1838 in the United Kingdom
Encyclopedia
 1838 in the United Kingdom: |
| Other years |
| 1836 1836 in the United Kingdom Events from the year 1836 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King William IV*Prime Minister - Viscount Melbourne, Whig-Events:* 2 March - First organised point-to-point horse race held, at Madresfield, Worcester.... | 1837 1837 in the United Kingdom Events from the year 1837 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch — King William IV , Queen Victoria*Prime Minister — Lord Melbourne, Whig-Events:... | 1838 | 1839 1839 in the United Kingdom Events from the year 1839 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch — Queen Victoria*Prime Minister — Lord Melbourne, Whig-Events:* January — The first parallax measurement of the distance to Alpha Centauri is published by Thomas Henderson.... | 1840 1840 in the United Kingdom Events from the year 1840 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch — Queen Victoria*Prime Minister — Viscount Melbourne, Whig-Events:* 10 January — Uniform Penny Post introduced.* 22 January — British colonists reach New Zealand... |
| Sport |
| 1838 English cricket season 1838 English cricket season -First-class matches:* -Leading batsmen:CG Taylor was the leading runscorer with 339 @ 16.95Other leading batsmen were: F Pilch, W Ward, EG Wenman, FGB Ponsonby, T Box, N Felix, EH Grimston-Leading bowlers:James Cobbett was the leading wicket-taker with 71... |
Events from the year 1838 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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Incumbents
- Monarch — Queen Victoria
- Prime Minister — Lord MelbourneWilliam Lamb, 2nd Viscount MelbourneWilliam Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, PC, FRS was a British Whig statesman who served as Home Secretary and Prime Minister . He is best known for his intense and successful mentoring of Queen Victoria, at ages 18-21, in the ways of politics...
, WhigBritish Whig PartyThe Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
Events
- 10 January — A fire destroys Lloyd's Coffee HouseLloyd's Coffee Housethumb|Lloyd's Coffee HouseLloyd's Coffee House was a coffee house opened by Edward Lloyd around 1688 in Tower Street, London. This establishment was a popular place for sailors, merchants, and ship owners, and Lloyd catered to them with reliable shipping news. The shipping industry community...
and the Royal ExchangeRoyal Exchange (London)The Royal Exchange in the City of London was founded in 1565 by Sir Thomas Gresham to act as a centre of commerce for the city. The site was provided by the City of London Corporation and the Worshipful Company of Mercers, and is trapezoidal, flanked by the converging streets of Cornhill and...
in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. - 4–22 April — The paddle steamerPaddle steamerA paddle steamer is a steamship or riverboat, powered by a steam engine, using paddle wheels to propel it through the water. In antiquity, Paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans...
SS Sirius (1837)SS Sirius (1837)The Sirius was a side-wheel wooden-hulled steamship built in 1837 for the London-Cork route operated by the St George Steam Packet Company. The next year, she opened transatlantic steam passenger service when she was chartered for two voyages by the British and American Steam Navigation Company...
makes the Transatlantic Crossing to New YorkNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
from CorkCork (city)Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
in eighteen days, though not using steam continuously. - 8–23 April — Isambard Kingdom BrunelIsambard Kingdom BrunelIsambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
's paddle steamer SS Great WesternSS Great WesternSS Great Western of 1838, was an oak-hulled paddle-wheel steamship; the first purpose-built for crossing the Atlantic and the initial unit of the Great Western Steamship Company. Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Great Western proved satisfactory in service and was the model for all successful...
(1838) makes the Transatlantic Crossing to New York from AvonmouthAvonmouthAvonmouth is a port and suburb of Bristol, England, located on the Severn Estuary, at the mouth of the River Avon.The council ward of Avonmouth also includes Shirehampton and the western end of Lawrence Weston.- Geography :...
in fifteen days, inaugurating a regular steamship service. - May — The People's CharterChartismChartism was a movement for political and social reform in the United Kingdom during the mid-19th century, between 1838 and 1859. It takes its name from the People's Charter of 1838. Chartism was possibly the first mass working class labour movement in the world...
is published calling for universal suffrageUniversal suffrageUniversal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...
for male voters. - 31 May — Battle of Bossenden WoodBattle of Bossenden WoodThe Battle of Bossenden Wood, also known as the Battle of Bosenden Wood, took place on 31 May 1838 near Hernhill in Kent; it has been called the last battle on English soil....
: In KentKentKent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, self-declared Messiah John N. ThomJohn Nichols ThomJohn Nichols Thom, or Mad Tom, was a Cornishman, a self-declared messiah who, in the 19th century led the last battle to be fought on English soil.-Early life:...
