Linda Lear

• 1866
  

  
  July 28 Helen Beatrix Potter born in 2 Bolton Gardens,
  South Kensington, London, first child of Helen and Rupert Potter.

  
  


• 1871
  

  
  Beatrix spends first summer holiday at Dalguise House, Dunkeld, Scotland, her summer
  home for the next 11 years and her first experience in nature on her own.

  
  


• 1872
  

  
  brother Walter Bertram born.

  
  







Beatrix and Spot



• 1881
  

  
  first entry at age 15 in her Journal in a code devised by her, a simple letter for
  letter substitution which was 'cracked' by Leslie Linder in 1958.

  
  


• 1882
  

  
  The Potter family's first Lake District holiday at Wray Castle in the Lake District.
  Beatrix meets Hardwicke Rawnsley, one of the three founders of the National Trust.

  
  


• 1883
  

  
  Annie Carter(age 19) engaged as governess and companion for 16yr old Beatrix, to
  teach German. Death of Edmund Potter, Beatrix's artistic, entrepreneurial and very
  wealthy paternal grandfather.

  
  


• 1885
  

  
  Carter leaves to marry Edwin Moore , Noel Moore, the first child of 6 children,
  is born two years later. Beatrix acquires a rabbit, Benjamin Bouncer.

  
  


• 1886

  
  first recorded microscopic watercolour -- gnat's leg.

  
  







Beatrix and William Gaskell



• 1887
  

  
  Beatrix develops serious rheumatic fever affecting her heart. She paints her first
  known fungus.

  
  


• 1889
  

  
  Benjamin Bouncer models for Potter family Christmas cards.

  
  


• 1890
  

  
  Beatrix sells first drawings to Hildesheimer & Faulkner of London, used as greeting
  cards and illustrations to book of rhymes, A Happy Pair by Frederic E. Weatherly.

  
  


• 1891
  

  
  death of Jessy Potter, Beatrix's adored grandmother. Beatrix sketches for cards
  or booklets which were rejected by Frederick Warne & Co.

  
  


• 1892
  

  
  Oct Beatrix meets Charlie McIntosh, the Perthshire
  naturalist in Birnam, Scotland and discusses her fungi and mosses. They establish
  a collaboration: exchange of material for paintings. She becomes preoccupied with
  painting of fungi.

  
  


• 1893
  

  
  Sept 3 At Eastwood, Dunkeld, Scotland, Beatrix finds
  and paints the rare fungus `Old Man of the Woods.'

  
  

  
  Sept 4 Beatrix sends five year old Noel Moore a story
  about her pet rabbit, Peter.

  
  

  
  Sept 5 Beatrix sends four year old Eric Moore a picture
  letter about "a frog called Mr. Jeremy Fisher."

  
  







• 1894
  

  
  Beatrix independently visits her cousin, Caroline Hutton near Gloucestershire

  
  

  
  Draws the important botanical fossil Pitus.

  
  

  
  Learns six complete plays by Shakespeare by hear.

  
  

  
  Draws Roman objects to scale from a relics collection in London

  
  

  
  McIntosh suggests she include half-step drawings of fungi to make them more botanically
  accurate.

  
  


• 1895
  

  
  Nister publishes Beatrix's drawings "A Frog he would a-fishing go"

  
  

  
  Beatrix accepts commission from Caroline Martineau to draw 12 lithographs of insects
  for Morely College for Men. Only two survive. Unknown if other 10 were finished.

  
  


• 1896
  

  
  May, Beatrix goes to Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew with
  her uncle Sir Henry Roscoe to show her fungus drawings to Director Wm. Thistleton-Dyer.

  
  

  
  July - Oct Beatrix and family spend summer holiday
  in Near Sawrey, "Its is as nearly perfect a little place as I have ever lived in."

  
  

  
  Dec. working on fungus reproduction .

  
  


• 1897
  

  
  Paper presented to Linnean Society "On the Germination of the Spores of Agaricineae"
  by Kew scientist Wm. Massee Beatrix withdraws it to do further work. She is
  31.

  
  


• 1901
  

  
  Jan Peter Rabbit dies.

  
  

  
  Sept. Frederick Warne & Co show interest in `The Tale
  of Peter Rabbit in Mr. McGregor's Garden,' but reject rhyming text by Rawnsley.
  Beatrix refuses to add colour to her illustrations.

  
  

  
  Sept writes the story of Squirrel Nutkin in picture
  letter to Norah Moore

  
  

  
  Dec.16 Beatrix publishes 250 copies of the Tale
  of Peter Rabbit, privately. With b/w drawings and coloured frontispiece.

  
  


• 1902
  

  
  Frederick Warne publishes 8000 copies of The Tale of Peter Rabbit, shortened and
  illustrated in full colour

  
  

  
  Nov. Bertram Potter secretly married in Edinburgh

  
  

  
  Dec. Beatrix privately publishes 500 copies of The
  Tailor of Gloucester

  
  







Peter Rabbit Patent



• 1903
  

  
  Aug. The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin published by Warne.,
  Oct. shorter version of Tailor of Gloucester published by Warne

  
  

  
  Dec Beatrix registers her Peter Rabbit doll at the
  Patent Office.

  
  


• 1904
  

  
  The Tale of Benjamin Bunny and The Tale of Two Bad Mice, published by Warne. Develops
  board game of Peter Rabbit with rules.

  
  


• 1905
  

  
  July 25 Beatrix receives and accepts proposal of marriage
  from her editor Norman Warne against her parent's objections. She is 39.

