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Date |
Event(s) |
| 1 | 1697 | - 2 Dec 1697: Opening of St Paul's Cathedral
Official opening of St Paul's Cathedral
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| 2 | 1698 | - 1698: Steam Engine
Invention of steam engine by Capt Thomas Savery
- 1698: Darien Expedition
Darien Expedition: a disastrous attempt to establish a Scots settlement in Panama
- 1698: Duties (taxes) on entries in parish registers
Duties (taxes) on entries in parish registers - repealed after five years
- 4 Jan 1698: Palace of Whitehall
Most of the Palace of Whitehall in London destroyed by fire
- 14 Nov 1698: Eddystone Lighthouse first lit
Eddystone Lighthouse (Henry Winstanley's) first lit; completed 10 days earlier
|
| 3 | 1700 | - 1700: Population
Population in England and Scotland approx 7.5 million
|
| 4 | 1701 | - 1701: Act of Settlement
Act of Settlement bars Catholics from the British throne
- 23 May 1701: Captain Kidd hanged
After being convicted of piracy and murdering William Moore, Captain
William Kidd hanged in London
|
| 5 | 1702 | - 8 Mar 1702: Queen Anne
Anne Stuart becomes Queen
- 11 Mar 1702: The Daily Courant
First English daily newspaper The Daily Courant (till 1735)
|
| 6 | 1703 | - 4 Aug 1703: British take Gibraltar
British take Gibraltar
- 24 Nov 1703—2 Dec 1703: Most violent storms of the millennium
Climate: Most violent storms of the millennium cause vast damage across southern England - about a third of Britain's merchant fleet lost, and Eddystone lighthouse destroyed on 27 November (Nov 24 - Dec 2)
|
| 7 | 1704 | - 1704: Penal Code enacted
Penal Code enacted - Catholics barred from voting, education and the military
- 13 Aug 1704: Battle of Blenheim
The Battle of Blenheim (referred to in some countries as the Second Battle of Höchstädt), fought on 13 August 1704, was a major battle of the War of the Spanish Succession.[1] Louis XIV of France sought to knock Emperor Leopold out of the war by seizing Vienna, the Habsburg capital, and gain a favourable peace settlement.
|
| 8 | 1705 | - 1705: Thomas Newcomen
First workable steam pumping engine devised by Thomas Newcomen (some say c1710
or 1711)
- 1705: Isaac Newton knighted
Isaac Newton knighted (for his work at the Royal Mint)
|
| 9 | 1706 | - 1706: First evening newspaper
First evening newspaper The Evening Post' issued in London
|
| 10 | 1707 | - 16 Jan 1707: Union with Scotland
Union with Scotland - Scots agree to send 16 peers and 45 MPs to English
Parliament in return for full trading privileges - Scottish Parliament meets for the last time in March
- 1 May 1707: The Kingdom of Great Britain established
English and Scottish Parliaments united by an Act of the English Parliament -
The Kingdom of Great Britain established - largest free-trade area in Europe at the time
|
| 11 | 1708 | - 1708: First Jacobite rising
First Jacobite rising in Scotland
- 1708: Earliest Artillery Muster Rolls
Earliest Artillery Muster Rolls
|
| 12 | 1709 | - 1709: Second Eddystone lighthouse completed
Second Eddystone lighthouse completed
- 1709: First Copyright Act passed
First Copyright Act passed
- 1709: bread riots in Britain
Bad harvests throughout Europe - bread riots in Britain
- 2 Feb 1709: Alexander Selkirk rescued
Alexander Selkirk rescued from shipwreck on a desert island, inspiring the book
Robinson Crusoe (published in 1719) by Daniel Defoe
|
| 13 | 1710 | - 1710: Tax on Apprentice Indentures
Tax on Apprentice Indentures introduced
|
| 14 | 1711 | - 1711: Incorporation of South Sea Company
Incorporation of South Sea Company, in London.
The South Sea Company was a British joint-stock company founded in 1711, created as a public-private partnership to consolidate and reduce the cost of national debt. The company was also granted a monopoly to trade with South America, hence its name.