, calling himself "Sir William Courtenay", and a band of around 35 agricultural labours are surrounded by soldiers of the 45th Regiment of Foot45th (Nottinghamshire) Regiment of FootThe 45th Regiment of Foot was a British Army line infantry regiment. During the Childers Reforms it was united with the 95th Regiment of Foot to form the The Sherwood Foresters ....
sent to arrest them following the earlier murder of a policeman. Thom and ten followers, together with an officer and a constable, are killed in what is sometimes described as the last battle on EnglishEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
soil. - 28 June — The coronationCoronationA coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia...
of Queen Victoria takes place at Westminster AbbeyWestminster AbbeyThe Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
. Lord MelbourneWilliam Lamb, 2nd Viscount MelbourneWilliam Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, PC, FRS was a British Whig statesman who served as Home Secretary and Prime Minister . He is best known for his intense and successful mentoring of Queen Victoria, at ages 18-21, in the ways of politics...
denies her the traditional medieval banquet due to budget constraints, and critics refer to it as "The Penny Crowning". - 4 August — The Court Journal prints a rumour that Archibald Montgomerie, 13th Earl of EglintonArchibald Montgomerie, 13th Earl of EglintonSir Archibald William Montgomerie, 13th Earl of Eglinton KT, PC , known as Lord Montgomerie from 1814 to 1819, was a British Conservative politician...
is going to host a great jousting tournamentEglinton Tournament of 1839The Eglinton Tournament of 1839 was a re-enactment of a medieval joust and revel held in Scotland on Friday 30 August.It was funded and organized by Archibald Montgomerie, 13th Earl of Eglinton, and took place at Eglinton Castle, near Kilwinning in Scotland...
at his castle in ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. A few weeks later he confirms this. - 6 August — The Polytechnic InstitutionUniversity of WestminsterThe University of Westminster is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom. Its origins go back to the foundation of the Royal Polytechnic Institution in 1838, and it was awarded university status in 1992.The university's headquarters and original campus are based on Regent...
, Britain's first polytechnicPolytechnic (United Kingdom)A polytechnic was a type of tertiary education teaching institution in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. After the passage of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 they became universities which meant they could award their own degrees. The comparable institutions in Scotland were...
, opens in Regent StreetRegent StreetRegent Street is one of the major shopping streets in London's West End, well known to tourists and Londoners alike, and famous for its Christmas illuminations...
, London. - September — The Tolpuddle MartyrsTolpuddle MartyrsThe Tolpuddle Martyrs were a group of 19th century Dorset agricultural labourers who were arrested for and convicted of swearing a secret oath as members of the Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers. The rules of the society show it was clearly structured as a friendly society and operated as...
return to England. - 7 September — Grace DarlingGrace DarlingGrace Horsley Darling was an English Victorian heroine who in 1838, along with her father, saved 13 people from the wreck of the SS Forfarshire.-Biography:...
rescues nine survivors from the wreck of the SS Forfarshire off the Farne IslandsFarne IslandsThe Farne Islands are a group of islands off the coast of Northumberland, England. There are between 15 and 20 or more islands depending on the state of the tide. They are scattered about 2.5–7.5 km distant from the mainland, divided into two groups, the Inner Group and the Outer Group...
. - 17 September — Opening of the London and Birmingham RailwayLondon and Birmingham RailwayThe London and Birmingham Railway was an early railway company in the United Kingdom from 1833 to 1846, when it became part of the London and North Western Railway ....
. - 18 September — Anti-Corn Law LeagueAnti-Corn Law LeagueThe Anti-Corn Law League was in effect the resumption of the Anti-Corn Law Association, which had been created in London in 1836 but did not obtain widespread popularity. The Anti-Corn Law League was founded in Manchester in 1838...
founded by Richard CobdenRichard CobdenRichard Cobden was a British manufacturer and Radical and Liberal statesman, associated with John Bright in the formation of the Anti-Corn Law League as well as with the Cobden-Chevalier Treaty...
. - 1 October — First Afghan War begins.
Undated
- Royal Agricultural SocietyRoyal Agricultural SocietyThe Royal Agricultural Society of England was established in the United Kingdom in 1838 with the motto "Practice with Science". The RASE aim is to promote the scientific development of agriculture. The society received its Royal Charter from Queen Victoria in 1840.From its early days the society...
of England founded. - JennersJennersJenners Department Store, now known simply as Jenners, is a department store located in Edinburgh, Scotland, and was the oldest independent department store in Scotland until its acquisition by House of Fraser in 2005.- History :...
department storeDepartment storeA department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
established in Princes StreetPrinces StreetPrinces Street is one of the major thoroughfares in central Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, and its main shopping street. It is the southernmost street of Edinburgh's New Town, stretching around 1 mile from Lothian Road in the west to Leith Street in the east. The street is mostly closed to private...
, EdinburghEdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
. - The Tin Duties ActTin Duties Act 1838The Tin Duties Act 1838 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which abolished the coinage taxation system of the tin mines in Devon and the Cornwall, and authorized instead an annual payment to the Duke of Cornwall to compensate for this loss of revenue...
ends taxation of the mines of DevonDevonDevon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
and CornwallCornwallCornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
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Publications
- Serialisation of Charles DickensCharles DickensCharles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
' novel The Life and Adventures of Nicholas NicklebyThe Life and Adventures of Nicholas NicklebyNicholas Nickleby; or, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby is a novel by Charles Dickens. Originally published as a serial from 1838 to 1839, it was Dickens' third novel....
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Births
- 6 February — Henry IrvingHenry IrvingSir Henry Irving , born John Henry Brodribb, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility for season after season at the Lyceum Theatre, establishing himself and his company as...
, actor (died 19051905 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1905 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King Edward VII*Prime Minister - Arthur Balfour, Conservative , Henry Campbell-Bannerman, Liberal-Events:...
) - 12 March — William Henry Perkin, chemist (died 19071907 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1907 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King Edward VII*Prime Minister - Henry Campbell-Bannerman, Liberal-Events:* January - The steamship Pengwern founders in the North Sea: crew and 24 men lost....
) - 3 December — Octavia HillOctavia HillOctavia Hill was an English social reformer, whose main concern was the welfare of the inhabitants of cities, especially London, in the second half of the nineteenth century. Born into a family with a strong commitment to alleviating poverty, she herself grew up in straitened circumstances owing...
, social reformer (died 19121912 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1912 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - H. H. Asquith, Liberal-Events:* 1 January - Post Office takes over National Telephone Company....
) - 20 December — Edwin Abbott AbbottEdwin Abbott AbbottEdwin Abbott Abbott , English schoolmaster and theologian, is best known as the author of the satirical novella Flatland .-Biography:...
, theologian and author (died 19261926 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1926 in the United Kingdom. The year is dominated by the General Strike.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George V*Prime Minister – Stanley Baldwin, Conservative-Events:...
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Deaths
- 13 January — John Scott, 1st Earl of EldonJohn Scott, 1st Earl of EldonJohn Scott, 1st Earl of Eldon PC KC FRS FSA was a British barrister and politician. He served as Lord Chancellor of Great Britain between 1801 and 1806 and again between 1807 and 1827.- Background and education :...
, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain (born 17511751 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1751 in Great Britain.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George II*Prime Minister - Henry Pelham, Whig-Events:* 31 March - Frederick, Prince of Wales dies and is succeeded by his son the future George III of the United Kingdom as Prince of Wales.* April - The Gin Act requires...
) - February — Thomas CreeveyThomas CreeveyThomas Creevey was an English politician, son of William Creevey, a Liverpool merchant, and was born in that city....
, politician (born 17681768 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1768 in Great Britain.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George III*Prime Minister - William Pitt the Elder, Whig , Duke of Grafton, Whig-Events:...
) - 4 March — William FennexWilliam FennexWilliam Fennex was a famous English cricketer. He was a noted all-rounder and right arm fast bowler...
, cricketer (born 17631763 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1763 in Great Britain.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George III*Prime Minister - Earl of Bute, Tory , George Grenville, Whig-Events:...
) - 4 March — James Carmichael SmythJames Carmichael SmythSir James Carmichael Smyth, 1st Baronet KCH CB was a British colonial administrator.He was born in London, England, the eldest of five sons of James Carmichael Smyth and Mary Holyland...
, colonial administrator (born 17791779 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1779 in Great Britain.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George III*Prime Minister - Lord North, Tory-Events:* 9 January - First Anglo-Maratha War: British troops surrender to the Marathas in Wadgaon, India, and are forced to return all terrorities acquired since 1773.* 11 February -...
) - 21 March — George Ramsay, 9th Earl of DalhousieGeorge Ramsay, 9th Earl of DalhousieGeneral George Ramsay, 9th Earl of Dalhousie GCB , styled Lord Ramsay until 1787, was a Scottish soldier and colonial administrator...
, colonial Governor (born 17701770 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1770 in Great Britain.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George III*Prime Minister - Duke of Grafton, Whig , Lord North, Tory-Events:...
