Timeline of the Revival of English Magic
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
For later events, see the Post Revival Timeline.
Here is a timeline of events from the period of the Revival of English Magic. See also the Timeline of English Magic for preceding events, or the Post Revival Timeline for subsequent events.
1807
January
- 6 Jan - Mr Honeyfoot and John Segundus call upon Gilbert Norrell.
- 13 Jan - Learned Society of York Magicians challenges Norrell to do magic.
February
- 4 Feb - Agreement between Norrell and Learned Society of York Magicians is signed.
- 20 Feb - The stones of York Cathedral are brought to life; the Learned Society of York Magicians accept this as proof Norrell can perform real magic and disband.
March
- 9 Mar - ‘Appeal to the Friends of English Magic’, written by Segundus, appears in The Times (source: The Raven).
Early Spring
- Norrell travels to London; he receives invitation to Mrs Godestone’s party, where he meets Christopher Drawlight for the first time.
Spring through Summer
- Norrell tours about London, guided by Drawlight and Henry Lascelles.
October
- Norrell visits Sir Walter Pole; Pole denies any ability to help Norrell.
- Tuesday, a week or so later - Emma Wintertowne dies; she is resurrected (early Wednesday) by Norrell and the gentleman with the thistle-down hair.
- that Thursday - Miss Wintertowne and Sir Walter Pole are married.
November
- Norrell conjures rain ships to blockade the French ports.
December
- John Murray proposes the idea of a magical journal to Drawlight and Lascelles; Norrell eventually agrees and accepts Lord Portishead as editor.
- Vinculus recites the prophecy of the Raven King to Norrell.
Other Events of 1807
- A Child's History of the Raven King, by Lord Portishead, is published.
1808
January
- The idea for Gilbert Norrell to send Napoleon Buonaparte bad dreams is put forward but is unsuccessful.
- Laurence Strange dies; Jonathan Strange inherits his father’s property.
- Some people begin to feel the presence of Lost-hope around Lady Pole.
- The gentleman with the thistle-down hair puts his enchantment on Lady Pole into effect; Stephen Black is also enchanted.
- Twenty-five guineas mysteriously appear in the shop of Black's acquaintance, Mrs Brandy.
February
- First issue of The Friends of English Magic is published; at this time it is edited by Lord Portishead with heavy interference from Norrell and Henry Lascelles.
- The enchantment of Lady Pole manifests as perpetual melancholy; Norrell confronts the gentleman with the thistle-down hair about this but to no effect.
- The gentleman with the thistle-down hair visits Black at the Peep-o'Day-Boys.
- ~2 Feb - John Childermass visits Vinculus; the two exchange readings of the cards of Marseilles.
- ~16 Feb - Jonathan Strange meets Vinculus; Vinculus recites the prophecy of the Raven King to Strange; Strange decides to become a magician. (Note: there is some uncertainty about how close to one another the following events occur: Vinculus’ visit to Norrell [13], the death of Laurence Strange [14], the meeting of Vinculus and Jonathan Strange [22].)
1809
July
- Jonathan Strange attempts to summon and learn magic from Miss Maria Absalom (deceased) at the Shadow House; meets John Segundus and Mr Honeyfoot who advise Strange to seek the company of Gilbert Norrell
September
- First meetings of Jonathan Strange and Gilbert Norrell; Norrell takes Strange as a pupil.
- The gentleman with the thistle-down hair gives an orb, crown and scepter to Stephen Black; re-enactment of throwing children from the belfry of Lost-hope occurs.
December
- (date speculative) - Jonathan Strange sends nightmares to Alexander, Emperor of Russia.
- mid-month - Arabella Strange meets Lady Pole.
Other Events of 1809
- late year - Quarrel and duel between Lord Castlereagh and Mr Canning leading to the resignation of both from the Government.
1810
May
- 14 May - Jonathan Strange writes to John Segundus commenting on the popular interest of Londoners for seeing magical visions.
November
- (date speculative) - Napoleon Buonaparte finds a "magician" with a "magic wardrobe."
- The Admiralty invites Jonathan Strange and Gilbert Norrell to review the Channel Fleet; Strange uses magic to get a ship off a shoal (the usefulness of this maneuver is debated).
Other Events of 1810
- A general of the Horse Guards presents the idea to replace the Cavalry’s horses with unicorns; no success is ever achieved.
- Start of Lord Portishead and Henry Lascelles as joint editors of The Friends of English Magic.
- The proprietors of Vauxhall Gardens offer money to Jonathan Strange and Gilbert Norrell to stage nightly magic shows; Norrell refuses.
1811
January
- (date speculative) - Idea conceived to send Jonathan Strange to the Peninsula, under Wellington; Gilbert Norrell objects.
- first week - Discussion occurs regarding books Strange would take to the Peninsula.
