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Elizabeth Shaw

Female 1799 - 1886  (86 years)


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   Date  Event(s)
1700 
  • 1700—1799:
    SA - VOC slave trading in Mozambique; Zanzibar and Madagascar
1770 
  • 1770—1799:
    SA - Intensive Khoisan resistance to Trekboer occupation
1790 
  • 1790—1799:
    SA - In documented raids on "Bosjesmen" 2000 - 3000 Khoisan are killed
1795 
  • 1795—1802:
    SA - British occupy Cape on behalf of William of Orange. Slaves outnumber European settlers at this time
1799 
  • 1799—1799:
    Foundation of Royal Military College Sandhurst by the Duke of York
  • 1799—1799:
    Foundation of the Royal Institution of Great Britain
  • 1799—1802:
    SA - Eastern Cape Khoekhoe revolt
  • 1799—1799:
    SA - First London Missionary Society (LMS) station - to |Xam - on Zak River.
  • 1799—1799:
    SA - Fort Frederick built in Algoa Bay by British soldiers. Third Frontier War between the Xhosa and whites. Beginning of London Missionary Society work in South Africa.
  • 9 Jan 1799—9 Jan 1799:
    Pitt brings in 10% income tax, as a wartime financial measure
  • 12 Jul 1799—12 Jul 1799:
    'Combination Laws' in Britain against political associations and combinations
  • 15 Jul 1799—15 Jul 1799:
    ?Rosetta Stone' discovered in Egypt made possible the deciphering (in 1822) of Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics
1800 
  • 1800—1800:
    Electric light first produced by Sir Humphrey Davy
  • 1800—1800:
    Use of high pressure steam pioneered by Richard Trevithick (1771-1833)
  • 1800—1800:
    Royal College of Surgeons founded
  • 1800—1800:
    Herschel discovers infra-red light
  • 1800—1800:
    Volta makes first electrical battery
  • 1800—1800:
    SA - First printing press in Cape Town. Government Gazette started.
  • 2 Jul 1800—2 Jul 1800:
    Parliamentary union of Great Britain and Ireland
1801 
  • 1801—1801:
    Grand Union Canal opens in England
  • 1801—1801:
    Elgin Marbles brought from Athens to London
  • 1801—1801:
    SA - Official expedition of Truter; Somerville; Barrow and Daniell; with missionaries Jan Matthys Kok and William Edwards; reaches Dithakong
  • 1801—1801:
    SA - William Anderson established mission at Aakaap and then Klaarwater (later Griquatown). Khoisan spelling book printed by LMS
  • 1 Jan 1801—1 Jan 1801:
    Union Jack becomes the official British flag
  • 10 Mar 1801—10 Mar 1801:
    First census puts the population of England and Wales at 9,168,000. Population of Britain nearly 11 million (75% rural)
  • 24 Dec 1801—24 Dec 1801:
    Richard Trevithick built the first self-propelled passenger carrying road loco
1802 
  • Feb 1802—Jan 1806:
    SA - Batavian Republic rules the Cape.
  • 25 Mar 1802—25 Mar 1802:
    Treaty of Amiens signed by Britain, France, Spain, and the Netherlands ? the 'Peace of Amiens' as it was known brought a temporary peace of 14 months during the Napoleonic Wars ? one of its most important cultural effects was that travel and correspondence across the English Channel became possible again
1803 
  • 1803—1803:
    Poaching made a Capital offense in England if capture resisted
  • 1803—1803:
    Richard Trevithick built another steam carriage and ran it in London as the first self-propelled vehicle in the capital and the first London bus
  • 1803—1803:
    Semaphore signaling perfected by Admiral Popham
  • 30 Apr 1803—30 Apr 1803:
    Louisiana Purchase: Napoleon sells French possessions in America to United States
  • 12 May 1803—12 May 1803:
    Peace of Amiens ends ? resumption of war with France ? The Napoleonic Wars (1803-18l5)
  • 23 Jul 1803—23 Jul 1803:
    First public railway opens (Surrey Iron Railway, 9 miles from Wandsworth to Croydon, horse-drawn)
10 1804 
  • 1804—1804:
    Matthew Flinders recommends that the newly discovered country, New Holland, be renamed 'Australia'
  • 1804—1806:
    SA - Heinrich Lichtenstein travels to Dithakong
  • 1804—1804:
    SA - Uitenhage founded.
  • 21 Feb 1804—21 Feb 1804:
    Richard Trevithick runs his railway engine on the Penydarren Railway (9.5 miles from Pen-y-Darren to Abercynon in South Wales) this hauled a train with 10 tons of iron and 70 passengers. It was commemorated by the Royal Mint in 2004 in the form of A ?2 coin.
  • 3 Mar 1804—3 Mar 1804:
    John Wedgwood (eldest son of the potter Josiah Wedgwood) founds The Royal Horticultural Society
  • 2 Dec 1804—2 Dec 1804:
    Napoleon declares himself Emperor of the French
  • 12 Dec 1804—12 Dec 1804:
    Spain declares war on Britain
11 1805 
  • 1805—1805:
    London docks opened
  • 21 Oct 1805—21 Oct 1805:
    Admiral Nelson's victory at Trafalgar
  • 2 Dec 1805—2 Dec 1805:
    Battle of Austerlitz; Napoleon defeats Austrians and Russians
12 1806 
  • 1806—1806:
    Dartmoor Prison opened (built by French prisoners)
  • 1806—1806:
    SA - LMS station at Warmbad; Great Namaqualand
  • 1806—1806:
    SA - First regular inland postal service.
