1.
1779 in Great Britain
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Events from the year 1779 in Great Britain. 11 February – Admiral Keppel acquitted of charges of misconduct brought against him by Sir Hugh Palliser,14 February – Captain James Cook dies on the Sandwich Islands on his third and last voyage. 23 February to 25 February – American Revolutionary War, Battle of Vincennes,1 February to 28 February – With an average temperature of 7.9 °C, this is the warmest February in the CET record and the oldest still-standing record-warm month therein. 3 March – American Revolutionary War, Battle of Briar Creek,23 March – Astronomer Edward Pigott discovers the Black Eye Galaxy. 29 March, American Revolutionary War, Siege of Charleston by British forces,1 January to 31 March – With a total England and Wales Precipitation of only 44.4 millimetres, this is the driest three consecutive months since records began in 1766. 12 April – France signs a treaty with Spain to wage war against Great Britain. May – Boulton and Watt’s Smethwick Engine, now the oldest working engine in the world, is brought into service,3 June – Armada of 1779, Fleet sets sail from France. 16 June – American Revolutionary War, Spain declares war on Britain,20 June – American Revolutionary War, Battle of Stono Ferry. 6 July – American Revolutionary War, Battle of Grenada fought between British and French navies,24 June – American Revolutionary War, Start of the Great Siege of Gibraltar. This was an action by French and Spanish forces to wrest control of Gibraltar from the established British Garrison, the garrison, led by George Augustus Eliott, later 1st Baron Heathfield of Gibraltar, survives all attacks and a blockade of supplies. 15 July – American Revolutionary War, American forces led by General Anthony Wayne capture Stony Point,22 July American Revolutionary War, Goshen Militia destroyed by Joseph Brants forces at the Battle of Minisink. Armada of 1779, French and Spanish ships rendezvous,24 July – American Revolutionary War, the Penobscot Expedition ends in defeat for the Americans. 14 to 18 August,31 August to 3 September – Armada of 1779 in the English Channel, September – American Revolutionary War, Spain captures Saint Vincent and Grenada from the British. 7 September – American Revolutionary War, Capture of Fort Bute by Spanish troops,20 September to 21 September - American Revolutionary War, At the Battle of Baton Rouge Spanish forces defeat the British. 23 September – American Revolutionary War, Battle of Flamborough Head off the Yorkshire coast, The American ship Bonhomme Richard, the Bonhomme Richard sinks, but the Americans capture the Serapis and other vessels. 18 October – American Revolutionary War, The Americans abandon the Siege of Savannah, October First performance of Richard Brinsley Sheridans play The Critic at the Drury Lane Theatre in London. The Bible Society, predecessor of the Naval, Military and Air Force Bible Society,22 December – American Revolutionary War, Capture of Savannah – British forces under Archibald Campbell take the city of Savannah, Georgia. 31 December – Affair of Fielding and Bylandt, a naval engagement with the Dutch off the Isle of Wight
2.
1781 in Great Britain
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Events from the year 1781 in the Kingdom of Great Britain. Monarch – George III Prime Minister – Lord North 1 January – Industrial Revolution,5 January – American Revolutionary War, Richmond, Virginia, is burned by British naval forces led by Benedict Arnold. 6 January – Battle of Jersey, British troops prevent the French from occupying Jersey in the Channel Islands,17 January – American Revolutionary War, The American Continental Army under Daniel Morgan decisively defeats British forces at the Battle of Cowpens in South Carolina. January – William Pitt the Younger, later Prime Minister, enters Parliament,3 February – American Revolutionary War and Fourth Anglo-Dutch War, The Dutch Caribbean island of Sint Eustatius surrenders to Admiral Rodney. 28 February – Foundation of the Literary and Philosophical Society of Manchester,13 March – Sir William Herschel discovers the planet Uranus. Originally he calls it Georgium Sidus in honour of King George III,15 March – American Revolutionary War, American General Nathanael Greene loses the Battle of Guilford Court House to British. 1 July – Second Anglo-Mysore War, At the Battle of Porto Novo,6 July – American Revolutionary War, At the Battle of Green Spring, the British led by Lord Cornwallis defeat the French led by the Marquis de Lafayette. 27 July – French spy François Henri de la Motte executed at Tyburn for high treason,30 August – American Revolutionary War, French fleet under the Comte de Grasse enters Chesapeake Bay, cutting British General Charles Cornwallis off from escape by sea. 6 September – American Revolutionary War, Battle of Groton Heights, A British force under Benedict Arnold attacks a fort in Groton, Connecticut, henry Hurle officially founds the Ancient Order of Druids in London. 3 December – First known building society established, in Birmingham, last year in which the monarch participates in a regular peacetime meeting of the Cabinet. Edward Gibbons The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, john Wood, the Youngers pattern book A Series of Plans for Cottages or Habitations of the Labourer. The collection of childrens poetry Mother Gooses Melody
3.
