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Date |
Event(s) |
| 1 | 1755 | - 1755—1827: Canal construction began
Period of canal construction began in Britain (till 1827)
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| 2 | 1765 | - 1765: The potato
The potato becomes the most popular food in Europe
- 22 Mar 1765: Stamp Act passed
Stamp Act passed - imposed a tax on publications and legal documents in the
American colonies (repealed the following year)
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| 3 | 1766 | - 1766: National records on rainfall start
Start of 'composite' national records on rainfall in the UK
- 5 Dec 1766: Christie's auction house
Christie's auction house founded in London by James Christie
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| 4 | 1767 | - 1767: James Watt
Newcomen's steam pumping engine perfected by James Watt
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| 5 | 1768 | - 9 Jan 1768: Philip Astley starts his circus
Philip Astley starts his circus in London
- 6 Dec 1768: Encyclopaedia Britannica
The first edition of the 'Encyclopaedia Britannica' published in Edinburgh by
William Smellie
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| 6 | 1769 | - 1769: Arkwright invents water frame
Arkwright invents water frame (textile production)
- 1769: New Zealand
Capt James Cook maps the coast of New Zealand
- 6 Sep 1769: First Shakespeare festival
David Garrick organises first Shakespeare festival at Stratford-upon-Avon
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| 7 | 1770 | - 1770: Clyde Trust
Clyde Trust created to convert the River Clyde, then an insignificant river, into a major thoroughfare for maritime communications
- 28 Apr 1770: Botany Bay
Capt James Cook lands in Australia (Botany Bay) ? Aug 21: formally claims
Australia for Britain
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| 8 | 1771 | - 1771: Right to report Parliamentary debates
Right to report Parliamentary debates established in England
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| 9 | 1772 | - 1772: First Travellers' Cheques
First Travellers' Cheques issued by the London Credit Exchange Company
- 1772: Morning Post first published
'Morning Post' first published (until 1937)
- 14 May 1772: Judge Mansfield
Judge Mansfield rules that there is no legal basis for slavery in England
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| 10 | 1774 | - 13 Sep 1774: Easter Island
Cook arrives on Easter Island
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| 11 | 1775 | - 19 Apr 1775: Battle of Lexington
Battle of Lexington: first action in American War of Independence (1775- 1783)
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| 12 | 1776 | - 1776: Somerset House
Somerset House in London becomes the repository of records of population
- 1776: First commercial steam engine
Watt and Boulton produce their first commercial steam engine
- 4 Jul 1776: American Declaration of Independence
American Declaration of Independence
- 7 Sep 1776: First submarine attack
First attack on a warship by a submarine - David Bushnell's 'Turtle' attacked
HMS Eagle in New York harbour. The attack was perhaps spectacular (a charge did
detonate beneath the ship) but was nevertheless unsuccessful. 'Turtle' was a one man - man-powered affair
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| 13 | 1777 | - 1777: Circular saw
Samuel Miller of Southampton patents the circular saw.
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| 14 | 1779 | - 1779: Marc Isambard Brunel
Marc Isambard Brunel opens the first steamdriven sawmill at Chatham Dockyard in Kent
- 1779: First iron bridge built
First iron bridge built, over the Severn by John Wilkinson
- 1779: First Spinning Mills
First Spinning Mills operational in Scotland
- 14 Feb 1779: Capt James Cook
Capt James Cook killed on Hawaii
- 23 Sep 1779: Naval engagement between Britain and USA
Naval engagement between Britain and USA off Flamborough Head
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| 15 | 1780 | - 1780: Male Servants Tax
Male Servants Tax
- 1780: English Reform Movement
The English Reform Movement - until now, only landowners and tenants (freeholders with 40 shillings per year or more) allowed to vote, and in open poll books
- 1780: Quiz
About this time the word 'Quiz' entered the language, said to have been invented as a wager by Mr Daly, a Dublin theatre manager
- 4 May 1780: The Derby
First Derby run at Epsom (some say 2nd June)
- 2 Jun 1780—8 Jun 1780: The Gordon Riots
The Gordon Riots - Parliament passes a Roman Catholic relief measure and for days, London is at the mercy of a mob and destruction is widespread
|
| 16 | 1782 | - 1782: The Relief of the Poor Act 1782
Thomas Gilbert's Act establishes outdoor poor relief - the way of life of the poor beginning to alter due to industrialisation - New factories in rapidly expanding towns required a workforce that would adjust to new work patterns
- 1782: James Watt patents his steam engine
James Watt patents his steam engine
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| 17 | 1783 | - 1783: Parish Register
Duty payable on Parish Register entries (3d per entry - repealed 1794) - led to a fall in entries!