  • 1806—1806:
    SA - Second British occupation of the Cape
  • 9 Jan 1806—9 Jan 1806:
    Nelson buried in St Paul's cathedral, London
13 1807 
  • 1807—1807:
    SA - British ban slave trade, importation of slaves to the Cape ends
  • 25 Mar 1807—25 Mar 1807:
    Parliament passes Act prohibiting slavery and the importation of slaves from 1808 ? but does not prohibit colonial slavery
14 1808 
  • 1808—1808:
    SA - Clanwilliam founded.
  • 1808—1808:
    Gas lighting in London streets
  • 13 Jul 1808—13 Jul 1808:
    'Hot Wednesday' ? temperature of 101?F in the shade recorded in London
  • 20 Dec 1808—20 Dec 1808:
    Beethoven premieres his Fifth Symphony, Sixth Symphony, Fourth Piano Concerto and Choral Fantasy together in Vienna
15 1809 
  • 1809—1809:
    SA - Gola's Xhosa community settles at Pramberg.
  • 1809—1809:
    SA - Severe drought in eastern frontier.
  • 12 Feb 1809—12 Feb 1809:
    Birth of Charles Darwin
  • 18 Sep 1809—18 Sep 1809:
    Royal Opera House opens in London
16 1810 
  • 1810—1810:
    SA - Montshiwa of Rolong born
  • 1810—1810:
    John McAdam begins road construction in England, giving his name to the process of road metalling
17 1811 
  • 1811—1812:
    SA - William John Burchell travels in the interior
  • 1811—1811:
    SA - Caledon and George founded. Dutch Reformed Church congregation founded in Caledon. Regular circuit courts introduced.
  • 1811—1812:
    SA - Fourth Frontier War between Xhosa and whites.
  • 5 Feb 1811—5 Feb 1811:
    Prince of Wales (future George IV) made Regent after George III deemed insane
18 1812 
  • 1812—1812:
    SA - Molehabangwe of Tlhaping died; succeeded by son Mothibi
  • 1812—1812:
    SA - Cradock and Grahamstown founded.
  • 11 May 1812—11 May 1812:
    Prime Minister, Spencer Perceval, assassinated ? shot as he entered the House of Commons by a bankrupt Liverpool broker, John Bellingham, who was subsequently hanged
  • 18 Jun 1812—18 Jun 1812:
    Start of American 'War of 1812' (to 1814) against England and Canada
  • Oct 1812—Oct 1812:
    Napoleon retreats from Moscow with catastrophic losses
19 1813 
  • 1813—1813:
    SA - Revd John Campbell conducts mission inspection in the interior
  • 1813—1813:
    SA - Adam Kok's people assert the name Griqua
  • 1813—1813:
    SA - Court proceedings opened to the public.
  • 1813—1813:
    Ireland: First recorded '12th of July' sectarian riots in Belfast
  • 1813—1813:
    Jane Austen wrote 'Pride and Prejudice'
20 1814 
  • 1814—1814:
    SA - The Cape Colony is formally ceded to Britain. Mail packet service started between Britain and the Cape.
  • 1 Jan 1814—1 Jan 1814:
    Invasion of France by Allies
  • 6 Apr 1814—6 Apr 1814:
    Napoleon abdicates and is exiled to Elba
  • 13 Aug 1814—13 Aug 1814:
    Convention of London signed, a treaty between the UK and the Dutch
  • 24 Aug 1814—24 Aug 1814:
    The British burn the White House
  • 29 Nov 1814—29 Nov 1814:
    'The Times' first printed by a 'mechanical apparatus' (at 1100 sheets per hour)
  • 24 Dec 1814—24 Dec 1814:
    Treaty of Ghent signed ending the 1812 war between Britain and the US
21 1815 
  • 1815—1815:
    SA - Slagter's Nek Rebellion.
  • 1815—1815:
    Trial by Jury established in Scotland
  • 1815—1815:
    Davy develops the safety lamp for miners
  • 18 Jun 1815—18 Jun 1815:
    The Battle of Waterloo: Napoleon defeated and exiled to St. Helena
22 1816 
  • 1816—1816:
    SA - Missionaries Read and Hamilton; with Hendriks; Kakkerlak and Sedras establish Kuruman Mission (LMS)
  • 1816—1816:
    SA - Wesleyan Mission to Nama at Leliefontein
  • 1816—1816:
    Income tax abolished
  • 1816—1816:
    For the first time British silver coins were produced with an intrinsic value substantially below their face value ? the first official 'token' coinage
  • 1816—1816:
    Climate: the 'year without a summer' ? followed a volcanic explosion of the mountain 'Tambora in Indonesia the previous year the biggest volcanic explosion in 10000 years
  • 1816—1816:
    Large scale emigration to North America
  • 1816—1816:
    Trans-Atlantic packet service begins
23 1817 
  • 1817—1817:
    SA - Dutch Reformed Church congregation founded in Uitenhage.
  • 1817—1817:
    SA - Approximately 200 Scottish artisan immigrants brought to Cape by Benjamin Moodie.
  • 1817—1817:
    March of the Manchester Blanketeers; Habeas Corpus suspended
  • 1817—1817:
    Constable painted 'Flatford Mill'
24 1818 
  • 1818—1818:
    SA - Dutch Reformed Church congregation founded in Cradock. Settlement of land beyond Orange River. Beaufort West founded.
  • 1818—1819:
    SA - Fifth Frontier War between Xhosa and whites. Grahamstown attacked.
  • 1818—1818:
    Manchester cotton spinners' strike
  • 20 Oct 1818—20 Oct 1818:
    'Convention of 1818' signed between the United States and the United Kingdom which, among other things, settled the US-Canada border on the 49th parallel for most of its length
25 1819 
  • 1819—1819:
    SA - Dutch Reformed Church congregations founded in Beaufort West and Somerset West.
