1888 in the United Kingdom
| 1888 in the United Kingdom |
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Events from the year 1888 in the United Kingdom. This year is noted for the first Whitechapel murders.
Incumbents
- Monarch – Victoria
- Prime Minister – Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (Conservative)
- Parliament – 24th
Events
- 26 January – the Lawn Tennis Association is founded.[1]
- 13 February – the first issue of the Financial Times goes on sale.[2] (originally launched on 9 January by Horatio Bottomley as the London Financial Guide).
- 23 March – a meeting called by William McGregor to discuss establishment of The Football League is held in London.[3]
- 24 March – West Bromwich Albion F.C. beat Preston North End 2-1 to win the FA cup.
- 3 April – London prostitute Emma Elizabeth Smith is brutally attacked by two or three men, dying of her injuries the following day, first of the Whitechapel murders but probably not a victim of Jack the Ripper.
- 8 May – royal opening of the International Exhibition of Science, Art and Industry in Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow (continues to November).[4]
- 12 May – the North Borneo Chartered Company's territories (including Sarawak) become the British protectorate of North Borneo.
- 14 May – Order of Saint John chartered.
- 28 May – Celtic Football Club of Glasgow play their first official match, beating Rangers 5–2.
- 2–27 July – London matchgirls strike of 1888: About 200 workers, mainly teenaged girls, strike following the dismissal of three colleagues from the Bryant and May match factory, precipitated by an article on their working conditions published on 23 June by campaigning journalist Annie Besant, and the workers unionise on 27 July.[5]
- 7 August – Whitechapel murders: the body of London prostitute Martha Tabram is found, a possible victim of Jack the Ripper.[6]
- 9 August – Oaths Act permits the oath of allegiance taken to the Sovereign by Members of Parliament to be affirmed rather than sworn to God, thus confirming the ability of atheists to sit in the House of Commons.
- 13 August – the Local Government Act, effective from 1889, establishes county councils and county borough councils in England and Wales, redraws some county boundaries, and gives women the vote in local elections.[2]
- 31 August – Whitechapel murders: the mutilated body of London prostitute Mary Ann Nichols is found, perhaps the first victim of Jack the Ripper.
- 6 September – Charles Turner becomes the first bowler in cricket to take 250 wickets in an English season, a feat since accomplished only by Tom Richardson (twice), J.T. Hearne, Wilfred Rhodes (twice) and Tich Freeman (six times).
- 8 September
- Whitechapel murders: The mutilated body of London prostitute Annie Chapman is found. She is considered to be the second victim of Jack the Ripper.
- In England, the first six Football League matches are played.[6] The 12 members of the new league are Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Preston North End, West Bromwich Albion, Everton, Burnley, Accrington, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Notts County, Derby County and Stoke City, all from the north of England or the midlands.[7] The first goal in the League is scored by Kenny Davenport of Bolton Wanderers.[8]
- 27 September – Whitechapel murders: the 'Dear Boss letter' signed "Jack the Ripper", the first time the name is used, is received by London's Central News Agency.[6]
- 30 September – Whitechapel murders: the bodies of London prostitutes Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes, the latter mutilated, are found. They are generally considered Jack the Ripper's third and fourth victim respectively.
- October – Salt Union Ltd formed to achieve an effective monopoly over British salt production.
- 2 October – the Whitehall Mystery: dismembered remains of a woman's body are discovered at three central London locations, one being the construction site of New Scotland Yard.
- 14 October – the first recorded film, Roundhay Garden Scene, is made in Roundhay in Leeds. The film is two seconds and 18 frames in length.
- 8 November – Joseph Assheton Fincher files a patent for the parlour game which he calls "Tiddledy-Winks".[9]
- 9 November – Whitechapel murders: the mutilated body of London prostitute Mary Jane Kelly is found. She is considered to be the fifth, and last, of Jack the Ripper's victims. A number of similar murders in England follows, but the police attribute them to copy-cat killers.
- 7 December – John Boyd Dunlop patents the pneumatic bicycle tyre.[6]
- 17 December – the Lyric Theatre (London) opens.[6]
Undated
- Edward King, Anglican bishop of Lincoln, is prosecuted for using ritualistic practices; the special ecclesiastical court (revived for the first time since 1699) finds largely in his favour.[10]
- Completion of first stage of Royal Museum in Edinburgh.
