed by others hoping to be saved. The small boat tipped over and the prince was drowned.

A fire that started in the town of Gloucester spread to the Cathedral destroying treasures and all but a few books.

A large fire took hold in the city of Lincoln doing much damage. The Cathedral may also have been ravaged by the inferno as well.

On the same day that Henry I attended the consecration of Rochester Cathedral, a fire took hold in the city and damaged the newly finished building.

A fire broke out in London and consumed a large part of the city.

An eye-witness account from William of Malmesbury tells of an earthquake affecting many parts of England. (Symeon of Durham's Historia Regum, by John of Hexham.) This is interesting as it occurred just after an eclipse. See year 1185 when another eclipse and earthquake occurred.

Building work at St. Paul's Cathedral was underway when a major fire broke out and damaged the half-completed structure. The fire possibly started on London Bridge and spread to the city.

The old wooden London Bridge across the Thames was destroyed by fire this year or in 1135. St. Paul's was also damaged at this time so the fire must have affected a large area of the city. Rebuilding work was undertaken by Peter of Colechurch who would later undertake its reconstruction in stone.

Reconstruction work on the Cathedral at St. Paul's had been going on since the last major fire of 1087, and this fire again did much damage to the building.

A fire badly damages the church at Bath Abbey.

York Minster was partially damaged by fire in this year that destroyed a large part of the city. The near-by church of St. Mary's and some other 37 churches were also damaged.

Mount Vesuvius the large volcano in southern Italy erupted.

The roof of the Cathedral burnt down. Bishop Alexander the Magnificent started rebuilding work. This event may have been the earlier 1123 fire.

A large earthquake was felt across Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. People were unable to stay on their feet.

A large earthquake hit the eastern Mediterranean along the fault line that runs along that region. A huge amount of damage was done causing a major loss of life. The earthquake was so powerful that the massive castle Krak des Chevaliers was damaged and needed repairing.

Canterbury Cathedral suffered another disastrous fire and was damaged so badly that it needed almost completely rebuilding. William of Sens was given the task of constructing a new Cathedral. William was injured by a fall from scaffolding and the work was continued by William the Englishman.

One of the towers at Worcester Cathedral collapsed.

In 1177 or 1179 another fire took hold in the city of Rochester damaging the Cathedral.

A serious fire damaged the abbey at Glastonbury resulting in the need for major rebuilding work.

Earth tremors damaged the Cathedral at Lincoln beyond repair. The earthquake must have been very powerful as it was said that it was felt throughout the country. Only the West front survived in good shape and rest of the building had to be demolished.

Reports of an earthquake in the Plantagenet Chronicles occurring in Sicily. Need to confirm.

Chichester Cathedral suffered another disastrous fire.

After the damaging earth tremors of 1185 Bishop Hugh of Lincoln started rebuilding work on the Cathedral at Lincoln. His new scheme was followed even after his death apart from minor alterations up to the completion of the Angel Choir in 1280.

A terrible famine struck both England and France, possibly caused by prolonged severe weather.

A violent storm almost desolated large areas of Denmark and Norway.

Paris may have been flooded. Many bridges being washed away.

The early cathedral at Rouen in France was badly damaged by a fire that destroyed other churches and parts of the city as well.

Severe thunderstorms and floods during the summer affected England.

The devastating fire in this year caused so much damage to the cathedral that the building needed to be rebuilt.

Many lives lost and crops destroyed by very large hailstones.

The cathedral at Reims was completed destroyed by fire. Rebuilding work would begin in the following year.

Two towers of the cathedral at Chichester collapsed.

In the previous year the cathedral at Reims was left beyond repair after a fire. Archbishop Aubry de Humbert ordered its reconstruction from the ground up.

Fire broke out on the southern shore of the River Thames and crossed the river starting more fires on the northern shore. Many people were killed. Boats tried to rescue people trapped on London Bridge but the boats became overloaded and many drowned. This appears to be a big a disaster as the fire of 1666.