  • 1819—1819:
    Primitive bicycle, the Dandy Horse, becomes popular
  • 1819—1819:
    Britain returns to gold standard
  • 1819—1819:
    Singapore founded by Sir Stamford Raffles
  • May 1819—May 1819:
    SS 'Savannah' first steamship to cross Atlantic reaching Liverpool 20 June 1819 (26 Days reaching Liverpool 20 June 1819 (26 Days mostly under sail)
  • 16 Aug 1819—16 Aug 1819:
    Peterloo Massacre at Manchester ? a large, orderly group of 60,000 meets at St. Peter's Fields, Manchester ? demand Parliamentary Reform ? mounted troops charge on the meeting, killing 11 people and and maiming many others
26 1820 
  • 1820—1820:
    SA - James Read produces first book in SeTswana
  • 1820—1820:
    SA - Andries Waterboer elected Griqua Captain at Griquatown
  • 1820—1820:
    SA - Port Elizabeth named by Sir Rufane Donkin. Worcester founded.
  • 1820—1821:
    SA - Approximately 4000 British settlers arrive in Port Elizabeth as part of the 1820 Settlers immigration scheme, they are settled in the Eastern Cape.
  • 1820—1820:
    Cato Street Conspiracy ? plot to assissinate British cabinet
  • 1820—1820:
    Abolition of the Spanish Inquisition
  • 29 Jan 1820—29 Jan 1820:
    Accession of George IV, previously Prince Regent
  • 1 Aug 1820—1 Aug 1820:
    Regent's Canal in London opens
  • 17 Aug 1820—17 Aug 1820:
    Trial of Queen Caroline to prove her infidelities so George IV can divorce her ? George tries to secure a Bill of Pains and Penalties against her ? Caroline is virtually acquitted because bill passed by such a small majority of Lords
27 1821 
  • 1821—1821:
    SA - Robert Moffat; in Namaqualand from 1817; moves to Kuruman
  • 1821—1821:
    Faraday publishes 'Principles of electro-magnetic rotation'
  • 1821—1821:
    Constable paints 'The Hay Wain'
  • 5 May 1821—5 May 1821:
    Napoleon Bonaparte dies on St Helena
28 1822 
  • 1822—1828:
    SA - English becomes the official language of the Cape Colony.
  • 14 Jun 1822—14 Jun 1822:
    Charles Babbage proposes a difference engine in a paper to the Royal Astronomical Society
29 1823 
  • 1823—1823:
    SA - Difaqane (1820s) Battle of Dithakong - MaNthatisi repulsed by Tlhaping with help from Griquas. Tswana to north and east heavily disrupted by Difaqane raids. 1824 Bergenaar rebellion
  • 1823—1823:
    SA - Approximately 146 Irish settlers brought to the Cape by John Ingram.
  • 1823—1823:
    New laws concerning marriage by license ? 'very troublesome' according to some the Act was repealed all in a hurry at the beginning of the next session
  • 1823—1823:
    Peel begins penal reforms ? death penalty abolished for over 100 crimes
  • 1823—1823:
    Rugby Football 'invented' at Rugby School
  • 1823—1823:
    Rubberised waterproof material produced by MacIntosh
  • 1 Jul 1823—1823:
    SA - Lewis Broadbent born to the wife of the Methodist missionary Samuel Broadbent at Leeudoringstad, 16km from Wolmaranstad, on the 1st July 1823. Lewis later became a missionary to India.
  • 2 Dec 1823—2 Dec 1823:
    US President James Monroe delivers a speech establishing American neutrality in future European conflicts (the 'Monroe Doctrine')
30 1824 
  • 1824—1824:
    SA - George Thompson travels inland - naming Augrabies Falls "Cataract of King George"
  • 1824—1824:
    SA - Construction of road through Fransch Hoek Pass. First Synod of the Dutch Reformed Church. Mission station at Lovedale founded. First lighthouse opened.
  • 1824—1824:
    RSPCA established
  • 1824—1824:
    Portland cement patented
  • 4 Mar 1824—4 Mar 1824:
    Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) founded (called the 'National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck' until 1854)
  • 10 May 1824—10 May 1824:
    National Gallery in London opens to the public
31 1825 
  • 1825—1825:
    SA - Dutch Reformed Church congregation founded in Somerset East.
  • 1825—1825:
    SA - First steamship in Table Bay. Depreciated rix dollar converted into British sterling. The Anglican St. Mary's Collegiate Church started in Port Elizabeth. The Jubilee Park Cemetery in Uitenhage in use circa 1825.
  • 27 Sep 1825—27 Sep 1825:
    Stockton to Darlington Railway opens ? world's first service of locomotive-hauled passenger trains
32 1826 
  • 1826—1826:
    SA - Adam Kok II establishes Philippolis Griqua Captaincy
  • 1826—1826:
    SA - Dutch Reformed Church congregations founded in Clanwilliam, Colesberg, Durbanville and Tijgerberg.
33 1827 
  • 1827—1827:
    Ohm's Law published
34 1828 
  • 1828—1828:
    SA - Ordinance 50 repeals pass laws
  • 1828—1828:
    SA - Circa 1828, the Union Chapel (London Missionary Society - i.e. Congregational) in Port Elizabeth is founded, records start in 1831. St. Mary's Cemetery started in Port Elizabeth circa 1828.
  • 25 Oct 1828—25 Oct 1828:
    St Katharine Docks in London opened (designed by Thomas Telford)
35 1829 
  • 1829—1829:
    London Metropolitan Police Force formed, nicknamed 'Bobbies' after Sir Robert Peel
  • 1829—1829:
    Louis Braille invents his system of finger-reading for the blind
  • 10 Jun 1829—10 Jun 1829:
    First Oxford/Cambridge Boat Race
  • 6 Oct 1829—6 Oct 1829:
    George Stephenson's Rocket wins the Rainhill trials (it was the only one to complete the trial!)