) - 24 March — Thomas AttwoodThomas Attwood (composer)Thomas Attwood was an English composer and organist.The son of a musician in the royal band, Attwood was born in London. At the age of nine he became a chorister in the Chapel Royal. In 1783 he was sent to study abroad at the expense of the Prince of Wales , who had been favourably impressed by...
, composer (born 17651765 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1765 in Great Britain.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George III*Prime Minister - George Grenville, Whig , Marquess of Rockingham, Whig-Events:* 8 February - Nevil Maskelyne becomes Astronomer Royal....
) - 19 May — Richard Colt HoareRichard Colt HoareSir Richard Colt Hoare, 2nd Baronet FRS was an English antiquarian, archaeologist, artist, and traveller of the 18th and 19th centuries, the first major figure in the detailed study of the history of his home county, Wiltshire.-Career:Hoare was descended from Sir Richard Hoare, Lord Mayor of...
, antiquarian, artist, traveller and archaeologist (born 17581758 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1758 in Great Britain.-Incumbents:*Monarch - George II of the United Kingdom*Prime Minister - Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Whig-Events:...
) - 19 July — Christmas EvansChristmas EvansChristmas Evans was a Welsh Nonconformist minister, regarded as one of the greatest preachers in the history of Wales....
, Nonconformist minister (born 17661766 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1766 in Great Britain.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George III*Prime Minister - Marquess of Rockingham, Whig , William Pitt the Elder, Whig-Events:...
) - 25 August — William Annesley, 3rd Earl AnnesleyWilliam Annesley, 3rd Earl AnnesleyWilliam Richard Annesley, 3rd Earl Annesley was an Irish noble and British Member of Parliament.David Roy MacGregor, "Merchant Sailing Ships 1815-1850" , erroneously states that the 3rd Earl was William Annesley , the naval architect.Lord Annesley was the eldest son of Richard Annesley, 2nd Earl...
, noble and Member of Parliament (born 17721772 in Ireland-Births:*1 May - Lowry Cole, soldier, politician and MP for Enniskillen from 1797 to 1800, Governor of Mauritius and Cape Colony .*16 July - William Annesley, 3rd Earl Annesley, politician ....
) - 18 September — Robert Smith, 1st Baron CarringtonRobert Smith, 1st Baron CarringtonRobert Smith, 1st Baron Carrington FRS was a British Member of Parliament and banker.Smith was the third son of Abel Smith and his wife Mary . His grandfather Abel Smith was the third son of Thomas Smith, the founder of Smith's Bank of Nottingham. Smith was elected to the House of Commons for...
, Member of Parliamenrt (born 17521752 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1752 in the Kingdom of Great Britain.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George II*Prime Minister - Henry Pelham, Whig-Events:...
) - 7 November — Anne GrantAnne GrantAnne Grant was a Scottish poet and author.She was born in Glasgow, and in 1779 married the Rev. James Grant, minister of Laggan, Invernessshire. She published in 1802 a volume of poems. She also wrote Letters from the Mountains, and Essays on the Superstitions of the Highlands...
, poet and author (born 17551755 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1755 in Great Britain.-Incumbents:*Monarch - George II of the United Kingdom*Prime Minister - Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Whig-Events:...
) - 22 December — John Villiers, 3rd Earl of ClarendonJohn Villiers, 3rd Earl of ClarendonJohn Charles Villiers, 3rd Earl of Clarendon PC , styled The Honourable until 1824, was a British peer and Member of Parliament....
, Member of Parliament (born 17571757 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1757 in Great Britain.- Events :* 2 January - Robert Clive captures Calcutta, India.* 14 March - Seven Years' War: Admiral Sir John Byng is executed by firing squad aboard for breach of the Articles of War....
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Unknown dates
- Sir Edward Barnes, soldier and governor of Ceylon (born 17761776 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1776 in Great Britain.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George III*Prime Minister - Lord North, Tory-Events:* 10 January – American Revolution: Thomas Paine publishes his pamphlet Common Sense ....
) - John Bonham-Carter, politician and barrister (born 17881788 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1788 in the Kingdom of Great Britain.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George III*Prime Minister - William Pitt the Younger, Tory-Events:...
) - Robert Cutlar FergussonRobert Cutlar FergussonRobert Cutlar Fergusson was a Scottish lawyer and politician. He was 17th Laird of the Dumfriesshire Fergussons, seated at Craigdarroch ....
, lawyer and politician (born 17681768 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1768 in Great Britain.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George III*Prime Minister - William Pitt the Elder, Whig , Duke of Grafton, Whig-Events:...
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