Timeline: Naomi Knox: Our Family History

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1775 - 1854 (79 years)

	Date	Event(s)
1	1775	19 Apr 1775—19 Apr 1775: Battle of Lexington: first action in American War of Independence (1775- 1783) 19 Apr 1775—3 Sep 1783: American Revolutionary War
2	1776	1776—1776: Somerset House in London becomes the repository of records of population 1776—1776: Watt and Boulton produce their first commercial steam engine 4 Jul 1776—4 Jul 1776: American Declaration of Independence 7 Sep 1776—7 Sep 1776: 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 Affair man-powered [Les Moore]
3	1777	1777—1777: Samuel Miller of Southampton patents the circular saw.
4	1779	1779—1779: Marc Isambard Brunel opens the first steamdriven sawmill at Chatham Dockyard in Kent 1779—1779: First iron bridge built, over the Severn by John Wilkinson 1779—1779: First Spinning Mills operational in Scotland 14 Feb 1779—14 Feb 1779: Capt James Cook killed on Hawaii 23 Sep 1779—23 Sep 1779: Naval engagement between Britain and USA off Flamborough Head
5	1780	1780—1780: Male Servants Tax 1780—1780: 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—1780: Fountain pen invented 1780—1780: 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—4 May 1780: First Derby run at Epsom (some say 2nd June) 2 Jun 1780—2 Jun 1780: Jun 2- 8: The Gordon Riots - Parliament passes a Roman Catholic relief measure - for days, London is at the mercy of a mob and destruction is widespread
6	1782	1782—1782: 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—1782: James Watt patents his steam engine
7	1783	1783—1783: Duty payable on Parish Register entries (3d per entry - repealed 1794) - led to a fall in entries! 3 Sep 1783—3 Sep 1783: Treaty of Versailles (Britain/US) 3 Nov 1783—3 Nov 1783: Last public execution at Tyburn in London (John Austin, a highwayman)
8	1784	1784—1784: Pitt's India Act - the Crown (as opposed to officers of the East India Company) has power to guide Indian politics 1784—1784: Wesley breaks with the Church of England 1784—1784: First golf club founded at St Andrews 1784—1784: Invention of threshing machine by Andrew Meikle 2 Aug 1784—2 Aug 1784: First mail coaches in England (4pm Bristol / 8am London)
9	1785	1785—1785: Sunday School Society founded to educate poor children (by 1851, enrols more than 2 million) 1785—1795: Northwest Indian War 1 Jan 1785—1 Jan 1785: John Walter publishes first edition of The Times (called The Daily Universal Register for 3 years)
10	1787	1787—1787: MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) established at Thomas Lord's ground in London
11	1788	1788—1788: First steamboat demonstrated in Scotland 1788—1788: Law passed requiring that chimney sweepers be a minimum of 8 years old (not enforced) 1788—1788: First slave carrying act, the Dolben Act of 1788, regulates the slave trade - stipulates more humane conditions on slave ships 1788—1788: 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—1788: Gibbon completes Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' 26 Jan 1788—26 Jan 1788: 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
12	1789	28 Apr 1789—28 Apr 1789: Mutiny on HMS Bounty - Captain William Bligh and 18 sailors are set adrift and the rebel crew ends up on Pitcairn Island 30 Apr 1789—4 Mar 1797: George Washington U.S. Presidency
13	1790	1790—1790: Forth and Clyde Canal opened in Scotland
14	1791	1791—1791: John Bell, printer, abandons the long s' (the 's' that looks like an 'f') 1791—1791: Establishment of the Ordnance Survey of Great Britain 4 Dec 1791—4 Dec 1791: First publication of The Observer - world's oldest Sunday newspaper
15	1792	1792—1792: 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—1792: Boyle's Street Directory published 1792—1792: Coal-gas lighting invented by William Murdock, an Ayrshire Scot 1 Oct 1792—1 Oct 1792: Introduction of Money Orders in Britain 1 Dec 1792—1 Dec 1792: King's Proclamation drawing out the British militia
