38 moments

1. Birth in Bloemfontein

   1892-01-03 · Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa

   Tolkien was born in the Orange Free State, then an independent republic; Bloemfontein is now in South Africa.

2. Childhood move to Sarehole

   1896-01-01 · Sarehole, Birmingham, England, United Kingdom

   

   After remaining in England with his mother and brother, Tolkien moved to Sarehole near Birmingham, an important setting of his childhood. The source dates the Sarehole residence to 1896–1900; 1896 is used for the move.

3. School years in Birmingham

   1900-09-01 · King Edward's School, Birmingham, England, United Kingdom

   

   Tolkien moved with his family closer to King Edward's School, where he was a pupil.

4. Lodgings in Edgbaston

   1908-01-01 · Edgbaston, Birmingham, England, United Kingdom

   

   Tolkien and his brother moved into lodgings in Duchess Road, where he met Edith Bratt. Coordinates represent Edgbaston; the precise former lodging-house site is not supplied by the source.

5. Swiss walking tour: Interlaken

   1911-01-01 · Interlaken, Bern, Switzerland

   Before beginning university, Tolkien joined a walking tour in the Swiss Alps; the party hiked from Interlaken toward Lauterbrunnen. The source gives the year and route, but not a day or month.

6. Swiss walking tour: Lauterbrunnen

   1911-01-01 · Lauterbrunnen, Bern, Switzerland

   On his 1911 Swiss walking tour, Tolkien's party passed through Lauterbrunnen en route to a camp beyond Mürren. The source gives the year and route, but not a day or month.

7. Swiss walking tour: Mürren

   1911-01-01 · Mürren, Bern, Switzerland

   Tolkien's Swiss group camped on the moraines beyond Mürren during the walking tour later recalled in his correspondence. The coordinate represents Mürren; the camp lay beyond the village.

8. Begins at Exeter College

   1911-10-01 · Exeter College, University of Oxford, Oxford, England, United Kingdom

   Tolkien began his undergraduate studies at Exeter College, Oxford, initially reading Classics before changing to English.

9. Tutoring journey to Brittany

   1913-01-01 · Brittany, France

   Tolkien travelled in Brittany while accompanying three pupils and their aunts during a 1913 tutoring engagement. The source dates the journey July–August 1913 and does not identify a Brittany locality; coordinates are a regional representative point.

10. Tutoring journey to Paris

    1913-01-01 · Paris, Île-de-France, France

    While employed as a tutor to three Mexican boys, Tolkien accompanied them and their aunts to Paris. The source dates the journey July–August 1913; the schema does not permit a date range.

11. Engagement meeting in Cheltenham

    1913-01-08 · Cheltenham Spa railway station, Cheltenham, England, United Kingdom

    Tolkien travelled to Cheltenham to meet Edith Bratt, and their conversation ended with her accepting his proposal.

12. Training with the Lancashire Fusiliers

    1915-01-01 · Rugeley Camp, Cannock Chase, Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom

    

    Following his commission, Tolkien trained with the 13th (Reserve) Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers, at Rugeley Camp on Cannock Chase. The source says the training lasted eleven months after his 15 July 1915 commission; the precise camp coordinate is approximate.

13. Final T.C.B.S. meeting

    1915-09-01 · Lichfield, Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom

    Tolkien attended the Tea Club and Barrovian Society's final wartime meeting in Lichfield. Tolkien's participation follows from the source's identification of him as a T.C.B.S. member; no venue is specified.

14. Marriage to Edith Bratt

    1916-03-22 · St Mary Immaculate Catholic Church, Warwick, England, United Kingdom

    Tolkien married Edith Bratt at St Mary Immaculate Catholic Church in Warwick before leaving for active service.

15. British Expeditionary Force depot at Étaples

    1916-06-01 · Étaples, Hauts-de-France, France

    On reaching France with the British Expeditionary Force, Tolkien was sent to the base depot at Étaples. The source establishes the move after his 5 June crossing but gives no exact arrival day.

16. Joins battalion at Rubempré

    1916-06-27 · Rubempré, Hauts-de-France, France

    Tolkien left Étaples and joined the 11th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers, at Rubempré near Amiens as its signals officer.

17. Somme service from Bouzincourt

    1916-07-01 · Bouzincourt, Hauts-de-France, France

    

    Tolkien reached the Somme in early July and served in assaults while billeted behind the lines at Bouzincourt. The source specifies early July 1916; Bouzincourt was his behind-the-lines location between combat periods.

18. Battle at Regina Trench

    1916-10-27 · Regina Trench, Somme, Hauts-de-France, France

    During his battalion's attack on Regina Trench, Tolkien contracted trench fever, which ended his front-line service. Coordinates represent the documented trench sector.

