| Date |
Author History |
Publication History |
Historical Context |
|
1801
|
- Caroline Wigley Clive is
born. She dies in 1873.
|
|
|
|
1802
|
- Harriet Martineau is
born. A prominent reformer, she calls for equality
between the sexes, for the abolition of slavery, and for
education reform. She dies in 1876.
|
|
|
|
1808
|
- Caroline Sheridan Norton
is born. Her efforts are largely responsible for the
passage of the Infant Custody Bill, which passes in 1839. She
dies in 1877.
|
|
|
|
1812
|
- Sarah Stickney Ellis is
born. She dies in 1872.
|
|
|
|
1821
|
- Felicia Skene is
born. A native of Scotland; writer, poet, and
advocate for prison reform. She dies in 1899.
|
|
|
|
1822
|
- Frances Power Cobbe is
born. Journalist, philanthropist, and activist for
women's rights and animal rights. She dies in 1904.
- Eliza Lynn Linton is
born. Writes on social customs and gender issues.
One of the earliest professional woman journalists. She dies in
1898.
|
|
|
|
1823
|
- Charlotte Mary Yonge is
born. A prolific novelist, yet most of her works are
out of print. She dies in 1901.
|
|
|
|
1826
|
- Dinah Maria Mulock Craik
is born. Innovative author of books for both
children and adults. She dies in 1887.
- Lady Jane Wilde is
born. A poet, feminist, and Irish folklorist. Mother
of Oscar Wilde. She dies in 1896.
|
|
|
|
1827
|
- Eliza Keary is
born. She dies in 1918.
- Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon is born. She dies in 1891.
|
|
|
|
1828
|
- Josephine Elizabeth Butler
is born. Activist for the poor and for women's
rights. She dies in 1906.
|
|
|
|
1829
|
- Bessie Rayner Belloc is
born. Poet, activist, feminist, journalist; helps
establish the English Woman's Journal. She dies in 1925.
- Catherine Mumford Booth is
born. Wife of William Booth, founder of the
Salvation Army. Known as 'Mother of the Army'. She dies in
1890.
|
|
|
|
1830
|
|
|
- King George IV dies
- Lord Grey succeeds the Duke of Wellington as Prime
Minister
|
|
1831
|
- Isabella L. Bird is
born. The most famous of the 'lady travelers' of the
Victorian Era. She dies in 1904.
- Helen Taylor is
born. She dies in 1907.
|
|
|
|
1832
|
|
|
- Great Reform Act passed (excluded women from voting)
- Cholera epidemic
- Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers founded (Tolpuddle
Martyrs)
|
|
1833
|
|
|
- Abolition of slavery in British colonies
- Factories Act passed (child labor regulation)
|
|
1834
|
|
|
- William IV dismisses the Whig Government; Sir
Robert Peel becomes Prime Minister, taking over for Lord
Melbourne
- Fox Talbot produces photographs
|
|
1835
|
|
|
- Lord Melbourne is re-elected
|
|
1836
|
|
|
- University of London founded
|
|
1837
|
- M. E. Braddon is
born. Famed for her novels written in the
'sensation' genre. She dies in 1915.
- Augusta Webster is
born. Writer of dramatic monologue, poetry, and
prose. She dies in 1894.
|
|
- Death of William IV
- Accession of Queen Victoria to the throne
- National Gallery opens
- Dickens: Oliver
Twist published in serial form (book form
in 1838)
|
|
1838
|
|
|
- People’s Charter
published by the Chartists
- Daguerre perfects the Daguerrotype
|
|
1839
|
- Ouida is born (aka Marie
Louise de la Ramée) An eccentric personality, her
exploits often have received more attention than her works. She
dies in 1908.
|
|
- First Opium War (1839-1842)
- The Newport Rising
- Fox Talbot introduces photographic paper
|
|
1840
|
- Rhoda Broughton is
born. She shocks Victorian sensibilities with her
stories of women in love affairs. She dies in 1920.
