1872 in the United Kingdom

Events from the year 1872 in the United Kingdom.

Incumbents

*Monarch - Victoria of the United Kingdom
*Prime Minister - William Gladstone, Liberal

Events

* 2 February - British government buys a number of forts on the Gold Coast from the Netherlands.cite book |last=Palmer |first=Alan & Veronica |year=1992 |title= The Chronology of British History|publisher= Century Ltd|location=London|pages= 294-295|isbn= 0-7126-5616-2]
* 5 March - Tichborne Case decided against the impostor Arthur Orton.
* 11 March - Work begins erecting Seven Sisters Colliery, South Wales; located on one of the richest coal sources in Britain.
* 16 March - In the first ever final of the FA Cup, the world's oldest football competition, Wanderers F.C. defeated Royal Engineers A.F.C. 1-0 at The Oval in Kennington, London.cite book|title=Penguin Pocket On This Day|publisher=Penguin Reference Library|isbn=0-141-02715-0|year=2006]
* 18 July - the Ballot Act 1872 introduces secret ballots in United Kingdom elections.
* 31 July - Licensing Act 1872 establishes licenses for public houses and limits drinking hours.
* 1 September - Group of Icaiche Maya under Marcos Canul attack Orange Walk Town in British Honduras. British send troops against them.
* 30 November - Scotland v England: the first ever international football match takes place at Hamilton Crescent in Scotland.
* 12 December - A meteorite struck earth near Banbury.
* 21 December - The HMS Challenger sails from Portsmouth on the four year scientific expedition that would lay the foundation for the science of oceanography.

Undated

* London Metropolitan Police strike.

Publications

* Samuel Butler's novel "Erewhon".
* George Eliot's novel "Middlemarch".
* Thomas Hardy's anonymous romantic novel "Under the Greenwood Tree".

Births

* 18 May - Bertrand Russell, philosopher and mathematician, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature (died 1970)
* 31 May - Heath Robinson, cartoonist and illustrator (died 1944)
* 23 July - Edward Adrian Wilson, explorer, physician, naturalist and ornithologist (died 1912)
* 21 August - Aubrey Beardsley, artist (died 1898)
* 8 October - John Cowper Powys, writer and philosopher (died 1963)
* 12 October - Ralph Vaughan Williams, composer (died 1958)
* 26 December - Norman Angell, politician, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (died 1967)

Deaths

* 27 February - John McLeod Campbell, churchman (born 1800)
* 1 April - Frederick Maurice, theologian (born 1805)
* 28 November - Mary Somerville, mathematician (born 1780)
* 15 December - Lady Beaconsfield, wife of Benjamin Disraeli (born 1792)

References

ee also