19. Humber Garrison outpost at Roos

    1917-01-01 · Roos, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom

    Tolkien briefly commanded a Humber Garrison outpost at Roos, where he and Edith walked in nearby woodland. The quoted reminiscence identifies Roos and 1917; the precise outpost location is not given.

20. Recovery at Little Haywood

    1917-01-01 · Little Haywood, Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom

    While recovering from illness in a Little Haywood cottage, Tolkien began The Book of Lost Tales. The source places this recovery during the remainder of the war; a precise date is not supplied.

21. Returns to Oxford for dictionary work

    1918-01-01 · Oxford, England, United Kingdom

    After the war, Tolkien returned to Oxford and worked as a lexicographer for the Oxford English Dictionary. The Tolkien Estate dates this work to 1918–1919; 1918 marks his return.

22. Taken off active service at Fovant

    1919-07-16 · Fovant, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom

    Tolkien was removed from active service at Fovant on Salisbury Plain and granted a temporary disability pension.

23. Reader at the University of Leeds

    1920-01-01 · University of Leeds, Leeds, England, United Kingdom

    

    Tolkien took up a post as Reader in English Language at the University of Leeds, beginning a five-year Leeds period.

24. Returns to Oxford as professor

    1925-10-01 · Pembroke College, University of Oxford, Oxford, England, United Kingdom

    

    Tolkien returned to Oxford as Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon and a Fellow of Pembroke College.

25. Move to 20 Northmoor Road

    1930-02-01 · 20 Northmoor Road, Oxford, England, United Kingdom

    

    Tolkien, Edith, and their family moved next door into 20 Northmoor Road, their home for seventeen years. The timeline identifies the move as February 1930; coordinate is for the documented address.

26. British Academy Beowulf lecture

    1936-11-25 · British Academy, London, England, United Kingdom

    

    Tolkien delivered his influential Sir Israel Gollancz Memorial Lecture, “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics,” at the British Academy.

27. Andrew Lang Lecture at St Andrews

    1939-03-08 · University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom

    Tolkien delivered “On Fairy-Stories” as the Andrew Lang Lecture at the University of St Andrews.

28. Government Code and Cypher School course

    1939-03-27 · London, England, United Kingdom

    Tolkien began an instructional course at the London headquarters of the Government Code and Cypher School after being considered for cryptographic work. The source does not identify the headquarters building; coordinates represent central London.

29. Merton Professor at Oxford

    1945-06-01 · Merton College, University of Oxford, Oxford, England, United Kingdom

    

    Tolkien was elected Merton Professor of English Language and Literature and a Fellow of Merton College.

30. Move to Manor Road

    1947-03-01 · Manor Road, Oxford, England, United Kingdom

    

    Tolkien and Edith left Northmoor Road for a Merton College-owned house on Manor Road, closer to central Oxford. The exact Merton College house is not named; coordinates represent Manor Road.

31. Move to Holywell Street

    1950-01-01 · Holywell Street, Oxford, England, United Kingdom

    Tolkien and Edith moved to a larger Merton College property on Holywell Street in Oxford. The timeline gives the year but no month or house number.

32. Move to Sandfield Road

    1953-01-01 · 76 Sandfield Road, Headington, Oxford, England, United Kingdom

    Seeking a quieter home, Tolkien and Edith moved to 76 Sandfield Road in Headington, Oxford. The source gives the year but no month.

33. Ker Memorial Lecture in Glasgow

    1953-04-01 · University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom

    Tolkien delivered the W. P. Ker Memorial Lecture, “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” at the University of Glasgow. The Tolkien Estate timeline places the lecture in April; a day is not used because the displayed chronology is internally ambiguous about the exact day.

34. First O'Donnell Lecture

    1955-10-21 · Oxford, England, United Kingdom

    Tolkien delivered the first O'Donnell Lecture, “English and Welsh,” in Oxford. The venue is not specified; coordinates represent central Oxford.

35. Move to Poole in retirement

    1968-01-01 · Poole, Dorset, England, United Kingdom

    Tolkien and Edith left Oxford for a modern bungalow in Poole, hoping for a quieter retirement. The timeline gives the year but no month or bungalow address.

36. Return to central Oxford

    1972-01-01 · Merton College, University of Oxford, Oxford, England, United Kingdom

    

    After Edith's death, Tolkien moved back to a Merton College flat in central Oxford as an emeritus fellow. The exact flat is not identified; coordinates represent Merton College.

37. Receives CBE insignia

    1972-03-28 · Buckingham Palace, London, England, United Kingdom

    Tolkien received the insignia of Commander of the Order of the British Empire from Queen Elizabeth II.

38. Death in Bournemouth

    1973-09-02 · Bournemouth, Dorset, England, United Kingdom

    

    Tolkien died while visiting friends in Bournemouth, aged 81.