16	1793	11 Feb 1793—11 Feb 1793: Britain declares war on France (1793-1802) 15 Apr 1793—15 Apr 1793: ?5 notes first issued by the Bank of England
17	1794	1794—1794: Abolition of Parish Register duties 6 Oct 1794—6 Oct 1794: 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
18	1795	1795—1795: The Famine Year 1795—1795: Foundation of the Orange Order 1795—1795: 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—1795: 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—1795: Consumption of lime juice made compulsory in Royal Navy
19	1796	1796—1796: Pitt's Reign of Terror': More treason trials - leading radicals emigrate 1796—1796: Legacy Tax on sums over ?20 excluding those to wives, children, parents and grandparents 14 May 1796—14 May 1796: Dr Edward Jenner gave first vaccination for smallpox in England
20	1797	1797—1797: England in Crisis, Bank of England suspends cash payments 1797—1797: Mutinies in the British Navy at Spithead and Nore 1797—1797: Tax on newspapers (including cheap, topical journals) increased to repress radical publications 1797—1797: The first copper pennies were produced ('cartwheels') by application of steam power to the coining press 22 Feb 1797—22 Feb 1797: French invade Fishguard, Wales; last time UK invaded; all captured 2 days later 26 Feb 1797—26 Feb 1797: First ?1 (and ?2) notes issued by Bank of England 4 Mar 1797—4 Mar 1801: John Adams U.S. Presidency
21	1798	1798—1798: First planned human experiment with vaccination, to test theories of Edward Jenner Feb 1798—Feb 1798: The Irish Rebellion; 100,000 peasants revolt; approximately 25,000 die - Irish Parliament abolished (Feb-Oct) 7 Jul 1798—30 Sep 1800: Franco-American War 1 Aug 1798—1 Aug 1798: Battle of the Nile (won by Nelson)
22	1799	1799—1799: Foundation of Royal Military College Sandhurst by the Duke of York 1799—1799: Foundation of the Royal Institution of Great Britain 9 Jan 1799—9 Jan 1799: Pitt brings in 10% income tax, as a wartime financial measure 12 Jul 1799—12 Jul 1799: 'Combination Laws' in Britain against political associations and combinations 15 Jul 1799—15 Jul 1799: ?Rosetta Stone' discovered in Egypt made possible the deciphering (in 1822) of Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics
23	1800	1800—1800: Electric light first produced by Sir Humphrey Davy 1800—1800: Use of high pressure steam pioneered by Richard Trevithick (1771-1833) 1800—1800: Royal College of Surgeons founded 1800—1800: Herschel discovers infra-red light 1800—1800: Volta makes first electrical battery 2 Jul 1800—2 Jul 1800: Parliamentary union of Great Britain and Ireland
24	1801	1801—1801: Grand Union Canal opens in England 1801—1801: Elgin Marbles brought from Athens to London 1 Jan 1801—1 Jan 1801: Union Jack becomes the official British flag 4 Mar 1801—4 Mar 1809: Thomas Jefferson U.S. Presidency 10 Mar 1801—10 Mar 1801: First census puts the population of England and Wales at 9,168,000. Population of Britain nearly 11 million (75% rural) 10 May 1801—10 Jun 1805: First Barbary War 24 Dec 1801—24 Dec 1801: Richard Trevithick built the first self-propelled passenger carrying road loco
25	1802	25 Mar 1802—25 Mar 1802: 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
26	1803	1803—1803: Poaching made a Capital offense in England if capture resisted 1803—1803: 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—1803: Semaphore signaling perfected by Admiral Popham 30 Apr 1803—30 Apr 1803: Louisiana Purchase: Napoleon sells French possessions in America to United States 12 May 1803—12 May 1803: Peace of Amiens ends ? resumption of war with France ? The Napoleonic Wars (1803-18l5) 23 Jul 1803—23 Jul 1803: First public railway opens (Surrey Iron Railway, 9 miles from Wandsworth to Croydon, horse-drawn)
27	1804	1804—1804: Matthew Flinders recommends that the newly discovered country, New Holland, be renamed 'Australia' 21 Feb 1804—21 Feb 1804: 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—3 Mar 1804: John Wedgwood (eldest son of the potter Josiah Wedgwood) founds The Royal Horticultural Society 2 Dec 1804—2 Dec 1804: Napoleon declares himself Emperor of the French 12 Dec 1804—12 Dec 1804: Spain declares war on Britain