1782 in Great Britain
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Events from the year 1782 in the Kingdom of Great Britain. 25 January–26 January - American Revolutionary War, Battle of St. Kitts between French and British fleets,5 February - Spanish defeat British forces and capture Minorca. 17 February - American Revolutionary War, Battle of Sadras between French and British fleets,19 March - Following a vote of no confidence against the government of Lord North, North resigns as Prime Minister because of recent setbacks in the American Revolutionary War. 27 March - Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, becomes Prime Minister for the second time and his new Whig administration opens peace talks with the Americans, with Thomas Grenville being sent to Paris to negotiate with Benjamin Franklin. 1 April - Rockingham appoints the first Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary,12 April - American Revolutionary War, A British fleet under Admiral Sir George Rodney defeats a French fleet under the Comte de Grasse in the West Indies at the Battle of the Saintes. 12 April - American Revolutionary War, Battle of Providien, treaty of Salbai ends the First Anglo-Maratha War. 25 May–12 June - American Revolutionary War, Crawford expedition,4 July - Shelburne becomes Prime Minister following the death of Rockingham. 6 July - American Revolutionary War, Battle of Negapatam between British and French fleets,19 August - American Revolutionary War, Battle of Blue Licks. 24 August - David Tyrie, a clerk who has traitorously corresponded with the French, becomes the last man in Britain to be hanged, drawn and quartered. 29 August - HMS Royal George capsizes at Spithead with the loss of 800 lives,3 September - American Revolutionary War, Battle of Trincomalee between French and British fleets. 10 October - Sarah Siddons makes a triumphant return to the Drury Lane Theatre in London in the role of Garricks adaptation of Thomas Southernes Isabella, or. 20 October - American Revolutionary War, Battle of Cape Spartel,30 November - American Revolutionary War, In Paris, representatives from the United States and Great Britain sign preliminary peace articles. Second Anglo-Mysore War 1780–1784 Relief of the Poor Act provides for organisation of relief on a county basis. Parliament extends James Watts patent for the engine to the year 1800. William Cowpers comic ballad The Diverting History of John Gilpin, william Gilpins Observations on the River Wye, and Several Parts of South Wales, etc. relative chiefly to Picturesque Beauty, made in the summer of the year 1770. Edmund Malones Cursory Observations on the Poems Attributed to Thomas Rowley
4.
