1796 in Great Britain
 1796 in Great Britain: |
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Events from the year1796inGreat Britain.
Incumbents[edit]
- Monarch–George III
- Prime Minister–William Pitt the Younger(Tory)[1]
- Foreign Secretary–Lord Grenville
Events[edit]
- 23 January – troopship wrecked onLoe Bar,Cornwall, with loss of over 600 lives.[2]
- 1 February – protests over the price of bread culminate inQueen Charlottebeing hit by a stone as she andKing Georgereturn from a trip to the theatre.[3]
- 16 February – Britain takes control ofCeylonfrom theBatavian Republic[4]following the previous day's peaceful surrender ofColombotoMajor-General James Stuart,ending theInvasion of Ceylon (1795).
- 29 February – ratifications of theJay Treatybetween Great Britain and the United States are officially exchanged, bringing it into effect.[5]Britain vacates the forts it has been retaining in theGreat Lakesregion.
- 14 May –Edward Jennersuccessfully administers thesmallpox vaccinetoJames PhippsinGloucestershire.[6]
- 20 May – the last mockGarrat Electionsare held inSurrey.
- 21 June – explorerMungo Parkbecomes the first European to reach theNiger River.[4]
- 9 August – opening to traffic ofWearmouth Bridge,designed byRowland Burdonincast iron.Its span of 237 feet (72 m) makes it the world's longest single-span vehicular bridge extant at this date.[7][8]
- 19 August – by theSecond Treaty of San Ildefonso,SpainandFranceform an alliance against Great Britain.
- 22 September
- FrigateHMSAmphionblows up while preparing for sea atPlymouth,killing 300 out of the 312 aboard.
- Mary Lambcommitsmatricidein London.[9]
- 5 October –Anglo-Spanish War:Spain declares war on Britain.[3]
- December – the government begins work on a 40-acre (162,000 m2) site atNorman Crossfor the world's first purpose-builtprisoner-of-war camp.[10]
- 18 December –HMSCourageuxis wrecked on theBarbary Coastwith the loss of 464 of the 593 on board.
- Undated
- Summer –RibchesterHoard andhelmetfound inLancashire.
- Kendal Museumopened in Westmorland.
- The Retreatestablished inYork;it pioneers the humane treatment of people withmental disorders.
- Last resident family leavesSt Ninian's Isle.
- Earliest known reference to the sea songSpanish Ladies.[11]
Ongoing[edit]
Publications[edit]
- Fanny Burney's novelCamilla: or, A Picture of Youth.
- Mary Hays'epistolary novelMemoirs of Emma Courtney.
- The popularGothic novelsMatthew Lewis'sThe MonkandRegina Maria Roche'sThe Children of the Abbey.[12]
- Samuel Irelandpublishes a collection ofShakespearean forgeriesin hisMiscellaneous Papers and Legal Instruments Under the Hand and Seal of William Shakespeare(dated this year but actually issued on 24 December 1795).Edmond Maloneexposes them in hisAn Inquiry into the Authenticity of Certain Miscellaneous Papers and Legal Instrumentson 31 March, and the forged 'Shakespearean' play,Vortigern and Rowena,is able to sustain just a single performance at theTheatre Royal, Drury Lane,London, on 2 April. Ireland's son,William Henry,confesses to the fraud inAn Authentic Account of the Shakespearean Manuscripts.
- The volume ofTheScots Musical Museumpublished this year includesRobert Burns' versions ofAuld Lang SyneandCharlie Is My Darling.[13]
Births[edit]
- 25 January –William MacGillivray,naturalist and ornithologist (died1852)
- 10 February –Henry De la Beche,geologist (died1855)
- 17 February –Frederick William Beechey,explorer (died1856)
- March –Durham Ox,shorthornbull (killed1807)
- 27 June –George Vincent,painter (died1831)
- 22 August –Baden Powell,mathematician (died1860)
- 25 August –Edwin Beard Budding,inventor (died1846)
- August –William Marsden,surgeon (died1867)
- 4 September(bapt.)–Henry Foster,scientist (died1831)
- 13 September –James Finlay Weir Johnston,chemist (died1855)
- 14 September –Woodbine Parish,diplomat (died1882)
- 9 October –Fitzroy Kelly,lawyer and Member of Parliament, last Chief Baron of the Exchequer (died1880)
- 17 October –James Matheson,Member of Parliament (died1878)
- December(approximate date)–William Banting,undertaker and dietician (died 1878)
Deaths[edit]
- 12 February –John Hamilton,Member of Parliament (born1715)
- 17 February –James Macpherson,Scottish poet, "translator" ofOssian(born1736)[14]
- 19 March
- Hugh Palliser,naval officer and administrator (born1722)
- Stephen Storace,theatre composer (born1762)
- 27 May –Lord Charles Townshend,Member of Parliament (born1769)
- 16 July –George Howard,Army officer and politician (born1718)
- 21 July –Robert Burns,national poet of Scotland (born1759)[15]
- 1 August –Robert Pigot,Army officer and Member of Parliament (born1720)
- 6 August –David Allan,painter (born1744)
- 12 August –Richard Beckford,member of parliament
- 1 September –David Murray, 2nd Earl of Mansfield,politician (born1727)
- October –Thomas Christie,writer (born1761)
- 12 December –William Wilson,Member of Parliament (born1720)
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^"History of William Pitt 'The Younger' - GOV.UK".www.gov.uk.Retrieved1 July2023.
- ^Treglown, Tony (2011).Porthleven in years gone by Local Shipwrecks.Ashton: Tony Treglown.ISBN978-0-9539019-7-5.
- ^abPalmer, Alan; Palmer, Veronica (1992).The Chronology of British History.London: Century Ltd. p. 235.ISBN0-7126-5616-2.
- ^abWilliams, Hywel (2005).Cassell's Chronology of World History.London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. p.346.ISBN0-304-35730-8.
- ^Lossing, Benson John; Wilson, Woodrow, eds. (1910).Harper's Encyclopaedia of United States History from 458 A.D. to 1909.Harper & Brothers. p. 171.
- ^Penguin Pocket On This Day.Penguin Reference Library. 2006.ISBN0-14-102715-0.
- ^Troyano, Leonardo Fernández (2003).Bridge Engineering: a Global Perspective.London: Thomas Telford Publishing. p. 49.ISBN0-7277-3215-3.
- ^"Sunderland Wearmouth Bridge".Wearside Online.Archived fromthe originalon 2011-11-27.Retrieved2011-08-16.
- ^Hitchcock, Susan Tyler (2005).Mad Mary Lamb.New York; London: W. W. Norton & Co. pp.15–17.ISBN0-393-05741-0.
- ^Historic England."Site of the Norman Cross Depot for Prisoners of War, Non Civil Parish (1006782)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved2019-11-08.
- ^Palmer, Roy, ed. (1986).The Oxford Book of Sea Songs.Oxford University Press.ISBN0-19-214159-7.
- ^Leavis, Q. D.(1965).Fiction and the Reading Public(rev. ed.). London: Chatto & Windus.
- ^"Robert Burns".BBC.Retrieved2012-01-26.
- ^Magnusson, Magnus(2007) [2006].Fakers, Forgers & Phoneys.Edinburgh: Mainstream.ISBN978-1-84596-210-4.
- ^"Robert Burns (1759-1796)".National Records of Scotland.31 May 2013.Retrieved27 January2023.