28	1805	1805—1805: London docks opened 21 Oct 1805—21 Oct 1805: Admiral Nelson's victory at Trafalgar 2 Dec 1805—2 Dec 1805: Battle of Austerlitz; Napoleon defeats Austrians and Russians
29	1806	1806—1806: Dartmoor Prison opened (built by French prisoners) 9 Jan 1806—9 Jan 1806: Nelson buried in St Paul's cathedral, London
30	1807	1807: Fulton's First Steamboat Voyage 25 Mar 1807—25 Mar 1807: Parliament passes Act prohibiting slavery and the importation of slaves from 1808 ? but does not prohibit colonial slavery
31	1808	1808—1808: Gas lighting in London streets 13 Jul 1808—13 Jul 1808: 'Hot Wednesday' ? temperature of 101?F in the shade recorded in London 20 Dec 1808—20 Dec 1808: Beethoven premieres his Fifth Symphony, Sixth Symphony, Fourth Piano Concerto and Choral Fantasy together in Vienna
32	1809	12 Feb 1809—12 Feb 1809: Birth of Charles Darwin 4 Mar 1809—4 Mar 1817: James Madison U.S. Presidency 18 Sep 1809—18 Sep 1809: Royal Opera House opens in London
33	1810	1810—1810: John McAdam begins road construction in England, giving his name to the process of road metalling
34	1811	5 Feb 1811—5 Feb 1811: Prince of Wales (future George IV) made Regent after George III deemed insane
35	1812	11 May 1812—11 May 1812: Prime Minister, Spencer Perceval, assassinated ? shot as he entered the House of Commons by a bankrupt Liverpool broker, John Bellingham, who was subsequently hanged 18 Jun 1812—18 Jun 1812: Start of American 'War of 1812' (to 1814) against England and Canada 18 Jun 1812—17 Feb 1815: War of 1812 Oct 1812—Oct 1812: Napoleon retreats from Moscow with catastrophic losses
36	1813	1813—1813: Ireland: First recorded '12th of July' sectarian riots in Belfast 1813—1813: Jane Austen wrote 'Pride and Prejudice'
37	1814	1 Jan 1814—1 Jan 1814: Invasion of France by Allies 6 Apr 1814—6 Apr 1814: Napoleon abdicates and is exiled to Elba 13 Aug 1814—13 Aug 1814: Convention of London signed, a treaty between the UK and the Dutch 24 Aug 1814—24 Aug 1814: The British burn the White House 29 Nov 1814—29 Nov 1814: 'The Times' first printed by a 'mechanical apparatus' (at 1100 sheets per hour) 24 Dec 1814—24 Dec 1814: Treaty of Ghent signed ending the 1812 war between Britain and the US
38	1815	1815—1815: Trial by Jury established in Scotland 1815—1815: Davy develops the safety lamp for miners 3 Mar 1815—5 Dec 1815: Second Barbary War 18 Jun 1815—18 Jun 1815: The Battle of Waterloo: Napoleon defeated and exiled to St. Helena 18 Jun 1815: The Battle of Waterloo
39	1816	1816—1816: Income tax abolished 1816—1816: For the first time British silver coins were produced with an intrinsic value substantially below their face value ? the first official 'token' coinage 1816—1816: Climate: the 'year without a summer' ? followed a volcanic explosion of the mountain 'Tambora in Indonesia the previous year the biggest volcanic explosion in 10000 years 1816—1816: Large scale emigration to North America 1816—1816: Trans-Atlantic packet service begins
40	1817	1817—1817: March of the Manchester Blanketeers; Habeas Corpus suspended 1817—1817: Constable painted 'Flatford Mill' 4 Mar 1817—4 Mar 1825: James Monroe U.S. Presidency
41	1818	1818—1818: Manchester cotton spinners' strike 20 Oct 1818—20 Oct 1818: 'Convention of 1818' signed between the United States and the United Kingdom which, among other things, settled the US-Canada border on the 49th parallel for most of its length
42	1819	1819—1819: Primitive bicycle, the Dandy Horse, becomes popular 1819—1819: Britain returns to gold standard 1819—1819: Singapore founded by Sir Stamford Raffles May 1819—May 1819: SS 'Savannah' first steamship to cross Atlantic reaching Liverpool 20 June 1819 (26 Days reaching Liverpool 20 June 1819 (26 Days mostly under sail) 16 Aug 1819—16 Aug 1819: Peterloo Massacre at Manchester ? a large, orderly group of 60,000 meets at St. Peter's Fields, Manchester ? demand Parliamentary Reform ? mounted troops charge on the meeting, killing 11 people and and maiming many others