John's fleet of ships was badly damaged by storms as they prepare to defend against an invasion from France. This left the way open for Prince Louis to sail to England a few days later.

The central tower collapsed at St. David's Cathedral destroying the presbytery resulting in construction work to repair the damage.

A fire destroys part of the abbey church at Pershore.

During a sermon by one of the canons of the cathedral, the newly finished central tower collapsed burying some of the congregation.

A very large earthquake is reported to have occurred in Wales and the west of England. St. David's on the west coast of Wales was badly affected. At Wells Cathedral the spire or vaulting collapsed but this is reported to have happened in an earthquake in 1248.

The spire at Wells Cathedral collapsed.

A huge volcanic eruption, thought to have occurred on the Indonesian island of Lombok, took place in this year. The large amounts of rock and gas thrown up into the atmosphere could have been the reason for global weather changes that caused crop failures and famines across Europe for several years. The volcano suspected to be the location is called Samalas.

A terrible storm hit Kent which left the area around Canterbury suffering from famine.

The church at the top of Glastonbury Tor was badly damaged by an earthquake.

Heavy rains at the start of the year in France and Germany left crops rotting in the fields.

Storms and flooding affected the region of Norfolk and possibly more widely around the country.

A very cold winter caused ice and snow to form around the piers of London Bridge. The pressure of the ice caused five arches to collapse. King Edward I made sure that extra taxes were raised from people crossing the bridge to provide for its repairs.

A large storm hit the south coast of England. Winchelsea old town which lay on low lying land was totally destroyed by the violent storm.

The Cathedral is extensively damaged by fire.

A large earthquake hits the city of Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey).

Possible earthquake in Crete.

Known as 'The Great Famine' this year had several natural disasters spread across western Europe leading to economic problems. In England famine was caused by severe rainfall which was so great that crops failed and people resorted to eating horses, rats, cats and dogs. The conditions lasted until 1317.

The 'Great Famine' that started in 1315 affecting western Europe came to an end this year.

Parts of the ceiling of the church collapsed when several columns in the nave fell down.

Kipchak Mongols besieging a Genoese trading centre on the Crimean coast catapulted their own dead into the city. The cause of death was a mysterious disease. The Genoese escaped by sea taking the 'Black Death' with them. They landed at Messina in Sicily. Black Death or Bubonic plague was spread by the rat flea. The name Black Death came from the colour of the swelling in the groin, armpit or neck. The person suffering went into a coma and dies soon after. In Europe an estimated 25 million people died. The plague reached Britain in 1348 and again in 1360 and the population may have been reduced by a half.

Of the 43 monks at Ely Cathedral, 15 died from the plague.

All apart from the abbot and prior died from the plague at the abbey of Croxton in Lincolnshire.

A violent storm killed many of King Edward's horses and men, just two leagues from Chartres.

A fierce storm or hurricane hit Britain and the spire at Norwich Cathedral fell. The spire damaged the presbytery as came down..

An earthquake occurred somewhere in the Straits of Dover and was felt in southern England and in the Low Countries across the North Sea. The event happened during a meeting to condem the works of John Wycliffe.

A great plague took hold in London, killing upwards on 30,000 people.

An outburst of plague occurred sometime between 1405 and 1407 and the pestilence was so great that, according to the St. Albans chronicler, in London thirty thousand men and women were reported to have died in a short space of time. Henry IV is thought to have left London to wait for the plague to die out.

A fire takes hold in the city of Norwich and does geat damage.

Within three months, 40,000 people in Paris were killed by the plague.

The Duke of Norfolk was involved in a boating disaster as he passed beneath London Bridge. His barge hit one of the starlings and wrecked. He and several others managed to jump onto the base of the pier but many others were not so fortunate and were swept away.

A severe winter at the end of1436 and start of 1437 causes many deaths and hardship.

The base of the Great Stone Gate as the southern end of London Bridge gave way and the whole tower collapsed taking several arches with it. This cut off the Southwark from the rest of the City.

This was the time before lightning conductors and when lightning struck the tower on St. Paul's Cathedral it started a fire.