1780
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As of the start of 1780, the Gregorian calendar was 11 days ahead of the Julian calendar, which remained in localized use until 1923. January 16 – American Revolutionary War – Battle of Cape St. Vincent, february 29 – The Omicron Delta Omega co-ed fraternity is founded by Benjamin Franklin. March 26 – The British Gazette and Sunday Monitor, the first Sunday newspaper in Britain, april 16 – The University of Münster in Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany is founded. May 4 – The first Epsom Derby horse race is run on Epsom Downs, Surrey, may 12 – American Revolutionary War, Charleston, South Carolina is taken by British forces. May 13 – Cumberland Compact signed by American settlers in the Cumberland Valley of Tennessee, may 19 – New Englands Dark Day, An unaccountable darkness spreads over New England, regarded by some observers as a fulfillment of Bible prophecy. May 29 – American Revolutionary War, Loyalist forces under Col. Banastre Tarleton kill surrendering American soldiers in the Waxhaw Massacre, june 2 – An Anti-Catholic mob led by Lord George Gordon marches on Parliament of Great Britain leading to the outbreak of the Gordon Riots in London. June 7 – The Gordon Riots in London are ended by the intervention of troops, about 285 people are shot dead, with another 200 wounded and around 450 arrested. June 23 – American Revolutionary War, Battle of Springfield – The Continental Army defeats the British in New Jersey, july 11 – French soldiers arrive in Newport, Rhode Island to reinforce colonists in the American Revolutionary War. August 16 – American Revolutionary War – Battle of Camden, British troops inflict heavy losses on a Patriot army at Camden, South Carolina. August 9 – American Revolutionary War, Spanish admiral Luis de Córdova y Córdova captures a British convoy totalling 55 vessels amongst Indiamen, frigates, august 24 – Louis XVI of France abolishes the use of torture in extracting confessions. September 21 – Benedict Arnold gives detailed plans of West Point to Major John André, three days later, André is captured with papers revealing that Arnold was planning to surrender West Point to the British. September 25 – Benedict Arnold flees to British-held New York, october 2 – American Revolutionary War, In Tappan, New York, British spy John André is hanged by American forces. October 7 – American Revolutionary War – Battle of Kings Mountain, october 10–October 16 – The Great Hurricane flattens the islands of Barbados, Martinique and Sint Eustatius,22,000 dead. November 29 – Maria Theresa of Austria dies and her Habsburg dominions pass to her ambitious son, Joseph II, december 16 – Emperor Kōkaku accedes to the throne of Japan. December 20 – Start of the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War, jose Gabriel Kunturkanki, businessman and landowner, proclaims himself Inca Túpac Amaru II. The Duke of Richmond calls, in the House of Lords of Great Britain, for manhood suffrage and annual parliaments, jeremy Benthams Introduction to Principles of Morals and Legislation, presenting his formulation of utilitarian ethics, is printed in London. Nikephoros Theotokis starts introducing Edinoverie, an attempt to integrate the Old Believers into Russias established church, woodford Reserve bourbon whiskey distillery begins operation in Kentucky. C. s pitch. The amateur dramatic group Det Dramatiske Selskab in Christiania is founded in Norway, western countries pay 16,000,000 ounces of silver for Chinese goods
5.
Kingdom of Great Britain
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The Kingdom of Great Britain, officially Great Britain, was a sovereign state in western Europe from 1 May 1707 to 31 December 1800. It did not include Ireland, which remained a separate realm, the unitary state was governed by a single parliament and government that was based in Westminster. Also after the accession of George I to the throne of Great Britain in 1714, the early years of the unified kingdom were marked by Jacobite risings which ended in defeat for the Stuart cause at Culloden in 1746. On 1 January 1801, the kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland were merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1922, five-sixths of Ireland seceded from the United Kingdom, the name Britain descends from the Latin name for the island of Great Britain, Britannia or Brittānia, the land of the Britons via the Old French Bretaigne and Middle English Bretayne, Breteyne. The term Great Britain was first used officially in 1474, in the instrument drawing up the proposal for a marriage between Edward IV of Englands daughter Cecily and James III of Scotlands son James. The Treaty of Union and the subsequent Acts of Union state that England and Scotland were to be United into one Kingdom by the Name of Great Britain. However, both the Acts and the Treaty also refer numerous times to the United Kingdom and the longer form, other publications refer to the country as the United Kingdom after 1707 as well. The websites of the UK parliament, the Scottish Parliament, the BBC, additionally, the term United Kingdom was found in informal use during the 18th century to describe the state. The new state created in 1707 included the island of Great Britain, the kingdoms of England and Scotland, both in existence from the 9th century, were separate states until 1707. However, they had come into a union in 1603. Each of the three kingdoms maintained its own parliament and laws and this disposition changed dramatically when the Acts of Union 1707 came into force, with a single unified Crown of Great Britain and a single unified parliament. Ireland remained formally separate, with its own parliament, until the Acts of Union 1800, legislative power was vested in the Parliament of Great Britain, which replaced both the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland. In practice it was a continuation of the English parliament, sitting at the location in Westminster. Newly created peers in the Peerage of Great Britain were given the right to sit in the Lords. Despite the end of a parliament for Scotland, it retained its own laws. As a result of Poynings Law of 1495, the Parliament of Ireland was subordinate to the Parliament of England, the Act was repealed by the Repeal of Act for Securing Dependence of Ireland Act 1782. The same year, the Irish constitution of 1782 produced a period of legislative freedom, the 18th century saw England, and after 1707 Great Britain, rise to become the worlds dominant colonial power, with France its main rival on the imperial stage
6.
