England Dates and Calendars

England Wiki Topics

England Beginning Research

Finding Town of Origin Getting Started Guided Research Online Learning Record Finder Research Strategies

Record Types

Business & Occupations Cemeteries Census Church Directories Church Records Civil Registration Compiled Genealogies Court Records Crime & Punishment Directories Emigration & Immigration Heraldry Jewish Records Land & Property Medical Records Medieval Records Military Records Naturalization & Citizenship Newspapers Nobility Online Genealogy Records Poor Law Probate Records Religious Records Schools & Education Slavery & Bondage Taxation Voting Records Websites

England Background

Biographies Church History Dates & Calendars Gazetteers Handwriting Historical Geography History Jurisdictions Languages Maps Naming Customs Periodicals Social Life & Customs

England Genealogical Word Lists

Latin

Cultural Groups

Cultural Groups

Local Research Resources

Archives & Libraries Societies Local FamilySearch Center

England

Dates and Calendars

Online Resources

• Genealogical Feast Day Calendars

Background

Early Systems (Pre-Roman Era)

• Indigenous calendars: Before Roman influence, Celtic Britons used lunisolar calendars aligning with lunar cycles and the solar year, with variations across regions.

Roman Influence and the Julian Calendar (1st century AD - 1752)

• Adoption of Julian calendar: Following Roman conquest in the 1st century AD, England adopted the Julian calendar, a solar-based system.
• Venerable Bede: In the 8th century, the scholar Bede introduced a system for calculating Easter dates that became influential within the Christian world.

The Start of the Year and the Gregorian Calendar (1752 - Present)

• New Year on March 25th: Until 1752, the legal and ecclesiastical year in England began on March 25th, also known as Lady Day.
• Calendar (New Style) Act 1752: This act adopted the Gregorian calendar, aligning England with most of Europe. It also shifted the start of the legal year to January 1st.