In Naples, a large earthquake struck near the town of Pontelandolfo in the present-day Province of Benevento of southern Italy. With an estimated magnitude of between 7.1 and 7.4 this earthquake is possibly the largest to occur on the Italian Peninsula. The reported death toll varied from a few thousand up to 70,000. Several large aftershocks occurred in the following days causing even more destruction.

Lightning once again hit the wooden and lead spire at Norwich Cathedral causing a fire that spread to the roof. After this disaster stone was used in the roof to provide vaulting and used in the new spire to replace the wood.

In London, Hull, Newcastle, Southwell and Norwich a great number of people die from the plague. The effects of the plague last into 1479.

The roof and tower of Reims Cathedral were badly damaged by fire after workmen left a lit brasier unattended overnight in the roof space.

Henry VII had plans to spend Christmas at his royal palace of Sheen but it was destroyed by fire. Henry had the palace rebuilt and renamed the building Richmond Palace in honour of the Earl of Richmond title that he held.

Possibly 10,000 died from the plague in London this year.

A large earthquake possibly 8.6 in strength that caused a large tsunami occurred off the southern coast of Honshu. The disaster resulted in the estimated loss of over 30,000 people.

A violent and prolonged storm hit England causing a lot of damage to houses and severe flooding. Many animals were killed in the floods.

This earthquake was felt throughout Scotland and England.

Repairs at Norwich Cathedral, because of a fire, resulted in the transept roofs being replaced by stone vaulting.

A violent storm hit Italy killing many animals across the country.

Westminster Palace was damaged by a fire in the year. The Palace had been used as a royal residence up until this point.

The spire of Amiens Cathedral was struck by lightning.

A very large earthquake occurred in Portugal that triggered a tsunami and killed many thiousands of people.

King Henry VIII watched from Portsmouth as the Mary Rose, the flag ship of his navy, mysteriously sank with the loss of hundreds of lives.

A severe storm brough down the central spire at Lincoln's cathedral. The falling spire damaged the north trancept.

Lightning again struck the spire of St. Paul's Cathedral. The roof and much of the cathedral were damaged by the resulting fire requiring extensive repairs.

A large earthquake struck southern England and northern France. It caused damage on both side of the Channel and caused the bells of the London churches to ring. Waves generated by the quake sank boats on the shores. The epicentre could have been somewhere between England and France.

The large Peruvian volcano Huaynaputina erupted in this year. Not only did it badly affect the local population in Peru it potentially caused a volcanic winter, reducing global temperatures. The northern hemisphere was also affected where a famine began in Russia a year later.

A great famine started in Russia and lasted for two years. It is thought to have killed 30% of the population and the crop failure may have been caused by the eruption of a large Peruvian volcano that created a volcanic winter a year earlier.

The plague was back in England. Many died in London and thousands in Norwich. In Norwich there was also a scarcity of food.

A severe outbreak of the plague occurred in London and started a trend of yearly outbreaks during the summer months until 1610.

Britain was affected by another outbreak of the plague. A large number of people died in London, possibly 35,000 or more.

A fire broke out one night in February at the north end of London Bridge. Many of the houses on that end of the bridge were destroyed. The southern end of the bridge was saved because of a gap in the buildings near the chapel. As the tide was out at the time it was hours before the flames were brought under control and days before the last embers went out.

The Great fire started in Pudding Lane and spread four ways at once. The fire spread over 373 acres and burnt 13,000 houses, 89 parish churches, leaving 11 parish churches standing. The Royal Exchange, Custom House, Guildhall, Blackwell Hall, St. Peter's Cathedral, Bridgewell, The Two Compters, 52 City Company Halls and 3 City gates destroyed. To prevent the fire happening again, it was decided to build the new structures from stone and brick. Christopher Wren was appointed surveyor-general and his plan to have wide streets was laid before the King but the citizens wanted to build their houses on the original foundations. The idea was to move all church yards and gardens to the outskirts to give enough room for the changes. The chance was lost of making London the most spacious and clean city in Europe.