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The Reader's Guide to Wuthering Heights

Timeline

This page shows a timeline of the major events in the novel (with the occasional external historical event) and the approximate ages of the characters at the time. The accuracy of the dates varies with some, such as Cathy Linton’s birth, narrowed down to a particular time and date, while others can not be specified to more than a season in a year.

Details about defining the dates can be found on the Almanack page.

Where a year or month is shown in this style, it means that event it can be confidently inferred from the details in the novel. Other events are estimated and should be treated with caution.

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Year Date Characters Ch External Ages
1757 June Hindley Earnshaw born      
1757 August Ellen Dean born      
1760       George III becomes king  
1762 January Edgar Linton born     Hindley 4
1764 July Heathcliff born     Hindley 7; Ellen 6; Edgar nearly 2
1765 May Catherine Earnshaw born     Hindley nearly 8; Ellen 7; Heathcliff 11 months
1765 October Isabella Linton born     Edgar 3
1771 August Mr Earnshaw brings Heathcliff to Wuthering Heights 4   Hindley 14; Ellen nearly 14; Heathcliff 7; Catherine 6; Joseph 41
1773 May Mrs Earnshaw dies 4   Hindley 15; Ellen 15; Heathcliff 8; Catherine 7
1773 16 Dec.     Boston Tea Party  
1774 October Hindley is sent off to college 5   Hindley 17; Heathcliff 10; Catherine 9
1776     American Declaration of Independence  
1777 October Mr Earnshaw dies 5   Hindley 20; Ellen 20; Heathcliff 13; Catherine 12
1777 October Hindley returns to Wuthering Heights with Frances 6   Frances 17
1777 November Catherine stays at Thrushcross Grange 7   Hindley 20; Ellen 20; Edgar 15; Heathcliff 13; Catherine 12; Isabella 12
1777 Christmas Eve Catherine returns to Wuthering Heights 7    
1778 June Hareton Earnshaw is born 8   Hindley 20; Frances 18; Heathcliff 13; Catherine 13
1778 September Frances dies 8   Hindley 21; Frances 18;
1780 August Heathcliff runs away from Wuthering Heights 9   Hindley 23; Ellen 22; Heathcliff 16; Catherine 15
1780 August Mr and Mrs Linton die 9   Edgar 18; Isabella 14
1783 March Catherine marries Edgar 9   Edgar 21; Catherine 17
1783 August Cathy is conceived     Edgar 21; Catherine 17
1783 September Heathcliff returns 10   Edgar 21; Heathcliff 19; Catherine 18; Isabella almost 18
1784 January Heathcliff clashes with Edgar 11   Edgar 21; Heathcliff 19; Catherine 18
1784 February Heathcliff marries Isabella 12   Heathcliff 19; Isabella 18
1784 March Heathcliff and Isabella return      
1784 20 March Catherine dies giving birth to Cathy 16   Edgar 22; Heathcliff 19; Catherine 18
1784 September Linton Heathcliff is born 17   Isabella 18
1784 September Hindley dies 17   Hindley 27; Joseph 54
1789       Start of French Revolution  
1796       First smallpox inoculations  
1797 July Cathy meets Hareton at Wuthering Heights 18   Hareton 19; Cathy 13
1797 July Isabella dies 17   Heathcliff 32; Isabella 31; Linton 12
1797 July Linton is taken to Thrushcross Grange and then Wuthering Heights 19   Linton 12
1800 20 March Cathy meets Heathcliff and Linton 21   Heathcliff 35; Hareton 21; Cathy 16; Linton 15
1801 August Cathy marries Linton 27   Hareton 23; Cathy 17; Linton 16
1801 August Edgar dies 28   Edgar 39
1801 September Linton dies     Cathy 17; Linton 17
1801 November Mr Lockwood visits Wuthering Heights 1   Heathcliff 37; Hareton 23; Cathy 17; Ellen 44; Joseph 71
1802 January Mr Lockwood returns to London 31    
1802 April Heathcliff dies 34   Heathcliff 37; Hareton 23; Cathy 18
1802 September Mr Lockwood returns to Thrushcross Grange 32   Hareton 24; Cathy 18
1803 1 January Cathy marries Hareton     Hareton 24; Cathy 18
1805       Battle of Trafalgar  
1807       Slave trade abolished