|
|
- Queen Victoria marries Prince Albert
- Houses of Parliament Reconstruction
|
|
1841
|
- Mathilde Blind is
born. She dies in 1896.
|
|
- Sir Robert Peel becomes Prime Minister (1841-1846)
- London Library is founded
- Fox Talbot’s photographic process is patented
|
|
1842
|
|
|
- New Poor Law enacted
- Mines Act passed (boys under ten and women
could not work in underground mines)
- Young England group founded
|
|
1843
|
|
|
-
Dickens: A Christmas
Carol.
|
|
1844
|
- Ada Cambridge is
born. One of the best-known Australian writers of
her time. She dies in 1926.
|
|
|
|
1845
|
- Louisa Sarah Bevington is
born. Poet, essayist, activist. Recognized as an
anarchist poet. She dies in 1895.
|
|
- Famine in Ireland (1845-1849)
|
|
1846
|
|
|
- Sugar Duties Act
- Importation Act (repealed the Corn Laws)
- Lord John Russell becomes Prime Minister
|
|
1847
|
- Alice Meynell is
born. Poet, essayist, editor and critic. A prolific
writer, she publishes works on many topics in many forms:
essays, poetry, translations, anthologies. She dies in
1922.
- Flora Annie Webster Steel
is born. She dies in 1929.
|
|
- Factory Act (Ten Hours Act) passed
- Cholera epidemic (1847-1848)
-
Charlotte Brontë: Jane
Eyre.
-
Emily Brontë: Wuthering
Heights.
|
|
1848
|
|
|
- Public Health Act passed
- Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood founded
-
Marx and Engels: The Communist Manifesto.
|
|
1849
|
|
|
|
|
1850
|
|
|
- Public Libraries Act passed
- Pope Pius IX restores Roman Catholic hierarchy in
England
|
|
1851
|
- Mrs. Humphry Ward is born
(née Mary Augusta Arnold). A prolific writer who
writes novels, plays, and journal articles, among other works.
She dies in 1920.
|
|
- Sheffield Female Political Association founded
- The Great Exhibition (the first World’s Fair)
- First telegraph cable under the English Channel
- Singer invents first practical sewing machine
|
|
1852
|
- Lucas Malet is born (aka
Mary St. Leger Kingsley Harrison). Her novels cause
controversy in their frank portrayals of sexuality and religion.
She dies in 1931.
|
|
- The Victoria and Albert Museum founded
|
|
1853
|
|
|
|
|
1854
|
- Mona Caird is
born. Part of the New Woman writers, she achieves
notoriety due to her writings on marriage in Victorian times.
She dies in 1932.
|
|
- Crimean War (1854-1856)
- British Medical Association founded
- Working Men’s College founded
-
Dickens: Hard
Times.
|
|
1855
|
- Marie Corelli is
born. A best-selling author worldwide for decades.
She dies in 1924.
- Ella Hepworth Dixon is
born (aka Margaret Wynman). Author, editor,
playwright, and activist against the oppression of women. She
dies in 1932.
- Olive Schreiner is
born. A South African native, she writes on
religion, racism, and sexism. She dies in 1920.
|
|
- Lord Palmerston becomes Prime Minister (1855-1858)
|
|
1856
|
- Vernon Lee is
born. Writes works on travel, fantasy, and art
history, among other topics. She dies in 1935.
|
|
- Second Opium War (1856-1860)
- Bessemer’s blast furnace permits mass production of
steel
|
|
1857
|
|
|
- Indian Rebellion (Indian Mutiny)
- Matrimonial Causes Act passed (Divorce Act)
- National Portrait Gallery founded
|
|
1858
|
- Constance Naden is
born. She dies in 1889.
- Edith Nesbit is
born. One of the most prolific fantasy writers of
her time. She dies in 1924.