- University College of North Wales, Bangor, opens its agriculture department – the first in a British university.
- Camborne School of Mines founded in Cornwall.
- W.D. & H.O. Wills launch the Woodbine brand of cigarette.
- The board game Snakes and Ladders is introduced from India to the U.K. by Jaques of London.
- First British rugby union tour of Australia and New Zealand, an unofficial predecessor of the British Lions.
- First International Forestry Exhibition opens in Edinburgh.[11]
Publications
- Thomas Hardy's short story collection Wessex Tales.
- W. E. Henley's A Book of Verses, containing the first publication of the poem Invictus.[12]
- Henry James' novella The Aspern Papers.
- Rudyard Kipling's short story collection Plain Tales from the Hills (in Calcutta).
- Mrs Humphrey Ward's 'novel of doubt' Robert Elsmere.
- Oscar Wilde's collection of children's fairy stories The Happy Prince and Other Tales.
Births
- 18 January – Thomas Sopwith, aviation pioneer and yachtsman (died 1989)
- 8 February – Edith Evans, actress (died 1976)
- 1 March – Ewart Astill, cricketer (Leicestershire) (died 1948)
- 17 May – Tich Freeman, cricketer (died 1965)
- 25 May – Miles Malleson, actor (died 1969)
- 7 June – Hilda Matheson, pioneering radio talks producer (died 1940)
- 15 June – Martin D'Arcy, Catholic intellectual (died 1976)
- 9 July – Simon Marks, businessman (died 1964)
- 14 August – John Logie Baird, inventor (died 1946)
- 16 August – T. E. Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia") liaison officer during the Arab Revolt, writer and academic (died 1935)
- 25 September – Vera Laughton Mathews, naval officer (died 1959)
- 6 December – Will Hay, actor and comedian (died 1949)
- 7 December – Joyce Cary, author (died 1957)
- 18 December – Gladys Cooper, actress (died 1971)
- 22 December – J. Arthur Rank, film magnate (died 1972)
- 25 December – Michael Sadleir, novelist (died 1957)
Deaths
- 29 January – Edward Lear, artist and writer (born 1812)
- 3 February – Henry Maine, jurist (born 1822)
- 15 April – Matthew Arnold, poet (born 1822)
- 23 August – Philip Henry Gosse, scientist (born 1810)
See also
References
- ^ "LTA". Sports KnowHow. Archived from the original on 23 December 2010. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Palmer, Alan; Veronica (1992). The Chronology of British History. London: Century Ltd. pp. 314–315. ISBN 0-7126-5616-2.
- ^ Davies, Hunter (2003). Boots, Balls and Haircuts: An Illustrated History of Football from Then to Now. London: Cassell Illustrated. pp. 39–41. ISBN 1-84403-261-2.
- ^ Kinghorn, Jonathon; Glasgow Museums and Art Galleries (1988). Glasgow's International Exhibition, 1888. Glasgow Museums & Art Galleries. ISBN 978-0-902752-36-8.
- ^ "The Match Workers Strike Fund Register". Trades Union Congress Library at the London Metropolitan University. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Penguin Pocket On This Day. Penguin Reference Library. 2006. ISBN 0-14-102715-0.
- ^ "History of the Football League". The Football League. 22 September 2010. Archived from the original on 1 May 2011. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Winter, Henry (29 July 2013). "Bolton and England inside forward Kenyon Davenport finally credited with scoring Football League's first goal". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
- ^ "UK Patent # 16,215". Archived from the original on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Newton, John A. (2004). "King, Edward (1829–1910)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/34319. Retrieved 12 October 2012. (subscription or UK public library membership required)
- ^ Pelle, Kimberley D. "Appendix D:Fairs Not Included". In Findling, John E. (ed.). Encyclopedia of World's Fairs and Expositions. McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 424–427. ISBN 978-0-7864-3416-9.
- ^ Adams, James Eli (2009). A history of Victorian literature. John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 0-631-22082-8. Retrieved 28 October 2010.