1780 in Great Britain

Events from the year 1780 in the Kingdom of Great Britain.

Incumbents

*Monarch - George III of the United Kingdom
*Prime Minister - Frederick North, Lord North, Tory

Events

* 16 January - American Revolutionary War: British victory at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent over a Spanish squadron.
* 8 March - American Revolutionary War: The League of Armed Neutrality is formed by Russia to try to prevent the Royal Navy from searching neutral vessels for contraband.cite book|last=Williams|first=Hywel|title=Cassell's Chronology of World History|publisher=Weidenfeld & Nicolson|year=2005|isbn=0-304-35730-8|pages=333]
* 4 May - The first Epsom Derby horse race is run at Epsom Downs, Surrey. The victor is Diomed.cite book|title=Penguin Pocket On This Day|publisher=Penguin Reference Library|isbn=0-141-02715-0|year=2006]
* 12 May - American Revolutionary War: Charleston, South Carolina is taken by British forces.
* 2 June - Gordon Riots in London.
* 10 July - American Revolutionary War: 6,000 French troops led by Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau land in Newport, Rhode Island but are pinned down by the British.
* September - Outbreak of the Second Anglo-Mysore War in India.
* 16 August - American Revolutionary War: Battle of Camden — The British defeat the Americans near Camden, South Carolina.
* 2 October - American Revolutionary War: British spy John André is hanged by American forces.
* 7 October - American Revolutionary War: Patriot militia defeat the Loyalist militia at the Battle of Kings Mountain.
* 20 November - American Revolutionary War: Britain declares war on the Dutch Republic to stop it from joining the League of Armed Neutrality.

Births

* 21 May - Elizabeth Fry, humanitarian (died 1845)
* 26 December - Mary Fairfax Somerville, mathematician (died 1872)
* "date unknown" - John Bird Sumner, Archbishop of Canterbury (died 1862)

Deaths

* 14 February - William Blackstone, jurist (born 1723)
* 18 May - Charles Hardy, governor of Newfoundland (born c. 1714)
* 4 September - John Fielding, magistrate and social reformer (born 1721)
* 2 October - John André, British Army officer of the American Revolutionary War (executed) (born 1750)
* 17 October - William Cookworthy, chemist (born 1705)
* 26 November - Sir James Denham Steuart, 4th Baronet, economist (born 1712)
* 26 December - John Fothergill, physician (born 1712)
* "date unknown" - Thomas Dilworth, cleric and writer (year of birth unknown)

References

ee also