The town of Leicester probably started out as a Celtic settlement and was known as the capital of the local tribe the Coriletavi. When the Romans invaded Britain in 43 AD they captured Leicestershire by 47 AD and then went on to built a fort there in 48 AD.

The Jewry Wall in Leicester is the remaining wall of the public baths of Roman Leicester
679/80  Leicester was chosen as the centre of a bishopric, therefore granting   it the status of a city and remained so until the 9th Century when it was   captured by the Danes
680  Leicester had its first bishop – Cuthwine
9th Century Leicester was a thriving town, however by now the town was much    cruder than during the Roman period. The buildings were all wood    huts with thatched roofs. The women wove cloth while the men were   potters, blacksmiths and carpenters.
877  The Danes invaded England and captured Leicester.
918  The English recaptured the town but the impact of the Danish rule    remained with many of the name places remaining in Danish
10thCentury  Leicester had become an important town as it now had a mint
1060’s Leicester Castle was first established by Hugh de Grentmesnil 
1072  The Normans put Leicester under the jurisdiction of the Lincoln    Diocese
1086  first recorded mention of St Martins. This Norman church replaces the Saxon  one.
In its early years Leicester was ruled by an Earl overall but he appointed a steward to run it on a day to day basis

1143  Leicester Abbey was built

1173  The Earl was the cause of much of the towns suffering in this year    when he rebelled against the king.
1225  First record of the name of the priest of St Martins
1231  The Earl banished all Jews from Leicester.
1265  Simon de Montfort forced King Henry III to hold the first Parliament of England  at the now ruined Leicester Castle.
1331  The first hospital in Leeds was founded by Henry III Earl of     Lancaster and Leicester
1343  Corpus Christi Guild was formed
1426  The Parliament of England, also known as the Parliament of Bats was held in  Leicester. The meeting took place in the great hall of Leicester Castle. Henry  VI was king at time and was still an infant. During the session he was   knighted in St Mary de Castro Church which was across the road form the   Castle Great Hall.
1500  The population of Leicester was approximately 3000.

1545  A grammar school was founded
1548  during the reformation St martins was stripped bare of statues, vestments,  screens and stained glass
1563  The Guildhall was sold to the Town council. It had originally been closed by  Henry VIII’s son as the Tudors disliked Guild as they felt they restricted trade.
1564-1593 The town suffered several outbreaks of the plague as did most of the   surrounding towns in that era. Despite this however, Leicester’s population did  continue to grow.
1619  At the Heraldic Visitation in this year the Corporation of Leicester’s Coat of  Arms was first granted to the city
1634+1642 Leicester was visited by King Charles I
1638  The last outbreak of the plague hit Leicester
1642  The civil war between the King and parliament broke out and the Kings army  attacked Leicester in 1645. There were 2000 defenders for Leicester which  were no match to the royal army which was made up of 5,500 men
1670  The town recovered fairly quickly from the effects of the Civil war and by now  its population is estimated to have been around 5000
1700  The population continued to rise steadily over the next 100 years and it is   estimated that by the year 1800, the time of the first Census, Leicester was  inhabited by around 17,000 people
1711  Land that had once belonged to the Grey Friars was sold for building and by  the year 1720 the town was built up.
1737  New Road was built
1748  The Corn Exchange – where grain was bought and sold – was built
1759  Pumps were installed by Public wells
1771  Leicester Royal Infirmary opened
1774  The walls surrounding the town were removed as advances and improvements  in artillery had made them all but obsolete.
1785  The town council created a public walk known as the New Walk
1790  The construction of the Grand Union Canal linking Leicester to London and  Birmingham
1832  Railway lines arrived in Leicester with the Leicester and Swannington Railway  opening
1859  David Vaughan appointed the vicar of St Martins
1892  The borough of Leicester expanded throughout the 19th Century to include:  Belgrave, Aylestone, Knighton and North Evington
1900  The Great Central Railway arrived in Leicester in this year providing an   alternative route from the town to London.
1922  St Martin's raised to status of Collegiate Church
1927  The Church of St Martin became Leicester Cathedral.      Leicester is appointed its own Bishop again and St Martins is hallowed as   Leicester Cathedral
1935  The current boundaries of the city were obtained in this year with the   annexation of the remainder of Evington, Humberstone, Beaumont Leys and  parts of Braunstone
1946  King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visit the Cathedral
1966  The Great Central Railway closed
1974  The Local Government Act of 1972 abolished the county borough status in this  year rendering Leicester the ordinary district of Leicestershire
1980  King Richard III memorial slab placed in Chancel floor
1997  Leicester regained it Unitary Status
1997/98 Festival year – 70 years of the cathedral
2000/01 Millennium appeal to raise £1.5 million
2002  In September this year Provost becomes Dean under Cathedrals Measure

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