A timeline

995	Community of St Cuthbert arrive on Durham Peninusula
1069	English attack the Normans in Durham. William the Conquerer responds with the 'harrying of the North'.
1072	Work begun on the building of Durham Castle
1099-1128	Ranulf Flambard is Bishop of Durham. He carries out major building work on the Cathedral, Castle and in the town, including moving the Market Place to its present location and building Framwellgate Bridge.
1311-1315	Durham suffers when it is repeatedly attacked by the Scots
1315	Townspeople of Durham petition the King for permission to build defensive walls around the Market Place.
1349-1350	Black Death comes to Durham. Many residents die. The plague returns in 1416 and 1438.
1450	Permission to pump water from Fram Well to the Market Place is given by Thomas Billingham. A pant is built to provide access to the water.
1538	Commissioners of Henry VIII enter the Cathedral and deface the shrine of St Cuthbert
1539	The monastery at Durham surrenders - many of the monks become part of the new Dean and Chapter
1565	Corporation of Durham founded
1569	The Rising of the North. The Earls of Northumberland and Cumberland lead a force from Raby Castle to Durham to restore the old Catholic Mass. The rising is put down and 500 people are executed. The Earl of Westmorland's house in the Market Place is seized and given to the Corporation of Durham. The building is eventually knocked down and the site used to build the Town Hall and indoor market.
1617	The old Market Cross in the Market Place is replaced by a new structure. This lasts until 1780 when it was knocked down and replaced by a piazza. Both buildings provided shelter for traders and their goods. The latter building survived until 1852 when the new indoor market was opened.
mid-1600s	Durham does well in the period of the Commonwealth as the bishopric is abolished and the powers of the Church suppressed.
1660	At the Restoration, John Cosin is made Bishop of Durham. Both he and his successor, Bishop Crewe, carry out a lot of building work in Durham.
1729	Statue of Neptune erected in the Market Place to commemorate a plan to make Durham a port by enlarging the River Wear. The plan never took off.
Late 1700s	Many improvements made to Durham - including the building of Prebends Bridge and the demolition of Clayport.
1841	Part of St Nicholas's Church is taken down to improve access to the Market Place.
1848-1852	New Town Hall and indoor market built
1857-1858	St Nicholas's church taken down and rebuilt. The old building dated back to the 12th century but by the mid-19th century was in a very poor state of repair.
1861	Statue of Marquess of Londonderry erected in the Market Place.
1863	A new pant was built.
1902	Another pant replaced the one erected in 1863.
1923	The pant in the Market Place is demolised. The statue of Neptune is moved to Wharton Park.
1950s	The statue of the Marquess of Londonderry is taken away for repairs but is replaced in its original position.
1991	The statue of Neptune is returned to the Market Place.