  
  

  
  July Beatrix leaves for holiday in Wales

  
  

  
  Aug 25. Norman Warne dies of leukaemia, age 37

  
  

  
  `Peter Rabbit' wallpaper goes on sale

  
  

  
  Sept The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy Winkle published

  
  

  
  Oct. The Pie and the Patty-Pan published
  

  
  

  
  Nov. Beatrix officially buys Hill Top Farm in Near
  Sawrey

  
  


• 1906
  

  
  July The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher published by Warne

  
  

  
  Sept Beatrix starts to breed Herdwick Sheep at Hill Top
  Farm

  
  


• 1907
  

  
  The Tale of Tom Kitten published.

  
  


• 1908
  

  
  publication of The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck.

  
  


• 1909
  

  
  Beatrix buys second farm in Near Sawrey, Castle Farm

  
  

  
  two more tales published :The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies, & The Tale of Ginger and
  Pickles

  
  







Beatrix and William Heelis



• 1910
  

  
  Beatrix registers Jemima Puddle-Duck doll at Patent Office.

  
  


• 1911
  

  
  The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes and Peter Rabbit's Painting Book published by Warne

  
  


• 1912
  

  
  The Tale of Mr. Todd is published.

  
  

  
  Beatrix campaigns against hydroplanes on Windermere

  
  

  
  at the end of year, Beatrix accepts proposal of marriage from William Heelis, a
  Lake District solicitor.

  
  


• 1913 Oct.

  
  marries Heelis in London take Castle Cottage as their home, keeping Hill Top Farm
  as a place for Beatrix to work.

  
  

  
  Warne publishes The Tale of Piggling Bland

  
  







Beatrix and Kep (courtesy National Trust)



• 1914
  

  
  Beatrix's father dies.

  
  

  
  WWI begins

  
  


• 1916
  

  
  BP employs a woman, Louie Choyce to help her with the farm and garden.

  
  

  
  Two more stories published

  
  


• 1917
  

  
  Harold Warne arrested for embezzlement in London,

  
  

  
  Beatrix helps to save company with a new book, Appley Dappley's Book of Rhymes which
  she began in 1902.

  
  

  
  Bertram Potter dies of stroke in Scotland

  
  

  
  Tale of Johnny Town Mouse published

  
  


• 1919
  

  
  new Warne firm incorporated, presses BP for new book

  
  

  
  Beatrix establishes District Nursing trust in Sawrey area

  
  


• 1920
  

  
  Hardwicke Rawnsley dies

  
  


• 1921
  

  
  Anne Carroll Moore, American superintendent of Children's Work, New York public
  Library visits Sawrey and encourages Beatrix to write another book. Begins a stream
  of American visitors to Near Sawrey.

  
  

  
  Dec. Cecily Parsley's Nursery Rhymes published

  
  


• 1923
  

  
  Beatrix buys Troutbeck Park Farm, 1900 acre sheep farm

  
  


• 1925
  

  
  Jemima Puddle-Duck's Painting Book published.

  
  


• 1926
  

  
  The Roly-Poly Pudding changed to The Tale of Samuel Whiskers

  
  

  
  Beatrix employs shepherd Tom Storey at Troutbeck Park

  
  

  
  Nov. Storey moves to Hill Top to manage farm and breed
  sheep.

  
  

  
  May, sells 50 drawings through The Horn Book Magazine,
  Book Shop for Girls and Boys in Boston to raise money to save shoreline of Windermere
  from development.

  
  

  
  Visit from Henry P. Coolidge from Boston, The Fairy Caravan would be dedicated to
  him.

  
  


• 1928
  

  
  Warne publishes Peter Rabbit's Almanac for 1929

  
  


• 1929
  

  
  David McKay in Philadelphia publishes The Fairy Caravan US only until 1930

  
  


• 1930
  

  
  63 yr old Beatrix buys 5000 acre Monk Coniston on condition that
  National Trust will take over half when they raise the money

  
  

  
  wins silver challenge cup for best Lake District Herdwick ewe.

  
  

  
  Sept. The Tale of Little Pig Robinson published by
  McKay
  

  
  

  
  Oct. Trust bought half Monk Coniston, but ask Beatrix
  to manage entire estate

  
  


• 1932
  

  
  McKay publishes grisly version of Bluebeard, called Sister Anne, in US only Helen
  Potter, Beatrix's mother dies at 93

  
  


• 1936
  

  
  Walt Disney offers to make film of Peter Rabbit, BP refuses

  
  


• 1937
  

  
  Beatrix hands over management of half of Monk Consiton to National Trust agent Bruce
  Thompson

  
  


• 1938
  

  
  Beatrix has surgery in Liverpool

  
  







Beatrix Potter



• 1939
  

  
  Beatrix dictates her will before second surgery

  
  

  
  England and France declare War on Germany

  
  


• 1941
  

  
  Beatrix supervises farm work during war, whole edition of Peter Rabbit lost in bombing
  of London.

  
  


• 1943
  

  
  Beatrix elected President of Herdwick Sheep Breeders' Assoc. to begin March 1944.
  She would have been first woman president of Association.

  
  

  
  Aug. agrees to publication of "Wag-By Wall" in Christmas
  edition of The Horn Book. Published posthumously.

  
  Dec 22
  

  
  Beatrix Potter Heelis dies at 77 at Castle Cottage, cremated at
  Blackpool, and ashes scattered on her land by husband and Tom Storey

  
  


• 1945
  

  
  William Heelies dies. Joint Heelis property, over 4000 acres with 17 farms, 8 cottages
  all bequeathed to National Trust

  
  

* Chronology by Linda Lear, adapted from Judy Taylor's in Beatrix Potter Artist
& Illustrator, paintings and drawings selected by Anne Stevenson Hobbs
(London: Frederick Warne & Co., 2005)