| 13th Century | First mention of Guild of Merchants in Bristol |
| 1445 | Guild of Mariners founded to erect chantry and almshouse for a priest and 12 poor seamen |
| 1467 | Bristol Corporation drew up Ordinances for Guild of Merchants |
| 1497 | Guild financed John Cabot’s voyage in Matthew which discovered Newfoundland |
| 1552 | Edward VI granted Royal Charter to Master, Wardens and Commonalty of Merchant Venturers of City of Bristol giving them a monopoly of seaborne trade from and to Bristol |
| 1553 | Society took over the almshouse in Marsh Street, which still exists as Merchants’ Almshouse and established original Merchants’ Hall on the site of the chantry next door |
| 1566 | Elizabeth I granted Royal Charter to the Society confirming the earlier one |
| 1595 | First record of school for mariners’ children founded by Society |
| 1622 | John Guy, first Governor of Newfoundland in 1610, becomes Master |
| 1631 | Capt James equipped by Society for expedition in Henrietta to seek North West Passage |
| 1639 | Charles I granted Royal Charter to Society setting out the constitution and fixing November 10th as the date of the election of Master and Wardens |
| 1676 | Manor of Clifton acquired |
| 1696 | Colston’s almshouses founded |
| 1708 | Colston’s School founded by Edward Colston. Society appointed manager of the charity’s estates |
| 1737 | Mathematical and Navigational School started by Society |
| 1754 | William Vick bequeathed £1,000 to Society and directed that the interest should accumulate until the sum of £10,000 was reached and then to build a bridge over the Avon Gorge |
| 1756 | War with France. Society fitted 60 privateers carrying up to 36 guns and many prizes were gained |
| 1763 | Treaty of Paris. Owing to Society’s advice Labrador transferred from Quebec province to government of Newfoundland |
| 1807 | Act of Parliament abolishes the slave trade in Britain and her colonies |
| 1809 | Floating Harbour completed by Bristol Docks Company after pressure and assistance from the Society |
| 1830 | Bill for bridge over Avon Gorge received Royal Assent. Vick’s legacy, now £8,700, handed over to trustees |
| 1832 | Inaugural meeting of the Great Western Railway Company held in Merchants’ Hall. Much supported by Society and its members |
| 1861 | Wharfage lease relinquished by Society after 309 years and management of pilots relinquished after 249 years |
| 1864 | Brunel-designed Suspension Bridge over Avon Gorge finally opened |
| 1885 | Bristol Trade and Mining School becomes known as Merchant Venturers’ School |
| 1891 | Colston’s Girls’ School founded |
| 1909 | Bristol University receives its Charter. Merchant Venturers’ Technical College engineering department becomes Faculty of Engineering |
| 1922 | St Monica Trust formed |
| 1925 | St Monica Home of Rest opened in Cote Lane site |
| 1940 | Merchants’ Hall destroyed during the Blitz |
| 1945 | Fern House, Clifton Down acquired as temporary Hall |
| 1953 | Fern and Auckland House, Clifton Down joined together to become the new Merchants’ Hall |
| 1989 | Queen Elizabeth II granted Charter to the Society increasing the size of the Standing Committee to 15 |
| 1991 | Through merger Colston’s School became co-educational as Colstons Collegiate School |
| 2003 | First women merchants elected |
| 2003 | A new 60-bed care home, the Garden House, is added to the original nursing home at the Cote Lane HQ of the St Monica Trust |
| 2003 | Westbury Fields retirement village opened by St Monica Trust |
| 2006 | Signing of Academy Funding Agreement for the establishment of the Merchants’ Academy in Withywood |
| 2007 | Merchant Venturers join the Lord Mayor of Bristol and other civic representatives in signing a statement regretting Bristol’s role in the Slave Trade |
| 2008 | Signing of Academy Funding Agreement for Colstons' Girls’ Academy |
| 2008 | Planning concept published for new residential development at Cote House |
| 2008 | In September, two Merchant Venturer sponsored academies opened – Merchants’ Academy in Withywood and Colston’s Girls’ School |
| 2009 | In December, Katherine House, a purpose-built retirement home for older people opened in the beautiful grounds of Cote House in Westbury-on-Trym. |
