The Jurassic comprises some 55 million years of Earth history. However, within the Jurassic, only one major environmental change (hyperthermal) event is really well known - the Early Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (OAE) at ~183 Ma - and until very recently the extent to which the accompanying environmental changes were global has been strongly debated. Nevertheless, partly as a result of the international effort to define Global Stratotype Sections and Points (GSSPs), much more is now being discovered about environmental changes taking place at and around the other Jurassic Age (Stage) boundaries, to the extent that meaningful comparisons between these events can begin to be made. Here we present new carbon and oxygen isotope data from mollusks (bivalves and belemnites) and brachiopods collected through the marine Early Jurassic succession of NE England, including the Sinemurian-Plienbachian boundary GSSP. All materials have been screened by chemical analysis and scanning electron microscopy to check for diagenetic alteration. Analysis of carbon isotopes from marine calcite is supplemented by analysis of carbon-isotope values from fossil wood collected through the same section. It is demonstrated that both long-term and short-term carbon-isotope shifts from the UK Early Jurassic represent global changes in carbon cycle balances. The Sinemurian-Pliensbachian boundary event is an event of global significance and shows several similarities to the Toarcian OAE (relative sea-level change, carbon-isotope signature), but also some significant contrasts (oxygen-isotope based paleotemperatures which provide no evidence for warming). Significant contrast in oxygen- and carbon-isotope co-variation also occurs on a long timescale. There appear to be two modes in the co-variation of carbon and oxygen isotopes through this time interval: mode 1 shows positive correlation and may be explained by conventional sources and sinks for carbon-dioxide; mode 2, representing negative correlation, is more difficult to explain but appears to dominate. Additionally, we show that estimates of carbon dioxide change through the Early Jurassic based on ¿d13C values from the stratigraphically extended Mochras Farm core are unlikely to be correct.