Middlemarch Timeline

Created by Jessica Valdez on Mon, 01/11/2021 - 00:18

Part of Group:

Theory of the Novel HKU 2021

Timeline of major events during the events and writing of Middlemarch.

Timeline

Chronological table

Displaying 1 - 29 of 29

Date	Event	Created by
30 Dec 1819	Gag Acts On 30 December 1819, the British parliament passed the Six Acts (or Gag Acts), which labeled any meeting for radical reform as “an overt act of treasonable conspiracy.” The acts were aimed at gagging radical newspapers (the Blasphemous and Seditious Libels Act, the Newspaper and Stamp Duties Act, and the Misdemeanors Act), preventing large meetings (the Seditious Meetings Prevention Act), and reducing what the government saw as the possibility of armed insurrection (the Training Prevention Act and the Seizure of Arms Act). Image: The Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Articles James Chandler, “On Peterloo, 16 August 1819″	David Rettenmaier	Cato Street
1 Apr 1829	Roman Catholic Relief Act Roman Catholic Relief Act received the Royal Assent on 13 April 1829 (sometimes called the Catholic Emancipation Act). Image: the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Catholic Relief Act of 1829 allowed Catholics to become Members of Parliament and to hold public offices, but it also raised the property qualifications that allowed individuals in Ireland to vote. The passage of the Catholic Relief Act marked a shift in English political power from the House of Lords to the House of Commons. The Act was led by the Duke of Wellington and passed despite initially serious opposition from both the House of Lords and King George IV. Articles Elsie B. Michie, "On the Sacramental Test Act, the Catholic Relief Act, the Slavery Abolition Act, and the Factory Act" Related Articles Carolyn Vellenga Berman, “On the Reform Act of 1832″ Sean Grass, “On the Death of the Duke of Wellington, 14 September 1852″	David Rettenmaier	Palace of Westminster
26 Jun 1830	Death of King George IV On 26 June 1830, King George IV died, prompting a dissolution of Parliament which brought the Whigs to power in a coalition government; he was succeeded by King William IV. Image: 1798 Engraving of King George IV (by Salomon Jomtob Bennett, after Sir William Beechey). This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired. Related Articles Carolyn Vellenga Berman, “On the Reform Act of 1832″	David Rettenmaier
15 Sep 1830	Opening of Liverpool & Manchester Railway On 15 September 1830, the world’s first major passenger railway opened with a huge celebration—and an unforgettable tragedy. The Liverpool and Manchester Railway stages a grand public opening with dignitaries including then-prime-minster Duke of Wellington. But, before the inaugural trains reach their destination, a fatal accident occurs to MP William Huskisson and, in Manchester, the cheering crowds give way to angry political protests. Image: The Remains of Stephenson's 'Rocket', 1829. Used with permission. Copyright (c) National Railway Museum / Science & Society Picture Library. Articles Paul Fyfe, “On the Opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, 1830″	David Rettenmaier
16 Nov 1830	Wellington resigns as Prime Minister On 16 November 1830, Wellington resigned as Prime Minister. Having angered many in his own party with his backing of the Catholic Emancipation and many in the public with his staunch opposition to parliamentary reform, Wellington is forced out of office by a vote of no confidence, an action that prepared the way for passage of the 1832 Reform Act. Image: Sir Thomas Lawrence, Portrait of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1814). This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired. Articles Sean Grass, “On the Death of the Duke of Wellington, 14 September 1852″	David Rettenmaier	Benjamin Robert Haydon, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1839)
Sep 1831 to Dec 1832	Cholera Epidemic The first major cholera pandemic to cross the Channel began in Sunderland in September 1831, spread throughout the country, and was not determined to be over until more than a year later, in December of 1832. Articles Pamela Gilbert, "On Cholera in Nineteenth-Century England"	David Rettenmaier	Soho Sunderland Limehouse District
30 Oct 1831	Riots at Bristol On 30 October 30 1831, a crowd of 10,000 took possession of Queen Square in Bristol, as rioting in nine cities and towns marked the failure of the second version of the First Reform Bill in the House of Lords. Related Articles Carolyn Vellenga Berman, “On the Reform Act of 1832″	David Rettenmaier	Queen Square in Bristol
