Canterbury

Canterbury is a cathedral city in the county of Kent in southeast England. Canterbury is the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the primate of the Church of England.

History

Early history

There has been a settlement since prehistoric times. Bronze Age finds, and Neolithic round barrows have been discovered in the area; and before the Roman arrival Durovernum was the most important settlement in Kent.

Related Topics:
Prehistoric - Roman

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Canterbury (known in Latin as Durovernum Cantiacorum) became a Roman administrative centre: it lay at the junction of three roads from their ports of Regulbium (Reculver), Dubris (Dover) and Lemanis (Lympne); and it stood on what has become known as Watling Street. The city walls and one of the city gates remain.

Related Topics:
Latin - Dover - Lympne - Watling Street

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The name Canterbury derives from the Old English Cantwarebyrig, meaning "fortress of the men of Kent". The bury element is a form of borough, which has cognates in words and place names in virtually every Indo-European and Semitic language, as well as others. For a fuller explanation, see under borough.

Related Topics:
Indo-European - Semitic - Borough

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Religious significance

St Augustine built a priory on the site of the present cathedral precincts in 597AD.

Related Topics:
St Augustine - Priory - 597

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He also built an abbey outside the city walls where he was buried: as were other early archbishops.

Related Topics:
Abbey - Archbishops

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Canterbury Cathedral is the burial place of King Henry IV and of Edward the Black Prince, but is most famous as the scene of the murder of Thomas a Becket in 1170. As a result of this event, Canterbury became a major pilgrimage site, inspiring Geoffrey Chaucer to write The Canterbury Tales in 1387. The Hospital of St Thomas was a place of lodging for pilgrims in the city. The city is also associated with the family of Thomas More and was the birthplace of Christopher Marlowe.

Related Topics:
Canterbury Cathedral - Henry IV - Edward the Black Prince - Thomas a Becket - 1170 - Pilgrimage - Geoffrey Chaucer - The Canterbury Tales - 1387 - The Hospital of St Thomas - Thomas More - Christopher Marlowe

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St Augustine's Abbey was destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries ordered by Henry VIII, although ruins remain. During this time the Church of England separated from Rome. Canterbury became the centre of the new Church of England, although a Catholic shrine remains. At the same time, the ancient religious school was refounded as the King's School.

Related Topics:
Dissolution of the Monasteries - Henry VIII - Church of England

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• A comprehensive article on the Abbey is here.

More recent history

The city became a county corporate in 1461.

Related Topics:
County corporate - 1461

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French Protestant refugees settled in the city during the sixteenth century: here they introduced silk-making

Related Topics:
Protestant - Silk-making

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During World War II the city was severely damaged by bombing after it was selected as one of the cities in England to be targeted by the Luftwaffe in the Baedeker Blitz.

Related Topics:
World War II - Luftwaffe - Baedeker Blitz

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In 1944 the city was celebrated by film directors Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger in their film A Canterbury Tale.

Related Topics:
1944 - Film director - Michael Powell - Emeric Pressburger - A Canterbury Tale

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Canterbury today is a major city for tourism with Canterbury Cathedral alone attracting 1.2 million visitors in 2001. It still contains many ancient buildings and modern building development within the medieval town centre is strictly regulated. As of 2004 the Whitefriars area is undergoing major redevelopment and the associated archeological research is called the "Big Dig".

Related Topics:
Tourism - 2001 - As of 2004

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