36 1830 
  • 1830—1830:
    SA - Moffat's printing press transported to Kuruman by ox wagon
  • 1830—1830:
    SA - Full civil privileges granted to Roman Catholics in the Cape. Colesberg founded. Road over Sir Lowry's Pass opened.
  • 1830—1830:
    Uprisings and agitation across Europe: the Netherlands are split into Holland and Belgium
  • Jul 1830—Jul 1830:
    Revolution in France, fall of Charles X and the Bourbons ? Louis Philippe (the Citizen King) on the throne
  • 15 Sep 1830—15 Sep 1830:
    George Stephenson's Liverpool & Manchester Railway opened by the Duke of Wellington ? first mail carried by rail, and first death on the railway as William Huskisson, a leading politician, is run over!
37 1831 
  • 1831—1831:
    SA - Dutch Reformed Church congregation founded in Albany. First publication of De Zuid Afrikaan (ons Land). First issue of Grahamstown Journal.
  • 1831—1831:
    A list of all parish registers dating prior to 1813 compiled
  • 1 Jun 1831—1 Jun 1831:
    James Clark Ross discovers the North Magnetic Pole
  • 1 Aug 1831—1 Aug 1831:
    'New' London Bridge opens (replaced 1973) ? old bridge (which had existed for over 600 years) then demolished
38 1832 
  • 1832—1832:
    Electoral Registers introduced
  • 1832—1832:
    Electric telegraph invented by Morse
  • 7 Jun 1832—7 Jun 1832:
    Reform Bill passed ? Representation of the People Act
39 1833 
  • 1833—1833:
    SA - Dutch Reformed Church parish in Piquetberg (Piketberg) founded.
  • 1833—1839:
    SA - Approximately 750 juveniles brought to the Cape as apprentices.
  • Jan 1833—Jan 1833:
    Britain invades the Falkland Islands
  • 29 Aug 1833—29 Aug 1833:
    Factory Act forbids employment of children below age of 9
40 1834 
  • 1834—1834:
    SA - Abolition of legal slavery; but slaves apprenticed for four years
  • 1834—1835:
    SA - Andrew Smith with artist Charles Davidson Bell travels in the interior
  • 1834—1834:
    SA - Berlin Mission Society establishes station at Bethulie; and out-station among Korana at Pniel in 1845.
  • 1834—1834:
    SA - The Anglican St. John's Church is built in Bathurst, but its burial records go back to 1823. King William's Town founded. Slaves officially freed but apprenticed for next 4 years.
  • 1834—1834:
    SA - Kommissie treks from Cape begins. Port Natal renamed Durban.
  • 1834—1834:
    Babbage invents forerunner of the computer
  • 18 Mar 1834—18 Mar 1834:
    'Tolpuddle Martyrs' transported (to Australia) for Trades Union activities
  • 1 May 1834—1 May 1834:
    Slavery abolished in British possessions
  • 21 Dec 1834—Sep 1835:
    SA - Sixth Frontier War between Xhosa and whites.
41 1835 
  • 1835—1836:
    SA - Louis Trichardt, Hans van Rensburg and Andries Potgieter trek north.
  • 1835—1835:
    Christmas becomes a national holiday
  • 1835—1835:
    First railway boom period starts in Britain construction of Great Western Railway
42 1836 
  • 1836—1836:
    SA - James Alexander travels through Namaqualand
  • 1836—1836:
    SA - The Great Trek has reached the Transvaal and the Free State areas.
  • 1836—1836:
    SA - Potgieter's trekkers defeat Ndebele at the Battle of Vegkop.
  • 1836—1836:
    First Potato famine in Ireland
  • 30 Jan 1836—30 Jan 1836:
    Telford's Menai Straits Bridge opened ? considered the world's first modern suspension bridge
  • 25 Feb 1836—25 Feb 1836:
    Samuel Colt patented the 'revolver'
  • 6 Mar 1836—6 Mar 1836:
    The Alamo falls to Mexican troops - death of Davy Crockett
  • Jul 1836—Jul 1836:
    Inauguration of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris
43 1837 
  • 1837—1837:
    SA - Piet Retief publishes his "Manifesto".
  • 1837—1837:
    SA - Andries Potgieter and Piet Uys, helped by Rolong and Griqua tribes, defeat Ndebele at Mosega. Louis Trichardt arrives in Lourenco Marques. Seperate administrative districts granted to Port Elizabeth, Cradock and Colesburg.
  • 1837—1837:
    SA - Victoria
  • 1837—1837:
    Pitman introduces his shorthand system
  • 1837—1837:
    P&O Founded
  • 20 Jun 1837—20 Jun 1837:
    William IV dies - accession of Queen Victoria (to 1901)
  • 1 Jul 1837—1 Jul 1837:
    Compulsory registration of Births, Marriages & Deaths in England & Wales - Registration Districts were formed covering several parishes; initially they had the same boundaries as the Poor Law boundaries set up in 1834
  • 13 Jul 1837—13 Jul 1837:
    Queen Victoria moves into the first Buckingham Palace
  • 20 Jul 1837—20 Jul 1837:
    Euston Railway station opens - first in London
44 1838 
  • 1838—1838:
    SA - Russell Road (Hyman's Kloof) Cemetery established in Port Elizabeth. Pietermaritzburg founded in 1838. Boers found Republic of Natal.
  • Feb 1838—1838:
    SA - Piet Retief and his people are murdered by Dingaan's soldiers at Dingaan's kraal and Weenen.
  • 28 Jun 1838—28 Jun 1838:
    Coronation of Queen Victoria at Westminster Abbey
  • 16 Dec 1838—1838:
    SA - Battle of Blood River fought between Zulus and Boers.
