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Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution spanned from approximately 1750 - 1850 in England. The changes that were brought to areas of industry like agriculture, manufacturing and transportation made a big impact the lives of the people in England both socially and economically by improving quality of living, providing higher incomes and mechanising many industries that had relied entirely on manual labor. -
1776 Act
British Parliament passed an act that called for the use of decomissioned British ships known as hulks to be used as prison ships. These vessels were unable to go to sea unlike the convict ships that transported prisoners to Australia.These hulks were kept in harbours and were convenient temporary housing for prisoners until they were transported to penal colonies. -
First Convict Ships Sent to Australia
English prisoners convicted of both major and petty crimes were transported to Australia by ship. This punishment was seen as being more humane than execution. -
Peel's Factory Act of 1802
The Act required employers to provide children who were working for them with reading, writing and arithmetic instruction. This instruction was to be provided during at least the first four years of their seven years of apprenticeship. This education time was part of the children's twelve hours of daily work and it had to begin no earlier than 6am and end no later than 9pm. The intent of this Act was to raise the standard of living for poor children. -
Richard Trevithick Builds First Steam Locomotive
Richard Trevithick built the first full-scale railway steam locomotive that worked. As a result of his success, London became the leading city for the experimentation and development of the steam locomotive. His invention eventually led to George Stephenson building the Locomotion for the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1825 which was the first public steam railway in the world. -
Admiral Lord Nelson Defeats Napoleon at Trafalgar
Naval Commander and British hero Lord Admiral Nelson went into battle against Napoleon Bonaparte at Trafalgar. He succeeded in defeating Napoleon and keeping Britain from being invaded by his forces, but he also lost his life in the battle. Nelson was so admired as a naval commander that Napoleon himself kept a bust of him in his private quarters. -
First Public Street Lighting Using Gas
Frederick Albert Windsor started a gasworks in Britain, and in 1807 he lit one side of Pall Mall, London. The public was fascinated, and it wasn't long before gas lighting took hold in London. -
Slave Trade Act of 1807
The Slave Trade Act ended slave trade within the British empire but did not end slavery itself. That came later when the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 was passed. These legislations had a great impact on both the colonies of the British empire and England itself.The move to end slavery began when a group was formed in 1787 that included Evangelical English Protestants and Quakers. The group felt that slavery was inhumane. -
Factory Act of 1819 Passed
A minimum age of 9 years of age was set for children to be working in factories. In some cases, such as textile work, the hours this children could were were limited. This law also applied to apprentices in addition to factory workers. This was the first step that was taken to protect children in the workplace. -
Cholera Strikes London
Cholera was spread by the bacteria laced diarrhea of its victims and there was no cure. In the overcrowded slums of London, people were surrounded by their own filth and waste, so cholera easily took hold in the city. The disease was spread along shipping routes, and the industrial revolution made the spread of cholera skyrocket. The inventions of both the steamboat and the steam locomotives were contributing factors to this faster and more widespread distribution of the disease. -
Queen Victoria
Queen Victoria becomes Queen at the age of 18. This marks the beginning of the victorian era in England.
