Pitt to Peel

Prime Ministers

Lord North (Frederick North)

28 January 1770 - 22 March 1782

Marquess of Rockingham (Charles Watson-Wentworth)

27 March 1782 - 1 July 1782

Earl of Shelburne (William Petty)

4 July 1782 - 2 April 1783

Duke of Portland (William Cavendish-Bentinck)

2 April 1783 - 19 December 1783

William Pitt

19 dec 1783 - 14 mar 1801

William Pitt

10 may 1804 - 23 jan 1806

Baron Grenville (William Grenville)

11 feb 1806 - 31 mar 1807

Duke of Portland (William Cavendish-Bentick)

31 mar 1807 - 4 oct 1809

Spencer Perceval

4 oct 1809 - 11 may 1812

Lord Liverpool (Robert Jenkinson)

8 jun 1812 - 9 apr 1827

George Canning

10 apr 1827 - 8 aug 1827

Viscount Goderich (Frederick Robinson)

31 aug 1827 - 21 jan 1828

Duke of Wellington (Arthur Wellesley)

22 jan 1828 - 16 nov 1830

Earl Grey (Charles Grey)

22 nov 1830 - 16 jul 1834

Viscount Melbourne (William Lamb)

16 jul 1834 - 14 nov 1834

Robert Peel

10 dec 1834 - 8 apr 1835

Viscount Melbourne (William Lamb)

18 Apr 1835 - 30 Aug 1841

Robert Peel

30 August 1841 - 29 June 1846

Laws

Roman Catholic Relief Act

1778

Commutation Act (reduces tea duty)

1784

Sinking Fund

1786

Consolidated Fund Act

1787

Habeas Corpus suspended

may 1794

'Two Acts' - Seditious Meetings and Treasonable Practices

dec 1795

Corn Law

mar 1815

Income tax abolished

1816

Machine Breaking becomes a capital offence

feb 1818

Gaols Act (Prisons)

1823

Reciprocity of Duties Act (encourages international trade)

1823

Relaxation of Navigation Acts

1823

Trade Unions legalised

1825

Window Tax abolished for small houses

1825

Corn Laws relaxed, sliding scale introduced

1828

Catholic Emancipation passes

1829

Peel establishes Metropolitan Police

1829

1st Reform Bill introduced

jan 1831

Election brings in pro-reform MPs

may 1831

2nd Reform Bill passes Commons, rejected by Lords

sep 1831

Great Reform Act passed

jun 1832

Other

George II dies, George III takes over

1760

Rockingham dies in office

jul 1782

India Bill fails, coalition dismissed

17 dec 1783

Election called, giving Pitt a majority

mar 1784

Pitt's 'Reign of Terror' begins

1793

Spithead & Nore Mutinies

april 1797 - may 1797

Food Riots

1800

Peel serves as Chief Secretary for Ireland

1812 - 1818

Six Acts

dec 1819

Seditious Meetings, Misdemeanours, Newspaper & Stamp Duties, Training Prevention, Blasphemous Libels, Seizure of Arms

George IV becomes king

1820

Queen Caroline returns to Britain

jun 1820

Queen Caroline dies

6 aug 1820

Queen Caroline refused entry to king's coronation

jul 1821

2 pro-Emancipation ministers introduced (Canning & Huskisson)

1822

'Liberal Toryism' period begins

1822

Canning dies in office

aug 1827

George IV dies, replaced by William IV

jun 1830

Grey resigns, causing constitutional crisis

mar 1832

Grey returns to office

may 1832

Protest Movements

London Corresponding Society established

jan 1792

Despard Conspiracy uncovered

nov 1802

Luddism

1811 - feb 1812

First Hampden Club set up

1812

12000 troops stationed in areas affected by Luddism

july 1812

1st Spa Fields meeting

15 nov 1816

2nd Spa Fields meeting

2 dec 1816

3rd Spa Fields meeting

9 dec 1816

March of the Blanketeers

mar 1817

Pentrich Rebellion: failed attempt to seize Nottingham Castle

9 jun 1817

Peterloo Massacre

aug 1819

Cato Street Conspiracy

feb 1820

Henry Hunt becomes an MP

1830

Swing Riots

aug 1830

Henry Hunt dies

1835

Foreign Events

Fighting in Boston over British taxation

apr 1775

American War of Independence

apr 19 1775 - sep 3 1783

America wins Battle of Yorktown

1781

Start of French Revolution

jul 1789

Storming of the Bastille

14 jul 1789

Establishment of First French Republic

sep 1792

Execution of Louis XVI

23 jan 1793

War with France begins

feb 1793

Napoleon introduces economic blockade on Britain

nov 1806

British ships banned from ports in Continental Europe

may 1808

Non-Intercourse Act ends exports to the US

feb 1811

War against America

jun 1812 - dec 1814