45 1839 
  • 1839—1839:
    SA - Dutch Reformed Church parishes founded in Bredasdorp and Riversdale. Potchefstroom founded.
  • 1839—1839:
    First Opium War between Britain and China (to 1842) - Britain captures Hong Kong
  • 1839—1839:
    Scottish blacksmith Kirkpatrick MacMillan refines the primitive bicycle adding a mechanical crank drive to the rear wheel,thus creating the first true 'bicycle' in the modern Sense
  • 1839—1839:
    Charles Goodyear invented vulcanized rubber
46 1840 
  • 1840—1849:
    SA - Expansion of commercial wool farmers in Karoo transforms colonial economy. Pedi migrate to work on Cape farms
  • 1840—1840:
    SA - The Anglican St. Katherine's Church is founded in Uitenhage.
  • 1840—1840:
    Population Act relating to taking of censuses in Britain
  • 1840—1840:
    Last convicts landed in NSW (some say 1842 or 1849, but these probably landed elsewhere)
  • 10 Jan 1840—10 Jan 1840:
    Uniform Penny Postage introduced nationally
47 1841 
  • 1841—1841:
    SA - Missionary David Livingstone arrives in South Africa - proceeds to Kuruman before journeying through Central Africa
  • 1841—1841:
    SA - Circa 1841, the Methodist Church founded in Port Elizabeth. Trekkers council set up in Potchefstroom.
  • 1841—1841:
    Thomas Cook starts package tours
  • 10 Feb 1841—10 Feb 1841:
    Penny Red replaces Penny Black postage stamp
  • 6 Jun 1841—6 Jun 1841:
    June 6: First full census in Britain in which all names were recorded (Population 18.5M)
48 1842 
  • 1842—1842:
    SA - Dutch Reformed Church parish founded in Prince Albert. Dick King's ride from Durban to Grahamstown.
  • 1842—1843:
    SA - War between the British and the Boers in Natal.
  • 1842—1842:
    Income Tax reintroduced in Britain
  • 30 Mar 1842—30 Mar 1842:
    Ether used as an anesthetic for the first time (by Dr Crawford Long in America)
  • 29 Aug 1842—29 Aug 1842:
    Treaty of Nanking - End of First Opium War - Britain gains Hong Kong
49 1843 
  • 1843—1843:
    SA - Natal annexed as a British Colony.
  • 1843—1843:
    SA - Dutch Reformed Church parish founded in Richmond.
  • 1843—1843:
    First Christmas card in England
  • 27 May 1843—27 May 1843:
    The Great Hall of Euston station opened in London
  • 19 Jul 1843—19 Jul 1843:
    Brunel's 'Great Britain' launched
50 1844 
  • 1844—1844:
    SA - Access to land is changed from leasehold to free hold
  • 1844—1844:
    SA - Victoria West established
  • Apr 1844—1844:
    SA - Boers from Natal settle at Potchefstroom, after crossing the Drakensberg Mountains. Hendrik Potgieter settles at Delagoa Bay.
  • 6 Jun 1844—6 Jun 1844:
    YMCA founded in London by Sir George Williams
51 1845 
  • 1845—1845:
    SA - Mothibi of Tlhaping dies
  • 1845—1845:
    SA - Dutch Reformed Church parish founded at Mossel Bay. Ohrigstad founded. Natal becomes autonomous district of Cape Colony.
  • 1845—1845:
    SA - Battle of Zwartkoppies.
  • 1845—1845:
    Tarmac laid for first time (in Nottingham)
  • 17 Mar 1845—17 Mar 1845:
    The rubber band patented by Stephen Perry
52 1846 
  • 1846—1854:
    SA - Orange River Sovereignty
  • 1846—1846:
    SA - Dutch Reformed Church parish founded in Burgersdorp. Bloemfontein founded.
  • 1846—1848:
    SA - Seventh Frontier War between Xhosa and whites, this war was also known as the War of the Axe.
  • 1846—1847:
    SA - Approximately 103 settlers arrive in Port Elizabeth from war-torn Buenos Aires, Argentinia.
  • 10 Sep 1846—10 Sep 1846:
    The sewing machine is patented by Elias Howe
53 1847 
  • 1847—1847:
    SA - Colonial boundary extended to Orange River
  • 1847—1847:
    SA - Rhenish Missionary Christoph Alheit moves to Schietfontein (Carnarvon)
  • 1847—1847:
    SA - Dutch Reformed Church parish founded in Calvinia. Opening of Montagu Pass. Sugar cane plantations started in Natal. East London founded. Districts of Victoria East and British Kaffraria annexed as part of the Cape Colony.
  • 1847—1847:
    US Mormons make Salt Lake City their centre
  • Jan 1847—Jan 1847:
    An anesthetic used for the first time in England (James Simpson used ether to numb the pain of labour)
54 1848 
  • 1848—1848:
    SA - Boers cross the Vaal River. Orange River Sovereignty established. Battle of Boomplaats.
  • 1848—1848:
    SA - Dutch Reformed Church parish founded in Napier. Soutpansberg (later Schoemansdal) founded.
  • 1848—1848:
    First commercial production of chewing gum
  • 24 Jan 1848—24 Jan 1848:
    Gold found at Sutter's Mill, California - starts the California gold rush
  • 23 Mar 1848—1848:
    SA - Approximately 163 German settlers, known as the Bergthiel Settlers, arrive in Natal.
  • 11 Jul 1848—11 Jul 1848:
    Waterloo railway station in London opens
55 1849 
  • 1849—1849:
    SA - Circa 1849 the first Jewish Congregation founded in Cape Town.
  • 1849—1850:
    SA - The Byrne Settlers arrive in Natal.
  • 1849—1849:
    Florin (2 shilling coin) introduced as the first step to decimalisation - which finally occurred in 1971!