- Dollie Radford is
born. Feminist, poet, novelist, and short story
writer. She dies in 1920.
|
|
- Fenian Brotherhood founded
- Jews admitted to Parliament
- First Trans-Atlantic telegraph cable completed
|
|
1859
|
- Mary Cholmondeley is
born. She dies in 1925.
|
|
- National Portrait Gallery opens
- Palmerston becomes Prime Minister again (1859-1865)
-
Darwin: On the Origin of
Species.
-
Mill: On Liberty.
-
Eliot: Adam Bede.
|
|
1860
|
|
|
- First woman enrolled at Royal Academy schools
- Florence Nightingale publishes first definitive nursing
textbook
- Nightengale:
Suggestions...Nightingale:
Suggestions for Thought to Searchers after
Religious Truth. (printed privately, an
early feminist work of importance)
|
|
1861
|
- Louise Imogen Guiney is
born. American poet and essayist. She dies in
1920.
- Amy Levy is
born. Only writes for ten years, but is prolific within that time.
Commits suicide at the age of 27.
|
|
- Prince Albert dies
- Abraham Lincoln becomes United States President
(1861-1865)
- American Civil War (1861-1865)
- Emancipation of serfs in Russia
|
|
1862
|
- Elizabeth Robins is
born. Novelist, playwright, actress. She dies in
1952.
|
|
|
|
1863
|
|
|
- Red Cross founded
- First underground railway opens in London
|
|
1864
|
- Banker's Daughter (aka M. S. Welsman), birth
and death dates unknown, publishes a guide to aid women in
gaining financial acumen.
|
|
- Contagious Disease Act passed
|
|
1865
|
|
|
- Slavery formally abolished in the United States
- John Stuart Mill elected MP on supporting women’s
suffrage
- Women’s Suffrage Committee formed in Manchester
- Antiseptic surgery established by Lister
- Salvation Army founded (initially named the
East London Christian Mission) by William Booth
-
Carroll: Alice in
Wonderland.
|
|
1866
|
|
|
- Lord Derby becomes Prime Minister (1866-1868)
- Hyde Park riots
-
Swinburne: Poems and
Ballads.
|
|
1867
|
|
|
- Second Reform Act passed
- National Society for Women’s Suffrage forms in the UK
- Fenian rising in Ireland
|
|
1868
|
- Victoria Cross is
born. Her novels contain candid portayals of
sexuality and psychology. She dies in 1952.
|
|
- Benjamin Disraeli, after only a few months in office,
defeated by Gladstone. Gladstone becomes Prime
Minister (1868-1874)
- First Annual Trades Union Congress held in Manchester
- Last public execution held
|
|
1869
|
|
|
- Girton College founded (first residential women’s college in
England)
- Suez Canal opens
-
Mill: The Subjection of
Women.
|
|
1870
|
|
|
- Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871)
- Elementary Education Act (Forster’s Education Act)
passed
- First Married Women’s Property Act passed
- First School Board elections
|
|
1871
|
|
|
- Trade Union Act passed (legalized trade unions in UK for first
time)
- Criminal Law Amendment Act passed
- Newnham College founded (second women’s college)
- Paris Commune (first workers government to assume
power)
- Publication completed of Encyclopedia Britannica (began
1768)
-
Carroll: Through the
Looking-Glass.
|
|
1872
|
-
Sarah Stickney Ellis dies.
|
|
- Ballot Act passed
-
Eliot: Middlemarch.
|
|
1873
|
-
Caroline Wigley Clive dies.
|
|
- The Long Depression begins in Britain (1873-1896)
- Public Health Act
- Christopher Sholes invents the Remington typewriter
|
|
1874
|
|
|
- Disraeli becomes Prime Minister (1874-1880)
- Impressionists’ first exhibition in Paris
|
|
1875
|
|
|
- Public Health Act
- Sanitary Authorities established
- Conspiracy and Protection of Property Act (peaceful picketing
allowed)
- Employers and Workmen Act passed
|
|
1876
|
- Harriet Martineau dies. A
prominent reformer, she calls for equality between the sexes,
for the abolition of slavery, and for education reform.