Jun 1832	Reform Act The Great Reform Act of 1832 was passed in June 1832 after long discussion, with King William IV giving the royal asses on 7 June 1832. This followed a failed attempt on September 1831 that was vetoed by the House of Lords. A second draft was passed after the King intervened. The Bill eliminated many rotten boroughs and created a new class of eligible voters, providing a model by which non-landowners might claim representation in Parliament. Image: First page of the Reform Act, from the British government's national archives. This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired. Articles Carolyn Vellenga Berman, “On the Reform Act of 1832″ Related Articles Janice Carlisle, “On the Second Reform Act, 1867″ Pamela Gilbert, "On Cholera in Nineteenth-Century England"	David Rettenmaier	Palace of Westminster Nottingham
29 Aug 1833	Slavery Abolition Act The Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 received the Royal Assent (which means it became law) on 29 August 1833. The Act outlawed slavery throughout the British Empire; Britain’s colonial slaves were officially emancipated on 1 August 1834 when the law came into force, although most entered a form of obligatory apprenticeship that ended in 1840. Image: The Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Image: the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Articles Elsie B. Michie, "On the Sacramental Test Act, the Catholic Relief Act, the Slavery Abolition Act, and the Factory Act" Sarah Winter, “On the Morant Bay Rebellion in Jamaica and the Governor Eyre-George William Gordon Controversy, 1865-70″	David Rettenmaier	Palace of Westminster Kingston National Heroes Park Morant Bay, Jamaica Spanish Town St. Ann Parish Old Harbour Porus Mississippi Delta New Orleans
29 Aug 1833	Factory Act Act to Regulate the Labour of Children and Young Persons in the Mills and Factories of the United Kingdom passed on 29 August 1833. Image: the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Articles Elsie B. Michie, "On the Sacramental Test Act, the Catholic Relief Act, the Slavery Abolition Act, and the Factory Act" Related Articles Peter Capuano, “On Sir Charles Bell’s The Hand, 1833″	David Rettenmaier	Palace of Westminster
9 Sep 1833 to 25 Jan 1841	Tracts for the Times: 1833-1841 Between 1833 and 1841, members of the Oxford Movement (including John Henry Newman, John Keble, Edward Pusey, Hurrell Froude, Benjamin Harrison, and others) published 90 pamphlets in defense of Anglo-Catholic doctrine. The Tracts for the Times were vital in disseminating and consolidating the principles of the Oxford Movement, or Tractarianism as it was henceforth known. Image: This image is in the public domain in the United States. Articles Kimberly J. Stern, "The Publication of John Pentland Mahaffy's The Decay of Modern Preaching (1882)" Related Articles Laura Mooneyham White, "On Pusey's Oxford Sermon on the Eucharist, 24 May 1843" Miriam Burstein, "The 'Papal Aggression' Controversy, 1850-52" Barbara Charlesworth Gelpi, "14 July 1833: John Keble's Assize Sermon, National Apostasy"	David Rettenmaier
31 Aug 1835	Lord Lyndhurst's Act Lord Lyndhurst's Act passed on 31 Aug 1835. Image: Joseph Brown, engraver; after a painting by F. Roffe, Portrait of John Copley, 1st Baron Lyndhurst (1859). This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired. This Act validated all marriages voidable under the canon law’s prohibited degrees of relation (for instance, uncles forbidden to marry nieces) performed before 31 August 1835, and absolutely invalidated any performed after that date. Parliament's passage of this Act was the beginning of a protracted and heated debate over whether there should be an exception that allowed the marriage of a man to his deceased wife's sister. The controversy ended more than 70 years later with the passage of the Deceased Wife's Sister's Marriage Act in 1907. Articles Anne Wallace, “On the Deceased Wife’s Sister Controversy, 1835-1907″	David Rettenmaier	Palace of Westminster
1 Aug 1836	Newspaper Act On 13 August 1836, the Newspaper Act was passed, an Act to Consolidate and Amend the Laws relating to the Conveyance of Newspapers by the Post. The bill reduced the stamp duty on newspapers to 1d, thus allowing the channels for communication to increase dramatically. Image: The Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Related Articles Elaine Hadley, “On Opinion Politics and the Ballot Act of 1872″	David Rettenmaier	Palace of Westminster