56 1850 
  • 1850—1859:
    SA - First Afrikaans book written by an imam (Muslim prayer leader) of slave descent
  • 1850—1850:
    SA - Wesleyan Settlers arrive in Natal. Dutch Reformed Church parish founded in Namaqualand.
  • 1850—1853:
    SA - Eighth Frontier War.
57 1851 
  • 1851—1851:
    SA - Sugar first produced from cane in Natal.
  • 1851—1851:
    Gold discovered in Australia
  • 1 May 1851—1 May 1851:
    Great exhibition of the works of industry of all nations ('Crystal Palace' exhibition) opened in Hyde Park
58 1852 
  • 1852—1852:
    SA - Copper mining in Namaqualand - migrant labour on small scale
  • 1852—1852:
    SA - The Transvaal Republic established. Dutch Reformed Church parish founded in Middelburg. The New Church (Congregational / Presbyterian) established in Port Elizabeth. Copper mining begins at Springbokfontein. Wreck of the Birkenhead.
  • 1852—1852:
    Tasmania ceases to be a convict settlement
  • 1852—1852:
    Wells Fargo established in USA
59 1853 
  • 1853—1853:
    SA - Hopetown established
  • 1853—1853:
    SA - Nicholas Waterboer succeeds as Griqua Captain
  • 1853—1853:
    SA - Settlement of Queenstown and Seymour. Union Steamship Line founded.
  • 1853—1853:
    Vaccination against smallpox made compulsory in Britain
60 1854 
  • 1854—1854:
    SA - Orange Free State Republic proclaimed
  • 1854—1854:
    SA - Dutch Reformed Church parishes established in Montagu and Queenstown. First Cape Colony Parliament. Boers defeat Ndebele at Makapansgat.
  • 1854—1854:
    SA - Crimean War
  • 1854—1854:
    Cigarettes introduced into Britain
  • 27 Mar 1854—27 Mar 1854:
    Britain declares war on Russia (Crimean War)
  • 25 Oct 1854—25 Oct 1854:
    Battle of Balaklava in Crimea (charge of the Light Brigade)
61 1855 
  • 1855—1855:
    SA - Pretoria founded. 20 Irish miners arrive to work in the Namaqualand copper mines.
62 1856 
  • 1856—1856:
    SA - The Anglican St. Paul's Church in Port Elizabeth founded. Approximately 3000 Crimean War veterans (German Legionaires) settled in Kaffraria, later joined by 2700 German civilians. Dutch Reformed Church parish founded in Murraysburg.
  • 1856—1856:
    SA - Natal becomes a seperate colony.
  • 1856—1857:
    SA - Self-destruction of Xhosa tribe by cattle-killing.
  • 1856—1862:
    SA - Approximately 700 juveniles arrive from Holland.
  • 1856—1856:
    End of Crimean War
  • 29 Jan 1856—29 Jan 1856:
    Victoria Cross created by Royal Warrant, backdated to 1854 to recognise acts during the Crimean War (first award ceremony 26 June 1857)
63 1857 
  • 1857—1857:
    SA - Moffat completes Old Testament Bible translation into Setswana
  • 1857—1857:
    SA - Xhosa enter Karoo following Eastern Cape Cattle Killing.
  • 1857—1857:
    SA - Approximately 157 Irish girls arrive on the ship Lady Kennaway, settle in British Kaffraria. First Legislative Council in Natal. First mail contract with Union Steamship Company for regular mail service between Britain and South Africa.
  • 1857—1862:
    SA - Assisted immigration schemes bring about 12 000 settlers.
  • 1857—1857:
    Work starts on the laying of the Transatlantic cable
64 1858 
  • 1858—1858:
    SA - Circa 1858, Jewish congregation founded in Port Elizabeth. The Anglican Holy Trinity Church built in Port Elizabeth. War between Orange Free State and Basuto tribe.
  • 1858—1858:
    'The great stink' - smell of the River Thames forced Parliament to stop work
  • 1858—1858:
    Royal Opera House opens in Covent Garden, London
65 1859 
  • 1859—1859:
    SA - Dopper Church leaves the Dutch Reformed Church. First railway in the Cape Colony commenced.
  • 1859—1859:
    Peaceful picketing legalised in Britain
  • 25 Apr 1859—25 Apr 1859:
    Work started on building the Suez canal (opened 17 Nov 1869)
  • 4 May 1859—4 May 1859:
    Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge opened at Saltash giving rail link between Devon and Cornwall
  • 24 Nov 1859—24 Nov 1859:
    Charles Darwin publishes 'The Origin of Species'
66 1860 
  • 1860—1860:
    SA - Boer republics north of Vaal unite as South African Republic
  • 1860—1860:
    SA - Indians arrive in Natal to work on sugar cane farms as indentured labourers. Between 1860-1911 about 152 000 Indians arrive and about 50% stay.
  • 1860—1860:
    SA - First telegraph service in South Africa, between Cape Town and Simonstown.
  • 1860—1860:
    SA - Start of penny post in Cape Town. Work began on Table Bay Docks. The Catholic St. Augustine's Church established in Port Elizabeth.Circa 1860, the first Baptist Church started in Port Elizabeth.
  • 26 Jun 1860—1860:
    SA - First railway in South Africa, between Market Square and Point, Durban, opens.
  • 29 Aug 1860—29 Aug 1860:
    First tram service in Europe starts in Birkenhead
67 1861 
  • 1861—1862:
    SA - Griqua trek under Adam Kok III from Philippolis to Nomansland
  • 1861—1861:
    SA - American Civil War
  • 25 May 1861—25 May 1861:
    American Civil War begins
68 1862 
  • 1862—1862:
    Lincoln issues first legal US paper money (Greenbacks)
  • 20 Apr 1862—20 Apr 1862:
    First pasteurisation test completed by Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard
69 1863 
  • 1863—1863:
    SA - The Hill Presbyterian Church started in Port Elizabeth.
