1782 in Great Britain

Events from the year 1782 in the Kingdom of Great Britain.

Incumbents

*Monarch - George III of the United Kingdom
*Prime Minister - Frederick North, Lord North, Tory (to 22 March), Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, Whig (to 1 July), William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne, Whig

Events

* 25 January–26 January - American Revolutionary War: Battle of St. Kitts between French and British fleets.
* 5 February - Spanish defeat British forces and capture Minorca.cite book|last=Williams|first=Hywel|title=Cassell's Chronology of World History|publisher=Weidenfeld & Nicolson|year=2005|isbn=0-304-35730-8|pages=334–335]
* 17 February - American Revolutionary War: Battle of Sadras between French and British fleets.
* 19 March - Frederick North, Lord North resigns as Prime Minister because of recent setbacks in the American Revolutionary War.
* 27 March - Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham becomes Prime Minister. [cite web|url=http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page164.asp|title=PMs in history, Marquess of Rockingham. 10 Downing Street website|accessdate=2007-09-01] His new Whig administration opens peace talks with the Americans, with Thomas Grenville being sent to Paris to negotiate with Benjamin Franklin.
* 1 April - Rockingham appoints the first Home Secretary (William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne) and Foreign Secretary (Charles James Fox).cite book |last=Palmer |first=Alan & Veronica |year=1992 |title= The Chronology of British History|publisher= Century Ltd|location=London|pages= 228-230|isbn= 0-7126-5616-2]
* 12 April - American Revolutionary War: A British fleet under Admiral Sir George Rodney defeats a French fleet under the Comte de Grasse in the West Indies at the Battle of the Saintes.cite book|title=Penguin Pocket On This Day|publisher=Penguin Reference Library|isbn=0-141-02715-0|year=2006]
* 12 April - American Revolutionary War: Battle of Providien.
* 17 May
** Parliament repeals the Ireland Act of 1720 allowing the Parliament of Ireland legislative independence.
** Treaty of Salbai ends the First Anglo-Maratha War.
* 25 May–12 June - American Revolutionary War: Crawford expedition.
* 4 July - William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne becomes Prime Minister following the death of Rockingham. [cite web|url=http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page163.asp|title=PMs in history, Earl of Shelburne. 10 Downing Street website|accessdate=2007-09-01]
* 6 July - American Revolutionary War: Battle of Negapatam between British and French fleets.
* 19 August - American Revolutionary War: Battle of Blue Licks.
* 3 September - American Revolutionary War: Battle of Trincomalee between French and British fleets.
* 20 October - American Revolutionary War: Battle of Cape Spartel.
* 30 November - American Revolutionary War: In Paris, representatives from the United States and Great Britain sign preliminary peace articles (later formalised in the Treaty of Paris).

Ongoing events

* Second Anglo-Mysore War 1780–1784

Undated

* Parliament extends James Watt's patent for the steam engine to the year 1800.

Births

* 5 January - Robert Morrison, Protestant missionary to China (died 1834)
* 10 August - Charles James Napier, general and Commander-in-Chief in India (died 1853)
* 1 November - Frederick John Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (died 1859)

Deaths

* 18 January - John Pringle, physician (born 1707)
* 27 April - William Talbot, 1st Earl Talbot, politician (born 1710)
* 20 May - William Emerson, mathematician (born 1701)
* May - Richard Wilson, painter (born 1714)
* 14 June - Edward Ligonier, 1st Earl Ligonier soldier and courtier (born 1740)
* 1 July - Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, Prime Minister (born 1730)
* 27 December - Henry Home, Lord Kames, advocate and philosopher (born 1697)

References

ee also