14 Jun 1839	First Chartist Petition On 14 June 1839, the First Chartist Petition was presented to the House of Commons. The Petition was summarily rejected without a hearing on 12 July 1839. The Petition sought universal male suffrage, a secret ballot, and parliamentary reform. Image: Engraving depicting a Chartist riot from 1886 book True Stories of the Reign of Queen Victoria by Cornelius Brown. This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired. Articles Chris R. Vanden Bossche, "On Chartism" Related Articles Jo Briggs, “1848 and 1851: A Reconsideration of the Historical Narrative”	David Rettenmaier	Kersal Moor
Nov 1839	Newport Uprising Newport uprising on 3-4 November 1839. This was an armed uprising in support of the Chartist Petition. A few months after the rejection of the first Chartist petition, 9,000 laborers—some of them ignorant of the intentions of their leaders—marched into Newport with the plan of taking control of the town, but were quickly routed by local forces. Image: The attack of the Chartists on the Westgate Hotel, Newport, Mon. Nov 4th 1839. This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired. Articles Chris R. Vanden Bossche, "On Chartism" Related Articles Jo Briggs, “1848 and 1851: A Reconsideration of the Historical Narrative”	David Rettenmaier	Newport Kersal Moor
2 May 1842	Second Chartist Petition Presentation of the Second Chartist Petition to the House of Commons on 2 May 1842. Like the first Chartist Petition, which was presented in June 1839, this was rejected without a hearing on the next day, 3 May 1842. Image: Engraving depicting a Chartist riot from 1886 book True Stories of the Reign of Queen Victoria by Cornelius Brown. This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired. Articles Chris R. Vanden Bossche, "On Chartism" Related Articles Jo Briggs, “1848 and 1851: A Reconsideration of the Historical Narrative”	David Rettenmaier	Kersal Moor
Jul 1842	Sanitary Condition of the Labouring Population In July 1842 Edwin Chadwick, with Dr. Thomas Southwood Smith, published his ‘The Sanitary Conditions of the Labouring Population,’ at his own expense. The report detailed the sanitary conditions of the poor and advocated reform, tracing public health problems directly to the awful state of urban housing the poor endured. Chadwick’s report launched the mid-century sanitary movement, though it had a slow start because change was expensive. Image: Photograph of Sir Edwin Chadwick. This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired. Related Articles Pamela Gilbert, "On Cholera in Nineteenth-Century England" Barbara Leckie, “‘The Bitter Cry of Outcast London’ (1883): Print Exposé and Print Reprise”	David Rettenmaier	Sunderland Limehouse District
8 Aug 1842	Manchester strike Manchester strikes began on 8 August 1842. Following the rejection of the second petition, the Chartists sought to join forces with striking workers in the industrial region around Manchester, who were protesting a reduction in wages, but once again government forces moved quickly to suppress the ensuing riots. Image: Engraving depicting a Chartist riot from 1886 book True Stories of the Reign of Queen Victoria by Cornelius Brown. This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired. Articles Chris R. Vanden Bossche, "On Chartism" Related Articles Jo Briggs, “1848 and 1851: A Reconsideration of the Historical Narrative”	David Rettenmaier	Manchester Kersal Moor
1 Jul 1848	Trial of Chartist leaders Trial and conviction of the prominent Chartist Ernest Jones and other Chartist leaders, July 1848. Image: A daguerrotype of Ernest Charles Jones, taken in the 1850s. This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired. The summer of 1848 witnesses violence as Chartist leaders are arrested and secret plots against the government are infiltrated. By the end of August, after the arrest of several hundred Chartists and Irish Confederates, the movement for violent uprising in England is broken. Articles Jo Briggs, “1848 and 1851: A Reconsideration of the Historical Narrative” Chris Vanden Bossche, "On Chartism"	David Rettenmaier	Kersal Moor
31 Aug 1848	Public Health Act Spurred by the 1848 cholera epidemic and Edwin Chadwick’s report on The Sanitary Conditions of the Labouring Population, a Central Board of Health was established that provided for taxation to enforce sanitary reform and the creation of local Boards of Health. Image: The Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Articles Pamela Gilbert, "On Cholera in Nineteenth-Century England" Barbara Leckie, “‘The Bitter Cry of Outcast London’ (1883): Print Exposé and Print Reprise”	David Rettenmaier	Palace of Westminster Soho Sunderland Limehouse District
Oct 1848 to Dec 1849	Cholera Epidemic The second major cholera epidemic in the UK began in Scotland in October 1848 and is generally agreed to have largely subsided in the UK by the end of 1849. Articles Pamela Gilbert, "On Cholera in Nineteenth-Century England"	David Rettenmaier	Soho Sunderland Limehouse District