|
|
- Queen Victoria becomes Empress of India
- Alexander Graham Bell patents the telephone
- Bulgarian atrocities
|
|
1877
|
- Caroline Sheridan Norton
dies. Her efforts are largely responsible for the
passage of the Infant Custody Bill, which passes in 1839.
|
|
- Edison invents the phonograph
|
|
1878
|
|
|
- The Factory and Workshop Act 1878 (protecting
women and children from exploitation
- London University admits women on equal terms
|
|
1879
|
|
|
- Electric street lighting begins in London
- Edison invents the electric light bulb
- Anglo-Zulu War
- Irish Land League founded
|
|
1880
|
|
|
- Gladstone becomes Prime Minister again (1880-1885)
- First Boer War (1880-1881)
- Bradlaugh dispute over right of MP to affirm
|
|
1881
|
|
|
- Natural History Museum opens to the public
|
|
1882
|
|
|
- Royal Courts of Justice opened by Queen Victoria
- Second Married Women’s Property Act passed
|
|
1883
|
|
|
- Expansion of Married Women’s Property Act
- Royal College of Music founded
|
|
1884
|
|
|
- Representation of the People Act passed (Third Reform
Act)
- Arnold Toynbee coins the term ‘Industrial Revolution’
- Society of Authors founded in Britain
- Socialist League founded in Britain
|
|
1885
|
|
|
- Housing of the Working Classes Act passed
- Redistribution of Seats Act passed
- Lord Salisbury becomes Prime Minister (1885-1892)
|
|
1886
|
|
|
- Daimler patents high-speed internal combustion engine
|
|
1887
|
- Dinah Maria Mulock Craik
dies. Innovative author of books for both children
and adults.
|
|
- Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee
- Bloody Sunday
- Doyle: A Study in
Scarlet. (first appearance of Sherlock
Holmes)
|
|
1888
|
|
|
- London Match Girls’ Strike
- First Arts and Crafts Guild exhibition
- Hertz produces radio waves
|
|
1889
|
- Amy Levy dies.Only writes
for ten years, but is prolific within that time. Commits suicide
at the age of 27.
-
Constance Naden dies.
|
|
- Women's Franchise League founded
- London Dock Strike
- First Kodak camera using roll film manufactured
|
|
1890
|
- Catherine Mumford Booth
dies. Wife of William Booth, founder of the
Salvation Army. Known as 'Mother of the Army'.
|
|
-
Frazer: The Golden
Bough.
-
Booth: In Darkest
England.
-
Morris: News from
Nowhere.
|
|
1891
|
-
Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon
dies.
|
|
- Kelmscott Press founded by William Morris
- The Newcastle Programme passed (Liberal reforms)
- Elementary schooling made free for all children
-
Wilde: Picture of Dorian
Gray.
- New Zealand grants women voting rights (first country to do
so)
|
|
1892
|
|
|
- Gladstone returns as Prime Minister (1892-1894)
- Rudolf Diesel invents the Diesel engine
|
|
1893
|
|
|
- Independent Labour party founded
|
|
1894
|
- Augusta Webster dies. Writer
of dramatic monologue, poetry, and prose.
|
|
- Wilde:
Salome.(published in English)
- Lord Salisbury again becomes Prime Minister (1895-1902)
|
|
1895
|
- Louisa Sarah Bevington dies.
Poet, essayist, activist. Recognized as an anarchist
poet.
|
|
- Roentgen discovers X-rays
|
|
1896
|
-
Mathilde Blind dies.
- Lady Jane Wilde dies. Mother
of Oscar Wilde, was a poet and feminist, and Irish
folklorist.
|
|
- Marconi patents wireless telegraph
|
|
1897
|
|
|
- Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee
- Founding of the Tate Gallery
-
Stoker: Dracula.
|
|
1898
|
- Eliza Lynn Linton dies.
Writes on social customs and gender issues. One of the earliest
professional woman journalists.
|
|
|
|
1899
|
- Felicia Skene dies. Scottish
writer, poet, and advocate for prison reform.
|
|
- Second Boer War (1899-1902)
- Ruskin College, Oxford founded
- Aspirin patented
|
|
1900
|
|
|
- British Labour Party founded
|
|
1901
|
- Charlotte Mary Yonge dies.
