19th-century Britain timeline

February 1, 2016

dickens, literature, victorian, britain, history — Charles Dickens illustration Credit: iStock

We trace the history of Britain during the 19th century, from the union with Ireland through the Battle of Trafalgar and the Battle of Waterloo, plus the publication of some of our greatest works of fiction.

	1800
1801 The Acts of Union unite Britain and Ireland		1805 Nelson wins the Battle of Trafalgar but it costs him his life
	1810
1811 George III’s period of insanity begins and his son takes over rule as Prince Regent		1813 Jane Austen’s most popular novel Pride and Prejudice is published
1815 The Battle of Waterloo is fought on Sunday, 18 June		1819 Peterloo massacre at St Peter’s Field, Manchester sees British soldiers kill protesters against Corn Laws
	1820
1820 George IV becomes king		1829 The Police force is founded in London. Stephenson’s Rocket wins competition to run between Liverpool and Manchester
	1830
1832 The Great Reform Act doubles electorate, redistributes seats and reduces ‘rotten’ boroughs		1830 King George IV dies without legitimate issue and the Duke of Clarence succeeds him as William IV
1834 The Houses of Parliament are largely destroyed by fire		1833 Abolition of slavery throughout British Empire
1837 Victoria becomes Queen at the age of 18		1838 Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby are published
	1840
1840 The first postage stamps are issued; Queen Victoria marries Albert		1847 Charlotte Bronte’s publishes Jane Eyre
	1850
1853 Vaccination against smallpox becomes compulsory in Britain		1854 Construction of the Clock Tower, also known as Big Ben is completed
	1860
1861 Prince Albert dies		1865 Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is published
1866 Black Friday on London Stock Exchange		1867 Second Parliamentary Reform Act is passed
	1870
1871 Charles Darwin’s The Descent of Man is published		1870 Charles Dickens dies
1877 The first Wimbledon Tennis Championship is held; Queen Victoria becomes Empress of India		1877 The Zulu War begins
	1880
1884 The Third Parliamentary Reform act is passed. The first underground train runs in London		1887 Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes makes his first appearance in A Study in Scarlet
	1890
1898 Marie Curie discovers Radium		1893 The Manchester Ship Canal is completed