England's Historic Periods

We use these periods when dating monuments, buildings and other historic places in England.

Archaeological periods

  • Palaeolithic  1,000,000 BC to 10,000 BC
    • Lower Palaeolithic  1,000,000 BC to 150,000 BC
    • Middle Palaeolithic 150,000 BC to 40,000 BC
    • Upper Palaeolithic 40,000 BC to 10,000 BC
  • Mesolithic 10,000 BC to 4,000 BC
    •  Early Mesolithic 10,000 BC to  7,000 BC
    • Late Mesolithic 7,000 BC to 4,000 BC
  • Early Prehistoric 1,000,000 BC to 4,000 BC
  • Neolithic 4,000 BC to 2,200 BC
    • Early Neolithic 4,000 BC to 3,300 BC
    • Middle Neolithic 3,300 BC to 2,900 BC
    • Late Neolithic 2,900 BC to 2,200 BC
  • Bronze Age 2,600 BC to 700 BC
    • Early Bronze Age 2,600 BC to 1,600 BC
    • Middle Bronze Age 1,600 BC to 1,200 BC
    • Late Bronze Age 1,200 BC to 700 BC
  • Iron Age 800 BC to AD 43 AD
    • Early Iron Age 800 BC to 300 BC
    • Middle Iron Age 300 BC to 100 BC
    • Late Iron Age 100 BC to AD 43
  • Later Prehistoric 4,000 BC to AD 43
  • Prehistoric 1,000,000 BC to AD 43

Cultural periods

  • Roman AD 43 to AD 410
  • Early Medieval AD 410 to 1066
  • Medieval 1066 to 1540
  • Post Medieval 1540 to 1901
  • Tudor 1485 to 1603
  • Elizabethan 1558 to 1603
  • Stuart 1603 to 1714
  • Jacobean 1603 to 1625
  • Hanoverian 1714 to 1837
  • Georgian 1714 to 1830
  • Victorian 1837 to 1901
  • 20th Century 1901 to 2000
    • Early 20th Century 1901 to 1932
    • Edwardian 1902 to 1910
    • First World War 1914 to 1918
    • Mid 20th Century 1933 to 1966
    • Second World War 1939 to 1945
    • Cold War 1946 to 1991
    • Late 20th Century 1967 to 2000
  • 21st Century 2001 to 2100