The name Middlesbrough can be traced back a long way. Mydilsburgh is the earliest recorded form of the name. The element ‘burgh’ meaning fort denonates an ancient fort or settlement of pre Anglian origin. ‘Mydil’ has been idenitifed as a development of the old English middle.

686 – A monastic cell was consecrated by St. Cuthbert at the request of St. Hilda Abbess of Middleburgh to Whitby.

1119 – Robert de Brus acquired large tracts of land in the area and gave the chapel at Middlesbrough to the monks of Whitby
1637 – The Middlesbrough Estate was purchased by William Hustler and stayed in the family until the land owned by the Hustlers was divided by an act of Parliament.

1801 – Middlesbrough was a hamlet consisting of a population of just 25 people
1829 – Development began; a farm was purchased by a group of Quakers
1830 – The Stockton and Darlington Railway was extended

1841 – An iron foundry and rolling mill started up

1850 – Iron Ore was discovered in the Cleveland Hills to the south of  Middlesbrough
 - Salt deposits were discovered

1851 – Teeside’s first blast furnace was built

1853 – Middlesbrough received its Royal Charter of Incorporation, which gave     the town the right to have a mayor, alderman and councillors.
 - Bolckow became mayor and Middlesbrough’s first MP
 - The Bell brothers opened their great ironworks on the banks of the Tees

1859 – Salt boring began and then finished in 1862

1867 – A reform bill was passed which made Middlesbrough a new parliamentary borough

1868 – The People’s Park was formally opened by Prince Arthur and comprised a 30 hectare site

1875 – The first Bessemer Steel plant was opened in Middlesbrough

1907 – An Act of Parliament allowed the Cleveland Bridge and later the great Transporter Bridge to be built

1932 – The steel components of the Sydney Harbour Bridge were engineered and fabricated by Dorman Long

1992 – Middlesbrough became a university town

2006 – The Carnegie Library was refurbished

2007 – In January the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art opened

With the best of intention all of the above information is true, correct and given in good faith, however, we cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions contained within the above.

Equally we recommend that should you need or want to find out more you should conduct more detailed independant research.