  • 1863—1863:
    SA - North End Cemetery started in Port Elizabeth.
  • 1863—1863:
    Football Association founded (UK)
  • 1863—1863:
    Opening of state institution for criminally insane at Broadmoor, England
  • 10 Jan 1863—10 Jan 1863:
    First section of the London Underground Railway opens
70 1864 
  • 1864—1864:
    SA - St. George's Cemetery established in Port Elizabeth.
  • 1864—1864:
    A man-powered submarine, 'Hunley' sank a Federal steam ship USS Housatonic at the entrance to Charleston harbour in 1864 - the first recorded successful attack by a submarine on a surface ship
  • 11 Mar 1864—11 Mar 1864:
    The Great Sheffield Flood - over 250 died when a new dam broke while it was being filled for the first time
  • 20 Aug 1864—20 Aug 1864:
    Red Cross established - Twelve nations sign the First Geneva Convention
  • 8 Dec 1864—8 Dec 1864:
    Clifton Suspension Bridge over the River Avon officially opened
71 1865 
  • 1865—1866:
    SA - Albania Settlement Scheme
  • 1865—1865:
    SA - Ostriches first domesticated.
  • 1865—1866:
    SA - Economic depression throughout South Africa. War between Orange Free State and Basutos.
  • 1865—1865:
    Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (1836-1917) becomes first woman doctor in England [she later became the first woman mayor in England, in Aldeburgh 1908]
  • 1865—1865:
    First concrete roads built in Britain
  • 14 Apr 1865—14 Apr 1865:
    End of American Civil War - slavery abolished in USA
  • 14 Apr 1865—14 Apr 1865:
    Abraham Lincoln assassinated in Ford's Theatre by John Wilkes Booth
  • 5 Jul 1865—5 Jul 1865:
    William Booth (1829-1912) founds Salvation Army, in London
72 1866 
  • 1866—1866:
    SA - India officially stops sending Indian labourers to Natal.
73 1867 
  • Apr 1867—1867:
    SA - 21.25 carat diamond found near Hopetown.
  • 1 Jul 1867—1 Jul 1867:
    The British North America Act takes effect, creating the Canadian Confederation
74 1868 
  • 1868—1869:
    SA - Korana War along Orange River
  • 1868—1868:
    Last convicts landed in Australia (Western Australia)
75 1869 
  • 1869—1869:
    SA - Railway from Port Nolloth to O'Kiep
  • 1869—1869:
    SA - Star of South Africa diamond discovered. Gold and diamond rush starts.
  • 1869—1869:
    Ball bearings, celluloid, margarine, and washing machines, all invented
  • 23 Nov 1869—23 Nov 1869:
    Cutty Sark launched in Dumbarton
76 1870 
  • 1870—1870:
    SA - Galeshewe of Tlhaping born
  • 1870—1884:
    SA - |Xam prisoners at Cape Town interviewed by Wilhelm Bleek and Lucy Lloyd
  • 1870—1871:
    SA - The Anglican St. Peter's Church started in Port Elizabeth.
  • 1870—1870:
    SA - Opening of Cape Town Docks.
  • 1870—1870:
    GPO takes over the privately-owned Telegraph Companies (nationalised)
  • 1870—1870:
    Dr Thomas Barnardo opens his first home for destitute children
  • 1870—1870:
    Water closets come into wide use
  • 1870—1870:
    Diamonds discovered in Kimberley, South Africa
  • 1 Oct 1870—1 Oct 1870:
    First British postcard - halfpenny post
77 1871 
  • 1871—1871:
    SA - Diamonds found at New Rush; renamed Kimberley; 1873. Griqua claim to Diamond Fields recognised and Waterboer seeks British protection. Diamond mining stimulates migrant labour on unprecedented scale. Two thirds of black workforce comes from Limpopo valley
  • 1871—1871:
    SA - Gold discovered in Eastern Transvaal. Britain annexes the diamond fields of Kimberley and Griqua West. First mail from Cape Town to the diamond fields.
  • 27 Mar 1871—27 Mar 1871:
    First Rugby Football international, England v Scotland, played in Edinburgh
  • 29 Mar 1871—29 Mar 1871:
    Opening of Royal Albert Hall, London
  • 29 Jun 1871—29 Jun 1871:
    Trades Unions legalised in Britain, but picketing made illegal
78 1872 
  • 1872—1872:
    Licensing hours introduced
  • 1872—1872:
    Penalties introduced for failing to register births, marriages & deaths (Eng & Wales)
  • 4 Dec 1872—4 Dec 1872:
    American ship 'Mary Celeste' is found abandoned by the British brig 'Dei Gratia' in the Atlantic Ocean
79 1873 
  • 1873—1873:
    SA - Griqualand West proclaimed Crown Colony
  • 1873—1873:
    SA - Griqualand West established as a British colony. Gold discovered in Lydenburg district of Transvaal.
  • 1873—1875:
    SA - Approximately 3300 men, women and children arrive as agricultural settlers or labourers for public works.
80 1874 
  • 1874—1874:
    SA - College founded at Stellenbosch (later Victoria College, today University of Stellenbosch). Railway line opened from Port Elizabeth to Uitenhage.