Prolific novelist, yet most of her works are out of
print.
|
|
- Queen Victoria dies
- The Factory and Workshop Act 1901 (minimum
working age, worker education, increased safety)
|
|
1902
|
|
|
- Coronation of Edward VII
- Balfour becomes Prime Minister (1902-1905)
|
|
1903
|
|
|
- Wright brothers make first powered airplane flight
|
|
1904
|
- Isabella L. Bird dies. The
most famous of the 'lady travelers' of the Victorian Era
- Frances Power Cobbe dies.
Journalist, philanthropist, and activist for women's rights and
animal rights.
|
|
|
|
1905
|
|
|
- Campbell-Bannerman becomes Prime Minister (1905-1908)
|
|
1906
|
- Josephine Elizabeth Grey Butler
dies. Activist for the poor and for women's
rights.
|
|
|
|
1907
|
|
|
|
|
1908
|
- Ouida dies. (aka Marie
Louise de la Ramee) An eccentric personality, her exploits often
have received more attention than her works.
|
|
- Asquith becomes Prime Minister (1908-1915)
- Henry Ford mass-produces the Model T automobile
|
|
1909
|
|
|
- Opening of main entrance of Victoria and Albert Museum
(designed by Aston Webb)
|
|
1910
|
|
|
|
|
1913
|
|
|
|
|
1914
|
- Maud Keary, birth and death dates unknown,
publishes a collection of children's verses.
|
|
|
|
1915
|
- Mary Elizabeth Braddon dies.
Famed for her novels written in the 'sensation' genre.
|
|
|
|
1916
|
|
|
|
|
1917
|
|
|
|
|
1918
|
|
|
|
|
1920
|
- Rhoda Broughton dies.
Shocked Victorian sensibilities with her stories of women in
love affairs.
- Louise Imogen Guiney dies.
American poet and essayist.
- Dollie Radford dies.
Feminist, poet, novelist, and short story writer.
- Olive Schreiner dies. A
South African native, she wrote on religion, racism, and
sexism.
- Mrs. Humphry Ward dies. (nee
Mary Augusta Arnold) A prolific writer who wrote novels, plays,
and journal articles, among other works.
|
|
|
|
1922
|
- Alice Christina Thompson Meynell
dies. Poet, essayist, editor and critic. A prolific
writer, she published works on many topics in many forms:
essays, poetry, translations, anthologies.
|
|
|
|
1923
|
|
|
|
|
1924
|
- Marie Corelli dies. Was a
best-selling author for decades.
- Edith Nesbit dies. One of
the most prolific fantasy writers of her time.
|
|
|
|
1925
|
- Bessie Rayner Belloc dies.
Poet, activist, feminist, journalist. Helped establish the
English Woman's Journal.
-
Mary Cholmondeley dies.
|
|
|
|
1926
|
- Ada Cambridge dies. One of
the best-known Australian writers of her time.
|
|
|
|
1928
|
|
|
|
|
1929
|
-
Flora Annie Webster Steel
dies.
|
|
|
|
1931
|
- Lucas Malet dies. (aka Mary
St. Leger Kingsley Harrison) Her novels were controversial in
their frank portrayals of sexuality and religion.
|
|
|
|
1932
|
- Mona Caird dies. Part of the
New Woman writers, she achieved notoriety due to her writings on
marriage in Victorian times.
- Ella Hepworth Dixon (Margaret Wynman) dies. Author, editor, playwright, and activist
against the oppression of women.
|
|
|
|
1935
|
- Vernon Lee dies. Wrote on
travel, fantasy, and art history, among other topics.
|
|
|
|
1952
|
- Victoria Cross dies. Her
novels contained candid portayals of sexuality and
psychology.
- Elizabeth Robins dies.
Novelist, playwright, actress.
|
|
|
