Timeline of Cardiff History - The County Town of Glamorganshire

The County Town of Glamorganshire

1536: Legislative union of England and Wales (Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542). The shire of Glamorgan was established and Cardiff became the county town and the Herbert family became the most powerful family in Cardiff

1551: William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke, became the first Baron Cardiff (Baron Herbert of Cardiff).

1542: Cardiff became a Free Borough.

1574: Henry Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, began restoration work to Cardiff Castle.

1595: The first shipment of coal was exported from Cardiff docks.

1608: King James I granted a Royal Charter to the town of Cardiff.

1610: Map of Cardiff produced by John Speed.

1648: Battle of St. Fagans fought between the Parliamentarian Army and the Royalists. It was the last major battle to occur in Wales, some 8,000 Royalists were defeated in a two-hour fight by 3,000 Parliamentarian troops of the New Model Army with about 200 soldiers, mainly Royalists, killed.

1737: Flat Holm Lighthouse built.

1766: John Stuart, 1st Marquess of Bute married into the Herberts, the great local landowning family.

1774: An Act of Parliament established the Improvement Commissioners, responsible for paving, cleaning streets and providing oil lamp lighting in Cardiff.

1776: John Stuart was created Baron Cardiff of Cardiff Castle.

1778: The reconstruction of Cardiff Castle begins.