Aug 1853 to Nov 1854	Cholera Epidemic The third major cholera epidemic in the UK began in August 1853 and extended through November 1854. It is during this epidemic that John Snow deduced the mode of transmission, by water contaminated with feces. Articles Pamela Gilbert, "On Cholera in Nineteenth-Century England"	David Rettenmaier	Soho Sunderland Limehouse District
15 Jun 1855	Stamp Act On 15 June 1855, the Stamp Act was passed, an act to amend the laws relating to the stamp duties on newspapers, and to provide for the transmission by post of printed periodical publications. The act abolished the stamp duty on newspapers, thus reducing the cost of such publications (for instance, the Manchester Guardian's price went from 7d. to 2d.) and facilitating the mass dissemination of the new medium of communication. Image: The Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Related Articles Elaine Hadley, “On Opinion Politics and the Ballot Act of 1872″ Claudia Nelson, “Mass Media Meets Children’s Literature, 1899: E. Nesbit’s The Story of the Treasure Seekers”	David Rettenmaier	Palace of Westminster
25 Aug 1862	Victoria Station opened On 25 August 1862, London Victoria Station was opened, connecting London to the Kent coast. Related Articles Paul Fyfe, “On the Opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, 1830″ Nancy Rose Marshall, “On William Powell Frith’s Railway Station, April 1862″ Carolyn W. de la L. Oulton, “‘Coquetting amid incredible landscapes’: Women on the River and the Railway”	David Rettenmaier	London Victoria Station Kent
Nov 1865 to Nov 1866	Cholera Epidemic The last cholera epidemic is conventionally termed “of 1866” as that was the period of the highest mortality. The epidemic arrived in Britain in September 1865 and ended in November 1866. Articles Pamela Gilbert, "On Cholera in Nineteenth-Century England"	David Rettenmaier	Soho Sunderland Limehouse District
15 Aug 1867	Second Reform Act On 15 August 1867, the Representation of the People Act, 1867 (also known as the Second Reform Act), received the royal assent. This act increased the electorate of England and Wales to approximately one man in three, theoretically including substantial numbers of working-class men. Image: The Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Articles Janice Carlisle, "On the Second Reform Act, 1867" Related Articles Carolyn Vellenga Berman, “On the Reform Act of 1832″ Elaine Hadley, “On Opinion Politics and the Ballot Act of 1872″ Herbert F. Tucker, "On Event" Sarah Winter, “On the Morant Bay Rebellion in Jamaica and the Governor Eyre-George William Gordon Controversy, 1865-70″	David Rettenmaier	Palace of Westminster
9 Aug 1870	1870 Married Women's Property Act On 9 August 1870, the Married Women’s Property Act was passed. Image: The Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. This Act established limited protections for some separate property for married women, including the right to retain up to £200 of any earning or inheritance. Before this all of a woman's property owned before her marriage, as well as all acquired after the marriage, automatically became her husband's alone. Only women whose families negotiated different terms in a marriage contract were able to retain control of some portion of their property. Articles Rachel Ablow, "On the Married Woman's Property Act, 1870" Related Articles Kelly Hager, “Chipping Away at Coverture: The Matrimonial Causes Act of 1857″ Jill Rappoport, “Wives and Sons: Coverture, Primogeniture, and Married Women’s Property” Anne Wallace, “On the Deceased Wife’s Sister Controversy, 1835-1907″	David Rettenmaier	Palace of Westminster
1871 to 1872	George Eliot Published Middlemarch Image: Cover to Book 1 of Middlemarch published 1871. This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright is expired. Courtesy of the British Library Collections George Eliot's Middlemarch: A Study in Provincial Life published in 8 installments, 1871-72. Articles Jules Law, “Victorian Virtual Reality”	David Rettenmaier
18 Jul 1872	Ballot Act On 18 July 1872, the Ballot Act, an Act to Amend the Law relating to Procedure at Parliamentary and Municipal Elections, was passed. The bill introduced secret voting and increased the number of polling stations. Image: The Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Articles Elaine Hadley, “On Opinion Politics and the Ballot Act of 1872″ Related Articles Carolyn Vellenga Berman, “On the Reform Act of 1832″ Janice Carlisle, “On the Second Reform Act, 1867″	David Rettenmaier	Palace of Westminster