February
- a Tuesday - Norrell agrees to let Strange go to Portugal following a discussion (with Henry Lascelles, Christopher Drawlight and John Childermass) concerning the potential auction of the library of the Duke of Roxburghe. (Uncertainty: if this discussion occurs in February, why does Strange bring up books in January?)
- early Feb - Jonathan Strange arrives in Lisbon and meets Wellington. Strange begins offering to do magic, but his offers are denied.
- late Feb - Strange meets Mr Briscall, who gives Strange advice on how to make himself useful.
March
- mid-month - Strange establishes his usefulness to Wellington with the offer of making roads.
December
- Clergyman and half-fairy Alessandro Simonelli becomes king of End-Of-All-Hope.
1812
January
- late Jan - first wife of Vinculus, Nan Purvis, tells John Childermass of Clegg’s hanging; Childermass departs London to track the history of Clegg.
February
- three weeks later - Childermass returns to London, tells history of Clegg and the Book of the Raven King to Gilbert Norrell, Henry Lascelles and Christopher Drawlight.
- The gentleman with the thistle-down hair tells Stephen Black that Black will become king of England.
April
- Major Colquhoun Grant captured by the French; Jonathan Strange and a guerrilla band rescue him.
Summer
- Auction of the Duke of Roxburghe’s library takes place.
July
- 22 July - Jonathan Strange begins to use illusions of angels to harass the French.
- 24 July - Strange brings seventeen dead Neapolitans back to life.
August
- 25 Aug - The dead Neapolitans destroyed by Wellington’s orders.
Autumn
- An article is printed in The Modern Magician concerning the disappearance of magicians’ houses.
Other Events of 1812
Circulation of The Friends of English Magic is above 13,000.
1813
May
- (date speculative) - A rumor reaches England that Jonathan Strange has been killed at the battle of Vitoria.
Early Summer
- Strange moves a river, first of several things moved during the war.
1814
May
- late month - Jonathan Strange returns home to England from the Peninsula.
Autumn
- Strange rediscovers magic for finding things in Revelations of Thirty-Six Other Worlds, by Paris Ormskirk.
November
- The Royal Dukes appeal to Strange to look into the King’s madness; the gentleman with the thistle-down hair attempts to capture George III but is thwarted by Strange.
- Stephen Black and the gentleman with the thistle-down hair visit an African town; the gentleman with the thistle-down hair bemoans his loss of George III and tries to devise methods of dealing with Jonathan Strange and Gilbert Norrell
- A portrait of Strange and Norrell is unveiled in Norrell’s library at Hanover Square.
- Deceptions come to light of persons aspiring to learn magic or seeking private commissions for Strange and Norrell to perform magic, culminating in the meeting of Strange and a pair of Nottinghamshire brewers. Christopher Drawlight is ultimately revealed as the culprit.
- Jonathan Strange first travels on the King's Roads
- Christopher Drawlight imprisoned for debt.
Other Events of 1814
- Essay on the Extraordinary Revival of English Magic, &c, by Lord Portishead, is published.
1815
January
- Jonathan Strange writes a review of Essay on the Extraordinary Revival of English Magic, &c which he publishes anonymously in The Edinburgh Review.
February
- Jonathan Strange and Gilbert Norrell part company.
- Presumable time of quarrel between Norrell and John Murray and subsequent sale The Friends of English Magic to Longman.
- Jonathan and Arabella Strange depart London for their home in Shropshire.
May
- end of month - Jonathan Strange arrives in Brussels after Wellington and the British Army
June
- 15 June - Jonathan Strange temporarily moves the city of Brussels to North America.
- 16 June - Battle at Quatre Bras. Strange prevents arrival of French general by altering terrain
- 18 June - Battle of Waterloo.
Summer
- Portrait of Jonathan Strange and Gilbert Norrell is removed from Norrell’s Hanover-square library.
- (date speculative) - News spreads that Strange intends to write a book: The History and Practice of English Magic
Autumn
- John Segundus begins teaching magic.
- early autumn - Segundus looks at books at Starecross Hall for the father of one of his pupils, meets Mrs Lennox; the two begin plans for a school of magic.
December
- beginning of month - The gentleman with the thistle-down hair meets with Stephen Black; the two get a piece of moss-oak from a bog in Scotland.
- first week - John Hyde tells Jonathan Strange that he saw Arabella, wearing black, walking along the Dyke between England and Wales.
- early month - John Childermass tells John Segundus the latter must give up his plans for a school of magic.
- mid month? - Henry Woodhope arrives in Shropshire to visit Jonathan and Arabella Strange.
- 20 Dec - John Segundus writes to Jonathan Strange appealing for his support against Gilbert Norrell for the school of magic.
- 26 Dec - Arabella Strange is taken to Lost-hope. A Moss-Oak replica of Arabella Strange wanders in the snow and returns wearing only a black gown. Jonathan Strange is unaware of the switch.