- 11 Aug 1711: First meeting at Ascot
First race meeting at Ascot
|
| 15 | 1712 | - 1712: Soap Tax
Imposition of Soap Tax (abolished 1853)
- 1712: Last trial for witchcraft
Last trial for witchcraft in England (Jane Wenham)
- 1712: Toleration Act passed
Toleration Act passed - first relief to non-Anglicans
|
| 16 | 1713 | - 1713: 3,000 coffee houses in London
By this year there are some 3,000 coffee houses in London
|
| 17 | 1714 | - 1714: Longitude Act
Longitude Act: prize of £20,000 offered to the inventor of a workable method of
determining a ship's longitude (won by John Harrison in 1773 for his chronometer).
- 1714: Schism Act
Schism Act, prevents Dissenters from being schoolmasters in England
- 1714: Oath of Allegiance
Landholders forced to take the Oath of Allegiance and renounce Roman Catholicism
- 1 Aug 1714: Queen Anne Stuart dies
Queen Anne Stuart dies - George I Hanover becomes king (1714-1727).
|
| 18 | 1715 | - 1715: Second Jacobite rebellion
Second Jacobite rebellion in Scotland, under the Old Pretender ('The Fifteen')
- 1 Aug 1715: Riot Act passed
Riot Act passed
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| 19 | 1716 | - 1716: Septennial Act
The Septennial Act of Britain leads to greater electoral corruption - general elections now to be held once every 7 years instead of every 3 (until 1911)
- 1716: Frost Fair
Climate: Thames frozen so solid that a spring tide lifted the ice bodily 13ft without interrupting the frost fair
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| 20 | 1717 | - 1717: First Masonic Lodge
First Masonic Lodge opens in London
- 1717: Golden Guinea
Value of the golden guinea fixed at 21 shillings
|
| 21 | 1719 | - 1719: Third Jacobite rising
Third abortive Jacobite rising
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| 22 | 1720 | - 1720: South Sea Bubble
South Sea Bubble, a stock-market crash on Exchange Alley - government assumes
control of National Debt
- 1720: Manufacturing towns
Manufacturing towns start to increase in population - rise of new wealth
- 1720: Wallpaper
Wallpaper becomes fashionable in England
|
| 23 | 1721 | - 2 Apr 1721: Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole (Whig) becomes first Prime Minister (to 1742)
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| 24 | 1722 | - 1722: Last trial for witchcraft in Scotland
Last trial for witchcraft in Scotland
- 1722: Knatchbull's Act
The Workhouse Test Act also known as the General Act or Knatchbull's Act was poor relief legislation passed by the British government by Sir Edward Knatchbull in 1723. The "workhouse test" was that a person who wanted to receive poor relief had to enter a workhouse and undertake a set amount of work. The test was intended to prevent irresponsible claims on a parish's poor rate.
|
| 25 | 1723 | - 1723: Excise tax
Excise tax levied for coffee, tea, and chocolate
- 1723: Waltham Black Acts
The Waltham Black Acts add 50 capital offences to the penal code - people could be sentenced to death for theft and poaching - repealed in 1827
|
| 26 | 1724 | - 1724: Gin drinking
Rapid growth of gin drinking in England
- 1724: Longman's founded
Longman's founded (Britain's oldest publishing house)
|
| 27 | 1726 | - 1726: First circulating library
First circulating library opened in Edinburgh
- 1726: Invention of the chronometer
A marine chronometer is a clock that is precise and accurate enough to be used as a portable time standard; it can therefore be used to determine longitude by means of celestial navigation. When first developed in the 18th century, it was a major technical achievement, as accurate knowledge of the time over a long sea voyage is necessary for navigation, lacking electronic or communications aids. The first true chronometer was the life work of one man, John Harrison, spanning 31 years of persistent experimentation and test that revolutionized naval navigation enabling the Age of Discovery and Colonialism to accelerate
|
| 28 | 1727 | - 1727: Board of Manufacturers established
