Timeline - King's Norton

Remains have been found giving little doubt that the Romans marched through this area.

• Frank and Anna's Newspage

Saxon King's Norton has been described as "In the middle of a clearing surrounded by a wooden stockade where stood a village, a group of rude detached huts". King's Norton today still retains some of its Saxon features, the village still compact, and the houses on the Green stand upon the site of the primitive Saxon dwellings.

• The Names of King's Norton

Key sources:

• The Civil War around Birmingham 1642-1648 - by James M Hyland
• Charles I of England
• Charles II of England

The civil war between Charles I and his parliament officially started when the king raised his standard at Nottingham.

A skirmish took place in King's Norton between royalists and parliamentarians

Charles I marched toward Birmingham to meet Prince Rupert (the king's nephew) who was marching via Solihull. A Parliamentary group led by Lord Willoughby de Parham on the way to Worcester surprised Rupert's troops resting on King's Norton Green and a skirmish took place.

Royalist troops plundered Birmingham

Queen Henrietta Maria stayed at the Saracen's head

Queen Henrietta Maria (wife of Charles I) marched from Walsall to King's Norton. She stayed at the Saracen's head. She later marched to meet Rupert at Stratford upon Avon.

Charles I was beheaded.

Charles II (the son of Charles I) was crowned in Scotland.

The war ended when Cromwell defeated Charles II

The war ended when Cromwell defeated Charles II at Worcester, causing him to flee abroad. The Commonwealth was then established with Richard Cromwell as Lord Protector of England.

Richard Cromwell resigned and civil and military unrest followed

General George Monck sent a delegation, headed by Thomas Fairfax, to Charles II in Holland, to negotiate terms under which Monck would support Charles' return as King, resulting in the 1660 Declaration of Breda. As a result, the Convention Parliament declared Charles II to be King.

Restoration of the Monarchy

Charles was crowned King at Westminster Abbey

The Act of Uniformity of 1662 (Charles II) was enacted after the restoration of the monarchy. It required the use of all the rites and ceremonies in the Book of Common Prayer of 1662 in church services.

Thomas Hall taught in King's Norton

He was about 19 when he started to teach in King's Norton.

Thomas Hall's "The Font Guarded" was the first book published in Birmingham

Thomas Hall (Grammar School master later curate), imprisoned five times, robbed, threatened with death.

The Act of Uniformity 1662 expelled Thomas Hall as priest

This is the Act of Uniformity 1662 (passed in fact in 1661). It prescribed the form of public prayers, administration of sacraments, and other rites of the Established Church of England. It demanded the clergy to swear an oath on the revised Book of Common Prayer. Many refused and were expelled from their parishes.

There have been a number of Acts of Uniformity:

• The First Act of Uniformity of 1549 (Edward VI, son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Henry's third wife). It instructed the clergy to use the first Book of Common Prayer and no other on penalty of fine, deprivation, or imprisonment.
• The Second Act of Uniformity of 1552 (Edward VI, son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Henry's third wife). It authorized the use of the Second Book of Common Prayer. It permitted the ecclesiastical punishment of the laity for not attending church services and imposed punishments for the performance of unauthorized services.
• The Act of Uniformity of 1559 was adopted on the ascension of Elizabeth I, based on the 1559 Prayer Book. (This was outlawed in 1645, during the Civil War).
• The Act of Uniformity of 1662 (Charles II) was enacted after the restoration of the monarchy. (It was one of 4 laws under "The Clarendon Code"). It required the use of all the rites and ceremonies in the Book of Common Prayer of 1662 in church services.

Thomas Hall died

Thomas Hall died, buried in the King's Norton churchyard

Books removed from church

Books catalogued

Books displayed in central library

A plaque to him on the Old Grammar School

In 1982, the History Society persuaded Birmingham Civic Society to put up a plaque on the Old Grammar School to commemorate the Seventeenth Century schoolmaster Thomas Hall.

Up to now, King's Norton had been crown property. John Taylor of Moseley Hall bought the lordship.

King's Norton separated from Bromsgrove Parish?

Moseley became a separate ecclesiastical parish

The settlement and development of the "King's Heath" district essentially began.

Until then, King's Heath was a largely unoccupied wasteland with ancient woods and commons. As part of the Royal Manor of King's Norton, this wasteland came to be called "the King's Heath".

A bid by King's Heath for independence from King's Norton

As part of the King's Heath bid for independence from King's Norton, local pride was shown in the planting of 228 trees along the Alcester Road, 'for the welfare and betterment of the district' and paid for by public donations.

King's Norton, Handsworth, Aston, Erdington, Northfield and Yardley incorporated into Birmingham.

Until now, King's Norton had been part of Worcestershire. (Birmingham also acquired King's Heath under the Greater Birmingham Scheme).

King's Norton Poor Law Union was amalgamated with the Birmingham Poor Law Union.

Cotteridge became a separate parish from King's Norton.

Before 1916 Cotteridge had no defined boundaries and was part of the Parish of King's Norton, which was until 1911 part of Worcestershire, until it was transferred to the City of Birmingham.

King's Norton Library, built with a Carnegie grant, was opened

King's Norton Library was extended