1775 in Great Britain
 1775 in Great Britain: |
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Events from the year 1775 in Great Britain.
Incumbents
Events
- 17 January – first performance of Richard Brinsley Sheridan's comedy of manners The Rivals at the Covent Garden Theatre in London.
- 9 February – American Revolution: British Parliament declares Massachusetts in rebellion.
- 22 March – American Revolution: Edmund Burke's speech before the British Parliament on conciliation with the American colonies.
- 3 April – Muzio Clementi makes his London debut as a harpsichordist.
- 19 April – the American Revolutionary War begins with the Battles of Lexington and Concord.[2]
- 10 May – American Revolution: Capture of Fort Ticonderoga by Patriot forces.[3]
- 12 May – American Revolution: Battle of Crown Point.
- 12 June – American Revolution: British forces offer a pardon to all colonists who would lay down their arms.
- 16 June – American Revolution: Battle of Bunker Hill.[2]
- 5 July – American Revolution: the Continental Congress sends the Olive Branch Petition to King George III, hoping for a reconciliation.
- 30 July – second voyage of James Cook: HMS Resolution (1771) anchors at Spithead, Captain Cook having completed the first eastabout global circumnavigation.
- 12 August–3 November – American Revolution: Battle of Fort St. Jean.
- 23 August – American Revolution: refusing even to look at the Olive Branch Petition, King George issues a Proclamation of Rebellion against the American colonies.
- 24 September – American Revolution: Battle of Longue-Pointe.
- 9 December – American Revolution: Battle of Great Bridge – victory by the Virginia's Second Regiment and the Culpeper (Virginia) Minuteman Battalion, leads to withdrawal of the British from the port of Norfolk Borough.
- 30–31 December – American Revolution: Battle of Quebec – British forces repulse an attack by the American Continental Army.
- 1775–76 Winter – Unusually deadly influenza epidemic in London kills nearly 40,000.[4]
Undated
- Industrial Revolution
- John Wilkinson (industrialist) invents and patents a new kind of boring machine.
- The 1769 Watt steam engine patent is extended to June 1800 by Act of Parliament and the first engines are built under it.[5][6]
- Josiah Wedgwood introduces jasperware pottery.
- Actress Sarah Siddons makes her debut at the Drury Lane Theatre as Portia in The Merchant of Venice but is not well received.[3]
Publications
- Samuel Johnson's A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland.[3]
- Augustus Toplady's hymn "Rock of Ages" (first version, in The Gospel Magazine, October).
Births
- 24 January – John Buonarotti Papworth, architect (died 1847)
- 30 January – Walter Savage Landor, writer (died 1864)
- 10 February
- Charles Lamb, writer (died 1834)
- James Smith, author (died 1839)
- 12 February – Louisa Adams, First Lady of the United States (died 1852 in the United States)
- 12 March – Joseph Chitty, lawyer and legal writer (died 1841)
- 23 April – J. M. W. Turner, painter (died 1851)
- 13 May – Henry Crabb Robinson, man of letters, lawyer and diarist (died 1867)
- 5 July – William Crotch, composer (died 1847)
- 31 August – Agnes Bulmer, poet (died 1836)
- 25 November – Charles Kemble, actor (died 1854)
- 14 December – Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald, admiral (died 1860)
- 16 December – Jane Austen, novelist (died 1817)
Deaths
- 8 January – John Baskerville, printer (born 1707)
- 6 February – William Dowdeswell, politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (born 1721)
- 7 March – Thomas Nuthall, politician and attorney
- 28 May – Barlow Trecothick, merchant and politician (born c. 1719)
- 17 June – Major John Pitcairn, marine (killed in battle) (born 1722)
- 16 September – Allen Bathurst, 1st Earl Bathurst, privy councillor (born 1684)
- 21 November – John Hill, botanist and writer (born c. 1716)
- 7 December – Charles Saunders, admiral (born c. 1715)
See also
References
- ^ "History of Lord Frederick North - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
- ^ a b Penguin Pocket On This Day. Penguin Reference Library. 2006. ISBN 0-14-102715-0.
- ^ a b c Williams, Hywel (2005). Cassell's Chronology of World History. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. pp. 329. ISBN 0-304-35730-8.
- ^ Rabon, John (2020-04-21). "London's Pandemic History". Londontopia. Retrieved 2021-05-15.
- ^ Scherer, F. M. (1965). "Invention and Innovation in the Watt-Boulton Steam-Engine Venture". Technology and Culture. 6: 165–87. JSTOR 3101072.
- ^ "The Invention of the Steam Engine: The Life of James Watt. Part 4: The Steam Engine Gains Popularity". About.com Inventors. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
Further reading
- Annual Register...1775, London: J. Dodsley, 1791
- Charles E. Little (1900), "America: 1775", Cyclopedia of Classified Dates, New York: Funk & Wagnalls