  • 1874—1874:
    Factory Act introduces 56-hour week
  • 5 Apr 1874—5 Apr 1874:
    Birkenhead Park opened, said to be the first civic public park in the world - features of it later copied in Central Park, New York
81 1875 
  • 1875—1875:
    SA - Black Flag Rebellion by white diggers at Kimberley
  • 1875—1875:
    SA - Genootskap vir Regte Afrikaners (Association for True Afrikaners) formed
  • 1875—1875:
    London's main sewage system completed
  • 1 Jan 1875—1 Jan 1875:
    Midland Railway abolishes Second Class passenger facilities, leaving First Class and Third Class. Other British railway companies followed during the rest of the year. (Third Class was renamed Second Class in 1956)
82 1876 
  • 1876—1876:
    SA - Solomon Tshekisho Plaatje born
  • 14 Feb 1876—14 Feb 1876:
    Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray each file a patent for the telephone - Bell awarded the rights
83 1877 
  • 1877—1877:
    SA - Native Locations for Tswana established in Griqualand West
  • 1877—1877:
    SA - Britain annexes the Transvaal Republic. Ninth Frontier War.
  • 1877—1877:
    Edison invents microphone and phonograph
84 1878 
  • 1878—1879:
    SA - Griqualand West Rebellion and Korana War coincide with similar conflicts elsewhere in South Africa.
  • 1878—1879:
    SA - Griqualand West and Tswana Rebellion
  • 1878—1878:
    SA - Koegas atrocities
  • 1878—1878:
    SA - Walvis Bay proclaimed British territory. Telegraph service between Natal and Transvaal.
  • 1878—1878:
    Edison & Swan invent electric lamp
  • 1878—1878:
    Red Flag Act in Britain limits mechanical road vehicles to 4mph
  • 1878—1878:
    CID established at New Scotland Yard
85 1879 
  • 1 Sep 1879—1879:
    SA - Zulu War starts, battles at Isandhlwana, Rorke's Drift and Ulundi.
  • 18 Sep 1879—18 Sep 1879:
    Blackpool illuminations switched on for first time
86 1880 
  • 1880—1880:
    SA - Griqualand West annexed to Cape Colony
  • 1880—1880:
    SA - First Legislative Council in Transvaal. Formation of De Beers Company. Formation of the Afrikander Bond.
  • 1880—1881:
    SA - First Anglo-Boer War, Boers defeat Britain.
  • 1880—1880:
    Education Act: schooling compulsory for 5-10 year olds
  • 1880—1880:
    Mosquito found to be the carrier of malaria
  • 2 Aug 1880—2 Aug 1880:
    Greenwich Mean Time adopted throughout UK
87 1881 
  • 1881—1881:
    SA - Jantje Mothibi of Tlhaping dies
  • 1881—1882:
    SA - Tswana-Kora wars with white mercenary involvement
  • 1881—1881:
    SA - Battle of Laing's Nek, 28 January. Battle of Majuba, 27 February. Britain recognises South African Republic (ZAR).
  • 1881—1881:
    Postal Orders introduced
  • 1881—1881:
    Flogging abolished in Army and Royal Navy
  • Sep 1881—Sep 1881:
    Godalming in Surrey became the first town in England to have a public electricity supply installed (but in 1884 it reverted to gas lighting until 1904)
  • 26 Oct 1881—26 Oct 1881:
    Gunfight at OK Corral
88 1882 
  • 1882—1882:
    SA - Abraham September (freed slave) begins Orange River irrigation
  • 1882—1882:
    SA - Approximately 4645 settlers arrive. South End Cemetery in Port Elizabeth started. Use of Dutch recognised in Cape Parliament.
  • 1882—1882:
    Fourth Eddystone Lighthouse completed
  • 29 Aug 1882—1882:
    SA - 229 Norwegians arrive aboard the "Lapland" and settle at the mouth of the Umzimkulu river (Port Shepstone), Natal.
89 1883 
  • 1883—1890:
    SA - Germans occupy South West Africa and German East Africa
  • 1883—1883:
    SA - Revd Gwayi Tyamzashe; last black man to hold a claim in Kimberley mines; loses his claim
  • 1883—1883:
    Statue of Liberty presented to USA by France
  • 24 May 1883—24 May 1883:
    Brooklyn Bridge, New York opens (crosses East River)
  • 1 Aug 1883—1 Aug 1883:
    Parcel post starts in Britain
  • 27 Aug 1883—27 Aug 1883:
    Eruption of Krakatoa near Java - 30,000 killed by tidal wave
90 1884 
  • 1884—1885:
    SA - Warren takes over Stellaland and Goshen; establishes Crown Colony of British Bechuanaland and Bechuanaland Protectorate
  • 1884—1884:
    SA - The Anglican St. Cuthbert's Church built in Port Elizabeth. Barberton goldfields opened.
  • 31 May 1884—31 May 1884:
    John Harvey Kellogg patents corn flakes
  • 13 Oct 1884—13 Oct 1884:
    Greenwich made prime meridian of the world
91 1885 
  • 1885—1885:
    SA - Railway line opened from Cape to Kimberley.
  • 1885—1885:
    Carl Benz builds the 'Motorwagen', a single-cylinder motor car
  • 1885—1885:
    Gottlieb Daimler patents the world's first motorcycle
  • 1885—1885:
    Eastman makes first coated photographic paper
  • 1885—1885:
    Canadian Pacific Railway completed
  • Mar 1885—Mar 1885:
    First UK cremation in modern times took place at Woking
  • 5 Sep 1885—5 Sep 1885:
    The first train runs through the Severn Tunnel
  • 29 Sep 1885—29 Sep 1885:
    First electric tramcar used at Blackpool
92 1886 
  • 1886—1886:
    SA - Gold found on Witwatersrand
  • 1886—1886:
    SA - Gold discovered in the Transvaal (Witwatersrand)
  • 20 Jan 1886—20 Jan 1886:
    Mersey railway (under Mersey) opened by Prince of Wales
  • May 1886—May 1886:
    Pharmacist John Styth Pemberton invents a carbonated beverage later named 'Coca-Cola'
  • 29 May 1886—29 May 1886:
    Putney Bridge opens in London


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