- 3 Nov 1783: Public execution
Last public execution at Tyburn in London (John Austin, a highwayman)
|
| 18 | 1784 | - 1784: Pitt's India Act
Pitt's India Act - the Crown (as opposed to officers of the East India Company) has power to guide Indian politics
- 1784: Wesley
Wesley breaks with the Church of England
- 1784: St Andrews
First golf club founded at St Andrews
- 1784: Threshing Machine
Invention of threshing machine by Andrew Meikle
- 2 Aug 1784: 1st Mail Coaches
First mail coaches in England (4pm Bristol / 8am London)
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| 19 | 1785 | - 1785: Sunday School Society founded
Sunday School Society founded to educate poor children (by 1851, enrols more than 2 million)
- 1 Jan 1785: The Times
John Walter publishes first edition of The Times (called The Daily Universal
Register for 3 years)
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| 20 | 1787 | - 1787: Marylebone Cricket Club
MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) established at Thomas Lord's ground in London
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| 21 | 1788 | - 1788: 1st Steamboat
First steamboat demonstrated in Scotland
- 1788: Chimney Sweepers
Law passed requiring that chimney sweepers be a minimum of 8 years old (not
enforced)
- 1788: First slave carrying act
First slave carrying act, the Dolben Act of 1788, regulates the slave trade - stipulates more humane conditions on slave ships
- 1788: Regency Crisis
King George III's mental illness occasions the Regency Crisis - Edmund Burke and Charles James Fox attack ministry of William Pitt - trying to obtain full regal powers for the Prince of Wales
- 1788: Gibbon completes 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'
Gibbon completes 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'
- 26 Jan 1788: First convicts arrive in New South Wales
First convicts (and free settlers) arrive in New South Wales (left Portsmouth 13 May 1787) ? the 'First Fleet'; eleven ships commanded by Captain Arthur Phillip
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| 22 | 1789 | - 28 Apr 1789: Mutiny on HMS Bounty
Mutiny on HMS Bounty - Captain William Bligh and 18 sailors are set adrift
and the rebel crew ends up on Pitcairn Island
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| 23 | 1790 | - 1790: Forth and Clyde Canal opened
Forth and Clyde Canal opened in Scotland
|
| 24 | 1791 | - 1791: John Bell, printer, abandons the long 's'
John Bell, printer, abandons the long 's' (the 's' that looks like an 'f')
- 1791: Establishment of the Ordnance Survey
Establishment of the Ordnance Survey of Great Britain
- 4 Dec 1791: First publication of The Observer
First publication of The Observer - world's oldest Sunday newspaper
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| 25 | 1792 | - 1792: Repression in Britain
Repression in Britain (restrictions on freedom of the press) - Fox gets Libel Act through Parliament, requiring a jury and not a judge to determine libel
- 1792: Boyle's Street Directory
Boyle's Street Directory published
- 1792: Coal-gas lighting invented
Coal-gas lighting invented by William Murdock, an Ayrshire Scot
- 1 Oct 1792: Introduction of Money Orders
Introduction of Money Orders in Britain
- 1 Dec 1792: King's Proclamation
King's Proclamation drawing out the British militia
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| 26 | 1793 | - 11 Feb 1793: Britain-French war
Britain declares war on France (1793-1802)
- 15 Apr 1793: £5 notes issued
£5 notes first issued by the Bank of England
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| 27 | 1794 | - 1794: Abolition of Parish Register duties
Abolition of Parish Register duties
- 6 Oct 1794: Lord Justice Eyre
The prosecutor for Britain, Lord Justice Eyre, charges reformers with High
Treason - he argued that, since reform of parliament would lead to revolution and revolution to executing the King, the desire for reform endangered the King's life and was therefore treasonous
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| 28 | 1795 | - 1795: The Famine Year
The Famine Year
- 1795: Foundation of the Orange Order
Foundation of the Orange Order
- 1795: Speenhamland Act
Speenhamland Act proclaims that the Parish is responsible for bringing up the labourer's wage to subsistence level - towards the end of the eighteenth century, the number of poor and unemployed increased dramatically - price increases during the Napoleonic Wars (1793-1815) far outstripped wage rises - many small farmers were bankrupted by the move towards enclosures and became landless labourers - their wages were often pitifully low
- 1795: The Gagging Acts
Pitt and Grenville introduce 'The Gagging Acts' or 'Two Bills' (the Seditious Meetings and Treasonable Practices Bills) - outlawed the mass meeting and the political lecture.
- 1795: Consumption of lime juice
Consumption of lime juice made compulsory in Royal Navy
|
| 29 | 1796 | - 1796: Pitt's Reign of Terror
Pitt's 'Reign of Terror': More treason trials - leading radicals emigrate
- 1796: Legacy Tax
Legacy Tax on sums over £20 excluding those to wives, children, parents and
grandparents
- 14 May 1796: Smallpox
Dr Edward Jenner gave first vaccination for smallpox in England
|
| 30 | 1797 | - 1797: Bank of England suspends cash payments
England in Crisis, Bank of England suspends cash payments
- 1797: Mutinies in the Roayl Navy
Mutinies in the Roayl Navy at Spithead and Nore
- 1797: Tax on newspapers increased
Tax on newspapers (including cheap, topical journals) increased to repress radical
publications
- 1797: First copper pennies
The first copper pennies were produced ('cartwheels') by application of steam power to the coining press
- 22 Feb 1797: French invade Fishguard
French invade Fishguard, Wales; last time UK invaded; all the French were captured 2 days later
- 26 Feb 1797: First £1 notes
First £1 (and £2) notes issued by Bank of England
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| 31 | 1798 | - 1798: Vaccination
First planned human experiment with vaccination, to test theories of Edward Jenner
- Feb 1798: The Irish Rebellion
The Irish Rebellion; 100,000 peasants revolt; approximately 25,000 die - Irish
Parliament abolished (Feb-Oct)
- 1 Aug 1798: Battle of the Nile
Battle of the Nile (won by Nelson)
|
| 32 | 1799 | - 1799: Royal Military College Sandhurst
Foundation of Royal Military College Sandhurst by the Duke of York
- 1799: Foundation of the Royal Institution
The Royal Institution was founded in 1799 by the leading British scientists of the age, including Henry Cavendish and its first president, George Finch, the 9th Earl of Winchilsea, for "diffusing the knowledge, and facilitating the general introduction, of useful mechanical inventions and improvements; and for teaching, by courses of philosophical lectures and experiments, the application of science to the common purposes of life."