George III of the United Kingdom
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He was concurrently Duke and prince-elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire until his promotion to King of Hanover on 12 October 1814. He was the third British monarch of the House of Hanover, early in his reign, Great Britain defeated France in the Seven Years War, becoming the dominant European power in North America and India. However, many of Britains American colonies were soon lost in the American War of Independence, further wars against revolutionary and Napoleonic France from 1793 concluded in the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. In the later part of his life, George III had recurrent, although it has since been suggested that he had the blood disease porphyria, the cause of his illness remains unknown. After a final relapse in 1810, a regency was established, on George IIIs death, the Prince Regent succeeded his father as George IV. Historical analysis of George IIIs life has gone through a kaleidoscope of changing views that have depended heavily on the prejudices of his biographers and the sources available to them. Until it was reassessed in the half of the 20th century, his reputation in the United States was one of a tyrant. George was born in London at Norfolk House and he was the grandson of King George II, and the eldest son of Frederick, Prince of Wales, and Augusta of Saxe-Gotha. As Prince George was born two months prematurely and he was unlikely to survive, he was baptised the same day by Thomas Secker. One month later, he was baptised at Norfolk House. His godparents were the King of Sweden, his uncle the Duke of Saxe-Gotha, George grew into a healthy but reserved and shy child. The family moved to Leicester Square, where George and his younger brother Prince Edward, Duke of York, Family letters show that he could read and write in both English and German, as well as comment on political events of the time, by the age of eight. He was the first British monarch to study science systematically and his religious education was wholly Anglican. At age 10 George took part in a production of Joseph Addisons play Cato and said in the new prologue, What. It may with truth be said, A boy in England born, historian Romney Sedgwick argued that these lines appear to be the source of the only historical phrase with which he is associated. Georges grandfather, King George II, disliked the Prince of Wales, however, in 1751 the Prince of Wales died unexpectedly from a lung injury, and George became heir apparent to the throne. He inherited one of his fathers titles and became the Duke of Edinburgh, now more interested in his grandson, three weeks later the King created George Prince of Wales. Georges mother, now the Dowager Princess of Wales, preferred to keep George at home where she could imbue him with her moral values
7.