Board of Manufacturers established in Scotland
- 11 Jun 1727: George I dies
George I dies - George II Hanover becomes king
|
| 29 | 1729 | - 9 Nov 1729: Treaty of Seville
Treaty of Seville signed between Britain, France and Spain - Britain maintained control of Port Mahon and Gibraltar
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| 30 | 1730 | - 1730: Irish famine
Irish famine
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| 31 | 1731 | - 1731: Invention of seed drill
Invention of seed drill by Jethro Tull [others say 1701]
- 1731: Invention of sextant
Invention of sextant by John Hadley
|
| 32 | 1732 | - 7 Dec 1732: Opera House opens
Covent Garden Opera House opens
|
| 33 | 1733 | - 1733: Excise crisis
Excise crisis: Sir Robert Walpole wanted to add excise tax to tobacco and wine - Pulteney and Bolingbroke oppose the excise tax
- 1733: Latin in parish registers
Law forbidding the use of Latin in parish registers generally obeyed - some continued in Latin for a few years
- 1733: John Kay invents the flying shuttle
John Kay invents the flying shuttle, revolutionised the weaving industry
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| 34 | 1734 | - 1734: Kent's Directory
Kent's Directory published
|
| 35 | 1737 | - 1737: Licensing Act
Licensing Act restricts the number of London theatres and subects plays to censorship of the Lord Chamberlain (till 1950s)
|
| 36 | 1738 | - 24 May 1738: John Wesley
John Wesley has his conversion experience
|
| 37 | 1739 | - 1739: Methodist revival
Wesley and Whitefield commence great Methodist revival
- 7 Apr 1739: Dick Turpin
Dick Turpin, highwayman, hanged at York
- 23 Oct 1739: War of Jenkins' Ear
War of Jenkins' Ear starts: Robert Walpole reluctantly declares war on Spain
|
| 38 | 1741 | - 1741: Benjamin Ingham
Benjamin Ingham founded the Moravian Methodists or Inghamites - Earliest Moravian registers
|
| 39 | 1742 | - 1742: England goes to war with Spain
England goes to war with Spain - incited by William Pitt the Elder (Earl of Chatham) for the sake of trade
|
| 40 | 1743 | - 16 Jun 1743: Battle of Dettingen
(June 27 in Gregorian calendar): Battle of Dettingen - last time a British sovereign (George II) led troops in battle
|
| 41 | 1744 | - 1744: God Save the King
Tune 'God Save the King' makes its appearance
|
| 42 | 1745 | - 1745: Jacobite rebellion in Scotland
Jacobite rebellion in Scotland ('The Forty-five')
- 19 Aug 1745: Bonnie Prince Charlie
Bonnie Prince Charlie (The Young Pretender) lands in the western Highlands - raises support among Episcopalian and Catholic clans - The Pretender's army invades Perth, Edinburgh, and England as far as Derby
|
| 43 | 1746 | - 16 Apr 1746: Battle of Culloden
Battle of Culloden - last battle fought in Britain - 5,000 Highlanders routed by the Duke of Cumberland and 9,000 loyalists Scots - Young Pretender Charles flees to Continent, ending Jacobite hopes forever - the wearing of the kilt prohibited
|
| 44 | 1747 | - 1747: Abolition of Heritable Jurisdictions
Abolition of Heritable Jurisdictions in Scotland. It abolished the traditional rights of jurisdiction afforded to a Scottish clan chief.
- 1747: Act for Pacification
Act for Pacification of the Highlands
|
| 45 | 1749 | - 27 Apr 1749: Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks
First performance of Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks (in Green Park,
London)
|
| 46 | 1750 | - Feb 1750: Earthquakes in London and the Home Counties
Series of earthquakes in London and the Home Counties cause panic with
predictions of an apocalypse (Feb/Mar)
- 16 Nov 1750: Westminster Bridge opened
Original Westminster Bridge opened (replaced in 1862 due to subsidence)
|
| 47 | 1751 | - Mar 1751: Chesterfield's Calendar Act
Chesterfield's Calendar Act passed - royal assent to the bill was given on 22
May 1751 - It reformed the calendar of England and British Dominions so that a new year began on 1 January rather than 25 March (Lady Day) and would run according to the Gregorian calendar, as used in most of western Europe.