43	1820	1820—1820: Cato Street Conspiracy ? plot to assissinate British cabinet 1820—1820: Abolition of the Spanish Inquisition 29 Jan 1820—29 Jan 1820: Accession of George IV, previously Prince Regent 1 Aug 1820—1 Aug 1820: Regent's Canal in London opens 17 Aug 1820—17 Aug 1820: Trial of Queen Caroline to prove her infidelities so George IV can divorce her ? George tries to secure a Bill of Pains and Penalties against her ? Caroline is virtually acquitted because bill passed by such a small majority of Lords
44	1821	1821—1821: Faraday publishes 'Principles of electro-magnetic rotation' 1821—1821: Constable paints 'The Hay Wain' 5 May 1821—5 May 1821: Napoleon Bonaparte dies on St Helena
45	1822	14 Jun 1822—14 Jun 1822: Charles Babbage proposes a difference engine in a paper to the Royal Astronomical Society
46	1823	1823—1823: New laws concerning marriage by license ? 'very troublesome' according to some the Act was repealed all in a hurry at the beginning of the next session 1823—1823: Peel begins penal reforms ? death penalty abolished for over 100 crimes 1823—1823: Rugby Football 'invented' at Rugby School 1823—1823: Rubberised waterproof material produced by MacIntosh 2 Dec 1823—2 Dec 1823: US President James Monroe delivers a speech establishing American neutrality in future European conflicts (the 'Monroe Doctrine')
47	1824	1824—1824: RSPCA established 1824—1824: Portland cement patented 4 Mar 1824—4 Mar 1824: Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) founded (called the 'National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck' until 1854) 10 May 1824—10 May 1824: National Gallery in London opens to the public
48	1825	4 Mar 1825—4 Mar 1829: John Quincy Adams U.S. Presidency 27 Sep 1825—27 Sep 1825: Stockton to Darlington Railway opens ? world's first service of locomotive-hauled passenger trains
49	1827	1827—1827: Ohm's Law published
50	1828	25 Oct 1828—25 Oct 1828: St Katharine Docks in London opened (designed by Thomas Telford)
51	1829	1829—1829: London Metropolitan Police Force formed, nicknamed 'Bobbies' after Sir Robert Peel 1829—1829: Louis Braille invents his system of finger-reading for the blind 4 Mar 1829—4 Mar 1837: Andrew Jackson U.S. Presidency 10 Jun 1829—10 Jun 1829: First Oxford/Cambridge Boat Race 6 Oct 1829—6 Oct 1829: George Stephenson's Rocket wins the Rainhill trials (it was the only one to complete the trial!)
52	1830	1830—1830: Uprisings and agitation across Europe: the Netherlands are split into Holland and Belgium 1830: America's First Steam Locomotive Jul 1830—Jul 1830: Revolution in France, fall of Charles X and the Bourbons ? Louis Philippe (the Citizen King) on the throne 15 Sep 1830—15 Sep 1830: George Stephenson's Liverpool & Manchester Railway opened by the Duke of Wellington ? first mail carried by rail, and first death on the railway as William Huskisson, a leading politician, is run over!
53	1831	1831—1831: A list of all parish registers dating prior to 1813 compiled 1 Jun 1831—1 Jun 1831: James Clark Ross discovers the North Magnetic Pole 1 Aug 1831—1 Aug 1831: 'New' London Bridge opens (replaced 1973) ? old bridge (which had existed for over 600 years) then demolished
54	1832	1832—1832: Electoral Registers introduced 1832—1832: Electric telegraph invented by Morse 6 Apr 1832—27 Aug 1832: Black Hawk War 7 Jun 1832—7 Jun 1832: Reform Bill passed ? Representation of the People Act
55	1833	Jan 1833—Jan 1833: Britain invades the Falkland Islands 29 Aug 1833—29 Aug 1833: Factory Act forbids employment of children below age of 9
56	1834	1834—1834: Babbage invents forerunner of the computer 18 Mar 1834—18 Mar 1834: 'Tolpuddle Martyrs' transported (to Australia) for Trades Union activities 1 May 1834—1 May 1834: Slavery abolished in British possessions
57	1835	1835—1835: Christmas becomes a national holiday 1835—1835: First railway boom period starts in Britain construction of Great Western Railway 2 Oct 1835—21 Apr 1836: Texas War of Independence