- 28 Dec - The Moss-Oak replica of Arabella Strange "dies".
1816
January
- 8 Jan - Lady Pole attempts to murder Gilbert Norrell; She is thwarted by John Childermass. Childermass has revelations concerning the nature of magic.
- late month - Lady Pole taken to Starecross Hall. Vinculus recites the prophecy of the Raven King to Stephen Black.
- a few days later - The gentleman with the thistle-down hair explains that the prophecy does not refer to Black.
February
- Jonathan Strange returns to London.
March
- First (and only) issue of The Famulus is published.
- John Childermass, sent to see engravings for Jonathan Strange’s book, meets Strange; the two discuss the fate of English Magic.
- Jonathan Strange declares to Sir Walter Pole and Lord Portishead his intent to take on pupils.
April
- Henry Purfois, William Hadley-Bright, Tom Levy begin magical instruction with Jonathan Strange.
June
- Strange finishes writing The History and Practice of English Magic, vol. I; he decides to travel abroad.
August
- The History and Practice of English Magic, vol. I, by Jonathan Strange, is published
- Gilbert Norrell vanishes Strange's book; Lord Portishead leaves Norrell.
September
- Jonathan Strange meets the Greysteel family.
October
- Strange and the Greysteel family arrive in Venice; Strange begins trying to summon a fairy.
November
- end of month - Strange experiments with madness (obtained from Mrs Delgado).
December
- 1 Dec - Strange successfully summons (and sees) the gentleman with the thistle-down hair.
- 2 Dec - The gentleman with the thistle-down hair consults with Stephen Black concerning Jonathan Strange’s success and resolves to offer Strange a gift. Strange requests an item from the fairy’s last encounter with an English magician and receives a finger. Strange decides to travel to Faerie himself.
- 3 Dec (early morning) - Jonathan Strange discovers that Arabella Strange, Lady Pole and Stephen Black are prisoners of the gentleman with the thistle-down hair; Strange is cursed by he gentleman with the thistle-down hair and imprisoned in Eternal Darkness. Strange begins sending Strange's Venetian letters to Henry Woodhope concerning Arabella.
- 22 Dec - Henry Woodhope consults Gilbert Norrell concerning Jonathan Strange's letters.
- 23 Dec - Henry Lascelles pays Christopher Drawlight's debts, preparatory to sending him to Venice.
- 26 Dec - The Duke of Wellington discusses Jonathan Strange's madness with the Ministers.
1817
January
- early month - Gilbert Norrell commissioned to find burial place of a young woman; commission later revoked.
- 7 Jan - Norrell attempts to acquire Lord Byron's letters to Scrope Davies by magic
- mid month - The Black Letters is published; expenses are paid by Gilbert Norrell.
- mid month - Christopher Drawlight arrives in Venice; he encounters Jonathan Strange, and receives three messages to take to England.
- mid month - Gilbert Norrell discovers English Magic cannot distinguish between him and Jonathan Strange.
February
- first week - Jonathan Strange visits Flora Greysteel in Padua, appoints her as gatekeeper for Arabella. A week later, Miss Greysteel pours Strange’s tincture of madness into the sea.
- 9 Feb - Gilbert Norrell is confronted by Lord Liverpool concerning reappearance of magic in England. Henry Lascelles receives letter from Christopher Drawlight, and sets out to meet him.
- 10 Feb - Drawlight tells Lascelles of his meeting with Strange; Lascelles kills Drawlight. Gilbert Norrell sets out to Hurtfew Abbey with Lascelles, John Childermass and servants.
- 11 Feb - Childermass investigates open fairy road; Norrell, et al. arrive at Hurtfew Abbey.
- 14 Feb - Childermass acquires Lady Pole's finger, is dismissed from Norrell’s service. Jonathan Strange arrives at Hurtfew Abbey via the King's Roads.
- 15 Feb - Henry Lascelles and Gilbert Norrell's servants leave Hurtfew Abbey; Lascelles travels into Faery. John Childermass and John Segundus free Lady Pole from the enchantment of the gentleman with the thistle-down hair. The gentleman with the thistle-down hair and Stephen Black hang Vinculus. Gilbert Norrell becomes entrapped in the Pillar of Darkness. The Raven King resurrects and rewrites Vinculus. Black kills the gentleman with the thistle-down hair, thus releasing himself and Arabella from the fairy's enchantment; Black becomes king of Lost-hope.
March
- early month (date speculative) - The houses of Jonathan Strange and Gilbert Norrell disappear.
- 19 Mar (3rd Wednesday) - The Learned Society of York Magicians reconvenes; John Childermass presents the Raven King’s book, Vinculus.
April
- Jonathan and Arabella Strange meet in Italy.
June
- Arabella Strange returns to England; this ends the slander that Jonathan Strange had killed his wife.
For later events, see the Post Revival Timeline.