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
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The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is the head of Her Majestys Government in the United Kingdom. The prime minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Monarch, to Parliament, to their political party, the office is one of the Great Offices of State. The current prime minister, Theresa May, leader of the Conservative Party, was appointed by the Queen on 13 July 2016. The position of Prime Minister was not created, it evolved slowly and erratically over three hundred years due to acts of Parliament, political developments, and accidents of history. The office is therefore best understood from a historical perspective, the origins of the position are found in constitutional changes that occurred during the Revolutionary Settlement and the resulting shift of political power from the Sovereign to Parliament. The political position of Prime Minister was enhanced by the development of political parties, the introduction of mass communication. By the start of the 20th century the modern premiership had emerged, prior to 1902, the prime minister sometimes came from the House of Lords, provided that his government could form a majority in the Commons. However as the power of the aristocracy waned during the 19th century the convention developed that the Prime Minister should always sit in the lower house. As leader of the House of Commons, the Prime Ministers authority was further enhanced by the Parliament Act of 1911 which marginalised the influence of the House of Lords in the law-making process. The Prime Minister is ex officio also First Lord of the Treasury, certain privileges, such as residency of 10 Downing Street, are accorded to Prime Ministers by virtue of their position as First Lord of the Treasury. As the Head of Her Majestys Government the modern Prime Minister leads the Cabinet, in addition the Prime Minister leads a major political party and generally commands a majority in the House of Commons. As such the incumbent wields both legislative and executive powers, under the British system there is a unity of powers rather than separation. In the House of Commons, the Prime Minister guides the process with the goal of enacting the legislative agenda of their political party. The Prime Minister also acts as the face and voice of Her Majestys Government. The British system of government is based on an uncodified constitution, in 1928, Prime Minister H. H. Asquith described this characteristic of the British constitution in his memoirs, In this country we live. Our constitutional practices do not derive their validity and sanction from any Bill which has received the assent of the King, Lords. They rest on usage, custom, convention, often of slow growth in their early stages, not always uniform, the relationships between the Prime Minister and the Sovereign, Parliament and Cabinet are defined largely by these unwritten conventions of the constitution. Many of the Prime Ministers executive and legislative powers are actually royal prerogatives which are still vested in the Sovereign
8.
Frederick North, Lord North
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Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford, KG, PC, more often known by his courtesy title, Lord North, which he used from 1752 until 1790, was Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1770 to 1782. He led Great Britain through most of the American War of Independence and he also held a number of other cabinet posts, including Home Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer. Norths reputation among historians has swung back and forth and it reached its nadir in the late nineteenth century when he was depicted as a creature of the king and an incompetent who lost the American colonies. In the early twentieth century a revisionism emphasized his strengths in administering the Treasury, handling the House of Commons, Herbert Butterfield, however, argued that his indolence was a barrier to efficient crisis management, he neglected his role in supervising the entire war effort. Lord North was born in London on 13 April 1732, at the house at Albemarle Street, just off Piccadilly. His father, the first Earl, was at the time Lord of the Bedchamber to Prince Frederick, North was descended from the 1st Earl of Sandwich and was related to Samuel Pepys and the 3rd Earl of Bute. He at times had a turbulent relationship with his father Francis North, 1st Earl of Guilford. In his early years the family was not wealthy, though their situation improved in 1735 when his father inherited property from his cousin, fredericks mother, Lady Lucy Montagu, died in 1734. His father remarried, but his stepmother, Elizabeth North, also died in 1745, one of his stepbrothers was Lord Dartmouth, who remained a close friend for life. He was educated at Eton College between 1742 and 1748, and at Trinity College, Oxford where in 1750 he was awarded an MA, after leaving Oxford he travelled in Europe on the Grand Tour with Dartmouth, visiting Leipzig where he studied at the University of Leipzig. He visited Vienna, Milan, and Paris, returning to England in 1753 and he soon developed a reputation as a good administrator and parliamentarian, and was generally liked by his colleagues. In November 1763 he was chosen to speak for the Government concerning radical MP John Wilkes, Wilkes had made a savage attack on both the Prime Minister and the King in his newspaper The North Briton, which many thought libelous. Norths motion that Wilkes be expelled from the House of Commons passed by 273 votes to 111, Wilkes expulsion took place in his absence, as he had already fled to France following a duel. When a government headed by the Whig magnate Lord Rockingham came to power in 1765, North left his post and he turned down an offer by Rockingham to rejoin the government, not wanting to be associated with the Whig grandees that dominated the Ministry. He returned to office when Pitt returned to head a government in 1766. North was appointed Joint Paymaster of the Forces in Pitts ministry, as Pitt was constantly ill, the government was effectively run by the Duke of Grafton, with North as one of its most senior members. In December 1767, he succeeded Charles Townshend as Chancellor of the Exchequer, with the resignation of the secretary of state Henry Seymour Conway in early 1768, North became Leader of the Commons as well. He continued to serve when Pitt was succeeded by Grafton in October, when the Duke of Grafton resigned as Prime Minister, North formed a government on 28 January 1770
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1780 in Great Britain: 