1766 in Great Britain
Events from the year 1766 in Great Britain.
Incumbents
Events
- 1 January - Charles Edward Stuart ("Bonnie Prince Charlie") becomes the new Stuart claimant to the throne of Great Britain as King Charles III and figurehead for Jacobitism, on the death of his father James Francis Edward Stuart, Pretender since 1701.
- 5 February - An observer in Wilmington, North Carolina, reports to the Edinburgh newspaper Caledonian Mercury that three ships have been seized by British Men of War on the charge of carrying official documents without stamps. The strict enforcement causes seven other ships to leave Wilmington for other ports.
- 20 February - The Pennsylvania Gazette reports that a British sloop outside of Wilmington, North Carolina seized one sloop sailing from Philadelphia and one sloop sailing from Saint Christopher on the charge of carrying official documents without stamps. In response, local residents threaten to burn a Royal Man of War attempting to deliver stamps to Wilmington, forcing the ship to return to the mouth of the Cape Fear River.
- February - American Revolution: Parliament repeals the Stamp Act which is very unpopular in the British colonies.[1] The persuasion of Benjamin Franklin is considered partly responsible.
- 18 March - The Declaratory Act asserts the right of Britain to make laws binding in the colonies.[1]
- 30 May - Opening of Theatre Royal, Bristol. Also this year, the surviving Georgian Theatre (Stockton-on-Tees) opens as a playhouse.
- 26 July - Construction of the Trent and Mersey Canal begins to connect the River Trent and River Mersey.[1][2]
- 30 July - Marquess of Rockingham dismissed as Prime Minister by King George III and is succeeded by William Pitt the Elder.[3]
- September - "Bread and butter riots": civil unrest across England following a poor harvest.[4]
- 6 September - Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, marries the illegitimately-born Maria Walpole, Dowager Countess of Waldegrave at her home in Pall Mall, London, an event kept secret from his brother the King until after passage of the Royal Marriages Act 1772.
- October - Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, completed.
- 27 November - An observer in New York City reports to the Pennsylvania Gazette that a British Sloop of War is searching all vessels passing near Cape Lookout, North Carolina, and that some vessels have been seized.
- 5 December - James Christie holds the first sale at Christie's auction house in London.[1]
Undated
Publications
Births
Deaths
- 1 January - James Francis Edward Stuart, "The Old Pretender" (born 1688)
- 9 January - Thomas Birch, English historian (born 1705)
- 21 January - James Quin, English actor (born 1693)
- 4 April - John Taylor, English classical scholar (born 1704)
- 8 May - Samuel Chandler, English non-conformist minister (born 1693)
- 13 August - Margaret Fownes-Luttrell, English heiress and painter (born 1726)
- 3 September - Archibald Bower, Scottish historian (born 1686)
- 13 September - Benjamin Heath, English classical scholar (born 1704)
- 23 September - John Brown, English essayist (born 1715)
- 29 November - John Wyatt, English inventor (born 1700)
References
- 1 2 3 4 Williams, Hywel (2005). Cassell's Chronology of World History. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. pp. 323–324. ISBN 0-304-35730-8.
- ↑ Hadfield, Charles (1969). The Canals of the West Midlands (2nd ed.). Newton Abbot: David & Charles. p. 27. ISBN 0-7153-4660-1.
- ↑ "PMs in history, Marquess of Rockingham". Archived from the original on 7 August 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-10.
- ↑ Cox, David (2002). "The 'Bread And Butter Riots' of 1766". Civil Unrest in the Black Country 1750-1837. Black Country Society. Retrieved 2014-05-22.
- 1 2 Palmer, Alan; Veronica (1992). The Chronology of British History. London: Century Ltd. pp. 224–225. ISBN 0-7126-5616-2.
See also
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1766 in Great Britain: