1837 in the United Kingdom
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Events from the year 1837 in the United Kingdom. This marks the beginning of the Victorian era.
Incumbents
- Monarch â William IV (until 20 June), Victoria (starting 20 June)
- Prime Minister â William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne (Whig)
- Foreign Secretary â Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston
- Home Secretary â Lord John Russell
Events
- JanuaryâFebruary â Serious influenza outbreak.[1]
- 11 January â The Royal Institute of British Architects in London (RIBA) is granted its royal charter.
- 13 February â Rowland Hill's government inquiry into postal reform discusses the idea of carrying letters in a separate sheet which folds to become an envelope and the idea of "a bit of paper" which could be affixed to a letter to flag that postage had been prepaid.
- March â A new city in the Australian colonies is named for Lord Melbourne, the Prime Minister.[2]
- 1 Marchâ31 May â At only 5.63 °C (42.13 °F) Central England temperature, the coolest English spring on record; this remains the last recorded coolest traditional season in the CET series.[3]
- c. June â Smallpox epidemic of 1837â40 breaks out.[1]
- 1 June â The Government-funded Normal School of Design, predecessor of the Royal College of Art, begins classes at Somerset House in London.
- 3 June â The Kensington Hippodrome opens in Notting Hill.
- 12 June â Cooke and Wheatstone file their patent for the electrical telegraph.[4]
- 20 June â King William IV dies from heart failure early that morning at Windsor Castle with Queen Adelaide at his bedside. Due to none of his nine surviving children being legitimate,[5] his 18-year-old niece, Princess Victoria of Kent, ascends the throne as Queen Victoria.[6] At 6am, Francis Conyngham, 2nd Marquess Conyngham (Lord Chamberlain) and William Howley (Archbishop of Canterbury) call on her at Kensington Palace to break the news. She will reign for 63 years.[6] Under Salic law, the Kingdom of Hanover passes to William's brother, Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, ending the personal union of Britain and Hanover which has persisted since 1714.
- 30 June â The use of the pillory as a punishment is abolished by act of parliament.[7]
- 1 July â General Register Office begins the practice of registering births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales.[7]
- 3 July â Wills Act clarifies the procedure for making a valid will with effect from 1 January 1838.
- 13 July â Queen Victoria moves from Kensington Palace into Buckingham Palace, the first reigning British monarch to make this, rather than St James's Palace, their London home.[7]
- 19 July
- The Isambard Kingdom Brunel-designed steamship SS Great Western is launched in Bristol.[7]
- The first missionaries sent abroad by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints land from the United States at Liverpool. On 30 July, apostle Heber C. Kimball baptises the first English converts (George D. Watt and 8 others) in the River Ribble near Preston, Lancashire.[8]
- 20 July â Euston Station, London's first mainline railway terminus, is opened.[7]
- 24 Julyâ18 August â A General election results in a Whig victory for the fourth consecutive time.[2]
- 17 August â John Kent becomes Britain's first black police officer on joining the constabulary in Carlisle.
- 28 August â Lea & Perrins begin making Worcestershire sauce.[7][9]
- October â Alleged first sighting of a Spring-heeled Jack, in London.
- 1 October â The Punishment of Offences Act and other acts coming into force on this day remove capital punishment as a penalty for crimes including burglary, arson, forgery and "shooting at".[10]
- 9 November â Stockbroker Moses Montefiore becomes the first Jew to receive a knighthood.[7]
- 15 November â Isaac Pitman publishes Pitman Shorthand.[7]
- Undated â Joseph Paxton designs the Great Conservatory or Stove at Chatsworth House; it is the world's largest glass building at this time.[11]
Publications
- Richard Harris Barham's The Ingoldsby Legends 'by Thomas Ingoldsby' begin to appear in serial form in Bentley's Miscellany.
- Thomas Carlyle's book The French Revolution: A History.
- Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist appears in serial form in Bentley's Miscellany (from February).[6]
- Robert Southey's "The Story of the Three Bears" appears in The Doctor.
- Martin Tupper's book Proverbial Philosophy.
- Andrew Ure's encyclopedia A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines.
Births
- 7 January â Thomas Henry Ismay, shipowner (died 1899)
- 30 January â Augusta Webster, born Julia Augusta Davies, poet (died 1894)
- 7 February â James Murray, lexicographer (died 1915)
- 23 March â Charles Wyndham, actor and theatrical manager (died 1919)
- 5 April â Algernon Charles Swinburne, poet (died 1909)
- 7 April â Gilbert Arthur à Beckett, writer (died 1891)
- 28 May â George Ashlin, architect (died 1921)
- 9 June â Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie, novelist and essayist (died 1919)
- 14 November â Lucas Barrett, naturalist (died 1862)
- 23 November â Joseph Leycester Lyne, Anglican Benedictine abbot (died 1908)
- 5 December â Richard Thomas, tin plate manufacturer (died 1916)
- 26 December â William Boyd Dawkins, geologist (died 1929)
Deaths
- 20 January â Sir John Soane, British architect (born 1753)
- 23 January â John Field, Irish composer (born 1782)
- 31 January â John Rolls of The Hendre, judge (born 1776)
- 1 February â Edward Donovan, writer, traveller and amateur zoologist (born 1768)
- 19 February â Thomas Burgess author, philosopher and Bishop (born 1756)
- 31 March â John Constable, painter (born 1776)
- 31 May â Joseph Grimaldi, clown (born 1778)
- 20 June â William IV (born 1765)
- 24 June â Henry Thynne, 3rd Marquess of Bath, naval officer and politician (born 1797)
- 1 August â Walter Geikie, painter (born 1795)
- 22 September â William George Horner, mathematician (born 1786)
- 7 December â Robert Nicoll, poet (born 1814)