|
| 48 | 1752 | - 1752: Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin invents the lightning conductor
- 3 Sep 1752: Julian Calendar dropped
Julian Calendar dropped and Gregorian Calendar adopted in England and Scotland, making this Sep 14
|
| 49 | 1753 | - 1753: British Museum
Private collection of Sir Hans Sloane forms the basis of the British Museum
- 1 May 1753: Species Plantarum
Publication of 'Species Plantarum' by Linnaeus and the formal start date of plant taxonomy
|
| 50 | 1754 | - 1754: Hardwicke Act
Hardwicke Act (1753): Banns to be called, and Printed Marriage Register forms to be used - Quakers & Jews exempt
- 1754: Cow Inn at Haslemere
In the General Election, the Cow Inn at Haslemere, Surrey caused a national scandal by subdividing the freehold to create eight votes instead of one
- 1754: British troops
First British troops not belonging to the East India Company despatched to India
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| 51 | 1755 | - 1755: Dr Samuel Johnson
Publication of Dictionary of the English Language' by Dr Samuel Johnson
- 1755—1827: Canal construction began
Period of canal construction began in Britain (till 1827)
- 2 Dec 1755: Eddystone Lighthouse destroyed
Second Eddystone Lighthouse destroyed by fire
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| 52 | 1756 | - 15 May 1756: Seven Years War
The Seven Years War with France (Pitt's trade war) begins
- Jun 1756: Black Hole of Calcutta
Black Hole of Calcutta - 146 Britons imprisoned, most die according to British
sources
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| 53 | 1757 | - 1757: Empire of India
The foundation laid for the Empire of India
- 14 Mar 1757: Admiral Byng
Admiral Byng shot at Portsmouth for failing to relieve Minorca
- 23 Jun 1757: battle of Plassey
The Nawab of Bengal tries to expel the British, but is defeated at the battle of Plassey (Palashi, June 23) - the East India Company forces are led by Robert Clive
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| 54 | 1759 | - 1759: Methodist chapels
Wesley builds 356 Methodist chapels
- 15 Jan 1759: British Museum
British Museum opens to the public in London
- 16 Oct 1759: Third Eddystone Lighthouse
Third Eddystone Lighthouse (John Smeaton's) completed
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| 55 | 1760 | - 1760: Carron Iron Works
Carron Iron Works in operation in Scotland
- 5 May 1760: First use of hangman's drop
First use of hangman's drop
- 25 Oct 1760: George II dies
George II dies - George III Hanover, his grandson, becomes king. The date conventionally marks the start of the so-called first Industrial Revolution'
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| 56 | 1761 | - 16 Jan 1761: British capture Pondicherry
British capture Pondicherry, India from the French
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| 57 | 1762 | - 1762: Cigars introduced
Cigars introduced into Britain from Cuba
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| 58 | 1763 | - 10 Feb 1763: Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris - The Treaty of Paris, also known as the Peace of Paris and the Treaty of 1763, was signed on 10 February 1763 by the kingdoms of Great Britain, France and Spain, with Portugal in agreement, after Britain's victory over France and Spain during the Seven Years' War.
|
| 59 | 1764 | - 1764: Lloyd's Register of shipping
Lloyd's Register of shipping first prepared
- 1764: Practice of numbering houses
Practice of numbering houses introduced to London
- 1764: James Hargeaves
James Hargeaves invents the Spinning Jenny. The device reduced the amount of work needed to produce yarn.
- 1764: Mozart
Mozart produces his first symphony at age eight
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| 60 | 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)
|
| 61 | 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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| 62 | 1767 | - 1767: James Watt
Newcomen's steam pumping engine perfected by James Watt
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| 63 | 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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| 64 | 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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| 65 | 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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| 66 | 1771 | - 1771: Right to report Parliamentary debates
Right to report Parliamentary debates established in England
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| 67 | 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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| 68 | 1774 | - 13 Sep 1774: Easter Island
Cook arrives on Easter Island
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1697 - 1774 (77 years)