- 9 Jan 1799: Income tax
Pitt brings in 10% income tax, as a wartime financial measure
- 12 Jul 1799: Combination Laws
'Combination Laws' in Britain against political associations and combinations
- 15 Jul 1799: Rosetta Stone
'Rosetta Stone' discovered in Egypt made possible the deciphering (in 1822) of Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics
|
| 33 | 1800 | - 1800: First electric light
produced by Sir Humphrey Davy
- 1800: Richard Trevithick
Use of high pressure steam pioneered by Richard Trevithick (1771-1833)
- 1800: Royal College of Surgeons
Royal College of Surgeons founded
- 1800: Infra-red light discovered
Herschel discovers infra-red light
- 1800: first electrical battery
Volta makes first electrical battery
- 2 Jul 1800: union of Great Britain and Ireland
Parliamentary union of Great Britain and Ireland
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| 34 | 1801 | - 1801: Grand Union Canal
Grand Union Canal opens in England
- 1801: Elgin Marbles
Elgin Marbles brought from Athens to London
- 1 Jan 1801: Union Jack
Union Jack becomes the official British flag
- 10 Mar 1801: First census
First census puts the population of England and Wales at 9,168,000. Population of Britain nearly 11 million (75% rural)
- 24 Dec 1801: First self-propelled passenger carrying road loco
Richard Trevithick built the first self-propelled passenger carrying road loco
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| 35 | 1802 | - 25 Mar 1802: Treaty of Amiens
Treaty of Amiens signed by Britain, France, Spain, and the Netherlands. The 'Peace of Amiens' as it was known brought a temporary peace of 14 months during the Napoleonic Wars one of its most important cultural effects was that travel and correspondence across the English Channel became possible again
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| 36 | 1803 | - 1803: Poaching
Poaching made a Capital offense in England if capture resisted
- 1803: Richard Trevithick
Richard Trevithick built another steam carriage and ran it in London as the first self-propelled vehicle in the capital and the first London bus
- 1803: Semaphore signaling
Semaphore signaling perfected by Admiral Popham
- 30 Apr 1803: Louisiana Purchase
Louisiana Purchase: Napoleon sells French possessions in America to United States
- 12 May 1803: Napoleonic Wars
Peace of Amiens ends - resumption of war with France - The Napoleonic Wars (1803-18l5)
- 23 Jul 1803: First public railway opens
First public railway opens (Surrey Iron Railway, 9 miles from Wandsworth to
Croydon, horse-drawn)
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| 37 | 1804 | - 1804: Australia
Matthew Flinders recommends that the newly discovered country, New Holland, be renamed 'Australia'
- 21 Feb 1804: Penydarren Railway
Richard Trevithick runs his railway engine on the Penydarren Railway (9.5 miles
from Pen-y-Darren to Abercynon in South Wales) this hauled a train with 10 tons of iron and 70 passengers. It was commemorated by the Royal Mint in 2004 in the form of a £2 coin.
- 3 Mar 1804: The Royal Horticultural Society
John Wedgwood (eldest son of the potter Josiah Wedgwood) founds The Royal Horticultural Society
- 2 Dec 1804: Napoleon
Napoleon declares himself Emperor of the French
- 12 Dec 1804: Spain declares war
Spain declares war on Britain
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| 38 | 1805 | - 1805: London docks opened
The London docks were constructed in Wapping downstream from the City of London between 1799 and 1815, at a cost exceeding £5½ million
- 21 Oct 1805: Battle of Trafalgar
Admiral Nelson's victory at Trafalgar
- 2 Dec 1805: Battle of Austerlitz
Battle of Austerlitz; Napoleon defeats Austrians and Russians
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| 39 | 1806 | - 1806: Dartmoor Prison opened
Dartmoor Prison opened (built by French prisoners)
- 9 Jan 1806: Nelson buried
Nelson buried in St Paul's cathedral, London
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| 40 | 1807 | - 25 Mar 1807: Act prohibiting slavery
Parliament passes Act prohibiting slavery and the importation of slaves from 1808, but does not prohibit colonial slavery
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Abt 1765 - 1807 (~ 42 years)