58	1836	1836—1836: First Potato famine in Ireland 30 Jan 1836—30 Jan 1836: Telford's Menai Straits Bridge opened ? considered the world's first modern suspension bridge 25 Feb 1836—25 Feb 1836: Samuel Colt patented the 'revolver' 6 Mar 1836—6 Mar 1836: The Alamo falls to Mexican troops - death of Davy Crockett Jul 1836—Jul 1836: Inauguration of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris
59	1837	1837—1837: Pitman introduces his shorthand system 1837—1837: P&O Founded 1837: Victoria Becomes Queen 4 Mar 1837—4 Mar 1841: Martin Van Buren U.S. Presidency 20 Jun 1837—20 Jun 1837: William IV dies - accession of Queen Victoria (to 1901) 1 Jul 1837—1 Jul 1837: Compulsory registration of Births, Marriages & Deaths in England & Wales - Registration Districts were formed covering several parishes; initially they had the same boundaries as the Poor Law boundaries set up in 1834 13 Jul 1837—13 Jul 1837: Queen Victoria moves into the first Buckingham Palace 20 Jul 1837—20 Jul 1837: Euston Railway station opens - first in London
60	1838	28 Jun 1838—28 Jun 1838: Coronation of Queen Victoria at Westminster Abbey
61	1839	1839—1839: First Opium War between Britain and China (to 1842) - Britain captures Hong Kong 1839—1839: Scottish blacksmith Kirkpatrick MacMillan refines the primitive bicycle adding a mechanical crank drive to the rear wheel,thus creating the first true 'bicycle' in the modern Sense 1839—1839: Charles Goodyear invented vulcanized rubber
62	1840	1840—1840: Population Act relating to taking of censuses in Britain 1840—1840: Last convicts landed in NSW (some say 1842 or 1849, but these probably landed elsewhere) 10 Jan 1840—10 Jan 1840: Uniform Penny Postage introduced nationally
63	1841	1841—1841: Thomas Cook starts package tours 10 Feb 1841—10 Feb 1841: Penny Red replaces Penny Black postage stamp 4 Mar 1841—4 Apr 1841: William Henry Harrison U.S. Presidency 4 Apr 1841—4 Mar 1845: John Tyler U.S. Presidency 6 Jun 1841—6 Jun 1841: June 6: First full census in Britain in which all names were recorded (Population 18.5M)
64	1842	1842—1842: Income Tax reintroduced in Britain 30 Mar 1842—30 Mar 1842: Ether used as an anesthetic for the first time (by Dr Crawford Long in America) 29 Aug 1842—29 Aug 1842: Treaty of Nanking - End of First Opium War - Britain gains Hong Kong
65	1843	1843—1843: First Christmas card in England 27 May 1843—27 May 1843: The Great Hall of Euston station opened in London 19 Jul 1843—19 Jul 1843: Brunel's 'Great Britain' launched
66	1844	6 Jun 1844—6 Jun 1844: YMCA founded in London by Sir George Williams
67	1845	1845—1845: Tarmac laid for first time (in Nottingham) 4 Mar 1845—4 Mar 1849: James K. Polk U.S. Presidency 17 Mar 1845—17 Mar 1845: The rubber band patented by Stephen Perry
68	1846	25 Apr 1846—2 Feb 1848: Mexican-American War 10 Sep 1846—10 Sep 1846: The sewing machine is patented by Elias Howe
69	1847	1847—1847: US Mormons make Salt Lake City their centre Jan 1847—Jan 1847: An anesthetic used for the first time in England (James Simpson used ether to numb the pain of labour)
70	1848	1848—1848: First commercial production of chewing gum 24 Jan 1848—24 Jan 1848: Gold found at Sutter's Mill, California - starts the California gold rush 11 Jul 1848—11 Jul 1848: Waterloo railway station in London opens
71	1849	1849—1849: Florin (2 shilling coin) introduced as the first step to decimalisation - which finally occurred in 1971! 4 Mar 1849—9 Jul 1850: Zachary Taylor U.S. Presidency
72	1850	9 Jul 1850—4 Mar 1853: Millard Fillmore U.S. Presidency
73	1851	1851—1851: Gold discovered in Australia 1 May 1851—1 May 1851: Great exhibition of the works of industry of all nations ('Crystal Palace' exhibition) opened in Hyde Park
74	1852	1852—1852: Tasmania ceases to be a convict settlement 1852—1852: Wells Fargo established in USA
75	1853	1853—1853: Vaccination against smallpox made compulsory in Britain 4 Mar 1853—4 Mar 1857: Franklin Pierce U.S. Presidency
76	1854	1854—1854: Cigarettes introduced into Britain 27 Mar 1854—27 Mar 1854: Britain declares war on Russia (Crimean War) 25 Oct 1854—25 Oct 1854: Battle of Balaklava in Crimea (charge of the Light Brigade)