Timelines

Published on  2 December, 2020  · Last updated on  26 Feb 2024
Key milestones across the lives of Anne Lister and her contemporaries. More to come! 

Shibden Hall is an important local landmark in Halifax, West Yorkshire as well as the ancestral home of the Lister family.  In celebration of the 600 year anniversary of Shibden Hall, we have collaborated with the Calderdale Museums Service on this timeline to help you explore the history of Shibden before, during, and after Anne Lister's time there.


Timeline by Jenna Beyer, with Amanda Pryce & Angela Clare, March 2021Image: Shibden 600 (courtesy of Calderdale Museum Service)
Anne Lister by Joshua Horner

Yorkshire landowner Anne Lister lived just 49 years. She accomplished a great deal in this time. She remodelled her estate in Yorkshire, travelled across Europe, climbed mountains and engaged socially and romantically with a wide social circle. 

This timeline outlines her key relationships, trips and other events. 


Timeline by Amanda Pryce, Jenna Beyer, February 2019Image: Anne Lister by Joshua Horner

Mariana Percy (Belcombe) Lawton lived at Lawton Hall, Cheshire after her marriage to Charles Lawton in 1816. Mariana was also a long time lover and correspondent of Anne Lister, commonly referred to as 'M' in the Lister journals.

Explore some key dates and events in the life of Mariana in this timeline.


Timeline by Shantel Smith, July 2020Image: Mariana Lawton by Michael Keeling (1750-1820), 1816 (courtesy of John Lawton)
Dining room at Langton, family at breakfast 1832-1834 by Mary Ellen Best

Isabella Norcliffe was known as Tib to her family and friends, and she is frequently referred to as such in the journals of Anne Lister. Tib and the Norcliffe family played a rather important role in the life of Anne Lister and their family affairs are often documented in the pages of Lister's journal. 

This timeline will guide you through the key events in the life of Isabella Norcliffe and some of the other members of the Norcliffe family.


Timeline by Shantel Smith, November 2020Image: Dining room at Langton, family at breakfast 1832-1834 by Mary Ellen Best

Sibbella Maclean, often referred to simply as Miss McL-, was romantic interest-turned-lover and correspondent of Anne Lister from their first meeting in 1820 to her untimely death in 1830. Intimate details of her life, health and family affairs are often documented in the pages of Lister's journals and letters. 

This timeline will explore key events of Sibbella's relationship, characterised by affection and regard, with Anne Lister, and provide context for important members of the wider Maclean family who appear in the Lister journals. 


Timeline by Kat Williams, December 2020Image: Silhouette of Sibbella Maclean, courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale (SH:7/ML/214).

Workshop: How to create an interactive historical timeline

Learn how to present research as a timeline using TimelineJS. This free tool allows you to bring together research from various sources and illuminate this with multimedia. This session will introduce you to the tool and how it can be used to display materials in chronological order. 

The session will provide an introduction to TimelineJS and existing Anne Lister timelines. It will provide tips for preparing your own, some things to bear in mind when using the tool, and include a full live demonstration of creating a timeline. Following the session, you should have enough information to be able to put together your own.

Please note, this session requires a relatively high level of computer literacy as it involves things like editing an online spreadsheet and touches on some HTML coding. 

Cover Image: Clarisse Meyer