1756 in Great Britain
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Events from the year 1756 in Great Britain.
Incumbents
- Monarch – George II
- Prime Minister – Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle (Whig) (until 16 November); William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire (Whig) (starting 16 November)
- Parliament – 11th
Events
- 16 January – Treaty of Westminster signed between Britain and Prussia guaranteeing the neutrality of Hanover, the German province controlled by King George II.[1]
- 12 April – Seven Years' War: The French invade Menorca, at this time under British control.
- 17 May – Seven Years' War: The Seven Years' War formally begins when Britain declares war on France.[1]
- 20 May – Seven Years' War: Battle of Minorca: The British fleet under John Byng is defeated by the French under Roland-Michel Barrin de La Galissonière.
- 20 June – a garrison of the British Army in India is imprisoned in the Black Hole of Calcutta.[1]
- 25 June – foundation of The Marine Society in London, the world's oldest seafarers' charity.[2]
- 29 June – Seven Years' War – Siege of Fort St Philip at Port Mahon: The British garrison in Menorca surrenders to the French after two months' siege by Armand de Vignerot du Plessis.
- 6 October - Hurricane hits Great Britain causing large crop losses, mainly corn. [3]
- 16 November – Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne resigns as Prime Minister. His successor is William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire.[4]
- 4 December – William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham becomes Secretary of State for the Southern Department.[4]
- Undated – completion of William Edwards' Old Bridge, Pontypridd. With a 140 ft (43 m) span it becomes (by 10 ft) the longest single-span bridge in Great Britain, remaining so for 40 years.[5][6]
Publications
- Edmund Burke's (anonymous) A Vindication of Natural Society.[4]
Births
- 3 March – William Godwin, writer (died 1836)
- 4 March – Henry Raeburn, painter (died 1823)
- April – William Gifford, satirist (died 1826)
- 13 June – Edmund Lodge, writer (died 1839)
- 21 September – John Loudon McAdam, highway engineer (died 1836)
- 13 November – Edward Rushton, abolitionist and pioneer of education for the blind (died 1814)
- 18 November – Thomas Burgess, Bishop, author and philosopher (died 1837)
- 22 November – Gilbert Wakefield, scholar (died 1801)
Deaths
- 25 February – Eliza Haywood, actress and writer (born 1693)
- 24 July – George Vertue, engraver and antiquary (born 1684)
- 31 August – John Dandridge, distinguished colonel, planter (born 1700)
- 28 October – Charles Somerset, 4th Duke of Beaufort (born 1709)
- 8 December – William Stanhope, 1st Earl of Harrington, statesman and diplomat (born c. 1690)
References
- ^ a b c Williams, Hywel (2005). Cassell's Chronology of World History. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. p. 318. ISBN 0-304-35730-8.
- ^ "History of the Marine Society". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-09-03.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Urban, Sylvanus., ed. (1756). The Gentleman's Magazine. D. Henry & R. Cave. p. 462.
- ^ a b c Everett, Jason M., ed. (2006). "1756". The People's Chronology. Thomson Gale.
- ^ Ruddock, Ted (2008). "The Theory of Arches and Pontypridd". Arch Bridges and their Builders 1735–1835. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-09021-6. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
- ^ Skempton, A. W.; Chrimes, Mike (2002). A Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers in Great Britain and Ireland: 1500 to 1830. Thomas Telford. pp. 217–18. ISBN 0-7277-2939-X.