1609 | English settlers en route to Virginia on the Sea Venture were shipwrecked off Bermuda. All on board survived and set up camp in what was originally named New London, now St George’s. |
1612 | The first settlers to colonize Bermuda arrived from Plymouth, England on board the Plough. A temporary post and thatch church was erected in the new Town of St George with a communion table made of Bermuda cedar. |
1619 | Governor Butler builds a wooden church. |
1620 | The first General Assembly met in the Church. |
1625 | The St George’s Chalice was given to the church by the Bermuda Company. |
1697 | A set of communion silver was given by King William III to the church,‘their majesties chappell ’in Bermuda. |
1713/14 | After a devastating hurricane, the church was rebuilt and enlarged, with new stone walls and front steps. Wood from the old building was incorporated into the new one. |
1766 | Repairs were made to the church and a wooden steeple with weathercock erected. |
1807 | Charles Austen, younger brother of Jane Austen, is married in St Peter’s. |
1815 | Under Church Warden John Till, the south-east and south-west wings were added, and a three sided apse with a reredos from England. A clock made by Thwaites and Reed of London was brought from England and installed in the tower |
1826 | On April 22nd the church was consecrated to St Peter the Apostle by the RtRev’d John Inglis, Bishop of Nova Scotia, Bermuda and Newfoundland. |
1834 | The Emancipation of slaves was declared on August 1st. |
1841 | The last extension created the present entrance and its famous steps, covering the 1714 steps. The columns, arches and distinctive pinnacles were added in ‘Victorian Gothic’ style. |
1853 | Another yellow fever epidemic struck the island in which 7% of the population died. |
1908 | ‘Thorough renovations’ were made to St Peter’s church, saving the church from collapse. |
1953 | Extensive repairs carried out, including the replacement of the cedar frame roof. |
2000 | The Town of St George and related fortifications were designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. |
2008 | Archaeologists discovered under the church the remains of Governor George James Bruere (d. 1780). These were re-entombed in a special service the following summer. |
2009 | The 200 year old church clock was restored and reinstalled in the church tower by Thwaites and Reed. |
2012 | In honour of St Peter’s 400th anniversary, Queen Elizabeth II designated the church ‘Their Majesties Chappell’, a term first used in the 17th century during the reign of King William III and Queen Mary. Unique emblemage in the form of royal scarlet broken banding was accorded to St Peter’s. |