| 300 Million years ago |
Carboniferous Period – formation of coal seams under Berryhill |
| 50,000 – 10,000 BC |
People have lived in North Staffordshire since before the last Ice Age. Flint tools have been found on Berryhill |
| 1st Century AD |
An important Roman road ran through Fenton Manor – Roman Pottery found in Causley brook suggests settlement nearby |
| 13th Century |
Moated site built |
| 1311-1319 |
Widespread famine and disease amongst animals |
| 1327 |
Documentary evidence for Fenton Park as a lordly hunting reserve |
| late 1340s |
The ‘Black Death’ kills huge numbers of people |
| 15th Century |
Fenton Vivian taken over by an absentee landlord – moated site abandoned
|
| 1555 |
Berry Hill Farm leased to the Bagnall family |
| Mid 16th Century |
Local land owned by Thomas Essex – estates sold to local yeoman between 1565 and 1612 |
| 1628 |
Deed conveying land from Robert Bagnall included mines in Fenton Park |
| 1693 |
Local yeoman form the first known prosecution society in the country ‘Stoke-on-Trent Association against Horse Stealing’ |
| 1707 |
Inventory of William Beech, a local yeoman |
| 1738-1836 |
Lyme family own Berry Hill farm |
| 1749 |
Sam and Mary Cooper occupants of Lawn Farm |
1803
|
First references to the extraction of coal at Berry Hill farm |
| 1838 |
Dividy Road constructed |
| 1841 |
Berry Hill Colliery operating – owned by William Taylor Copeland who also
owned the Spode pottery manufactory |
| 1864 |
16 men killed in mining incidents on Berryhill |
| 1868 |
An ironworks was attached to Berry Hill Colliery |
| 1870s |
Lawn Colliery sunk |
| 1889 |
Mossfield Colliery Disaster – 64 men and boys aged 14 to 65 die after gas explosion |
| 1894 |
Berry Hill and Holly Bush Collieries merge to form Berry Hill Collieries
Ltd |
| 1902 |
Berry Hill Collieries Ltd employ 892 men |
| 1950s |
Stoke-on-Trent City Council acquires ground around Berryhill – Bentilee estate built |
| 1957 |
Berry Hill collieries employ 630 men |
| 1974 |
All orkings ceased at Berry Hill collieries – Berry Hill becomes the
headquarters of the former Staffordshire and Western areas of the National Coal Board – and the Berryhill Mine Rescue Station |
| 1988 |
British Coal proposes to opencast mine coal on Berryhill – start of a 6 year campaign by local people against the proposals |
| 1993 |
Opencast proposals withdrawn |
| 1994 |
Final success for local people following a House of Lords ruling |
| 1998 |
The Friends of Berryhill Fields formed |
