1853 in the United Kingdom

Incumbents

• Monarch – Victoria
• Prime Minister – George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen (Coalition)

Events

• 20 January – the United Kingdom annexes Lower Burma ending the Second Anglo-Burmese War.
• 4 February – Halifax Permanent Benefit Building Society takes its first deposits.
• 14 February – United Kingdom Alliance for the Suppression of the Traffic in all Intoxicating Liquors formed in Manchester.
• 15 February – PS Queen Victoria sinks in a snowstorm at night entering Dublin Bay with the loss of more than 80 lives.
• 18 February – a treaty is signed with the United States concerning international copyright.
• 29 March – Manchester is granted city status by letters patent.
• May – the world's first public aquarium is opened in London Zoo.
• 5 May – Perpetual Maritime Truce comes into force between the United Kingdom and the rulers of the Sheikhdoms of the Lower Gulf, later known as the Trucial States.
• 6 June – naval fleet travels to Besika Bay to fend off Russian threats to the Ottoman Empire.
• 25 June – Hochster v De La Tour, a landmark case on anticipatory breach of contract in English contract law, is decided in the Court of Queen's Bench.
• 1 July – first constitution of the Cape Colony provides for a legislative council.
• 1 August – under terms of the Vaccination Act 1853, all children born after this date are to receive compulsory vaccination against smallpox during their first 3 months of life, with defaulting parents subject to a fine.
• 12 August – Licensing (Scotland) Act (known after its sponsor as the 'Forbes Mackenzie Act') regulates the supply of intoxicating beverages in Scotland.
• 20 August
  • Penal Servitude Act provides for convicted criminals to serve their entire sentence in prison, rather than suffer transportation, and also to be freed on licence.
  • Betting Act (An Act for the Suppression of Betting Houses) prohibits betting shops, restricting legal betting on horse racing to racecourses.
• September (approx.) – first pillar box on the British mainland erected in Carlisle.
• 14 September – West Australian becomes the first horse to win the English Triple Crown by finishing first in the Epsom Derby, 2,000 Guineas and St Leger.
• 28 September – emigrant ship Annie Jane sinks in heavy seas off the Scottish island of Vatersay with the loss of 350 lives.
• 31 October–15 May 1854 – lockout of Preston cotton mill workers seeking reinstatement of ten per cent of their pay; this will be Britain's longest industrial dispute up to this date.
• 3 December – Crimean War: a protocol is signed with France, Austria, and Prussia for restoring peace between Russia and Turkey.
• 14 December – Palmerston resigns as Home Secretary over demands for parliamentary reform, but changes his mind on 23 December.
• 15 December – the Sierra redwood Sequoiadendron giganteum is introduced to England as Wellingtonia by William Lobb.

Undated

• Highland Clearances in Skye and Raasay.
• J. S. Fry & Sons of Bristol produce their Cream Stick, predecessor of Fry's Chocolate Cream and the first mass produced chocolate bar.

Publications

• Charlotte Brontë's novel Villette (published as by Currer Bell).
• Mrs Gaskell's novel Ruth.
• John Mason Neale and Thomas Helmore's adaptations Carols for Christmas-Tide, including the first appearance of "Good King Wenceslas".
• Robert Smith Surtees' comic novel Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour.
• Charlotte M. Yonge's novel The Heir of Redclyffe.

Births

• 15 January – Rutland Barrington, baritone in musical comedy (died 1922)
• 16 January
  • Johnston Forbes-Robertson, actor (died 1937)
  • Ian Hamilton, general (died 1947)
• 29 March – Elihu Thomson, electrical engineer and inventor (died 1937)
• 7 April – Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, member of the royal family (died 1884)
• 3 June – Flinders Petrie, Egyptologist (died 1942)
• 4 July – George Edward Bond, Medway architect and surveyor (died 1914)
• 5 July – Cecil Rhodes, businessman (died 1902)

Deaths

• 27 January – John Iltyd Nicholl, Welsh politician (born 1797)
• 12 April – James Foster, ironmaster (born 1786)
• 15 August – Frederick William Robertson, Anglican preacher (born 1816)
• 19 August – Sir George Cockburn, Naval commander (born 1772)
• 29 August – Sir Charles James Napier, general and Commander-in-Chief in India (born 1782)
• 6 September – George Bradshaw, cartographer and timetable publisher (born 1800)

References

References

1. Baren, Maurice. (1996). "How It All Began Up the High Street". Michael O'Mara Books.
2. Cates, William L. R.. (1863). "The Pocket Date Book". Chapman and Hall.
3. ''[[The London Gazette]]'' (1 April 1853) 21426:950.
4. (1853-04-02). "The City of Manchester". [[The Guardian]].
5. Brunner, Bernd. (2003). "The Ocean at Home". Princeton Architectural Press.
6. Lorimer, John. (1915). "Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf". British Government.
7. (1992). "The Chronology of British History". Century Ltd.
8. "United Kingdom Vaccination Act 1853". The Health Foundation.
9. Matthew, H. C. G.. (2004). "Mackenzie, William Forbes (1807–1862)".
10. "Timeline of capital punishment in Britain".
11. "Icons, a portrait of England 1840–1860".
12. Farrugia, Jean Young. (1969). "The Letter Box: a history of Post Office pillar and wall boxes". Centaur Press.
13. "Annie Jane".
14. Leigh, J. S.. (2008). "Preston Cotton Martyrs: the millworkers who shocked a nation". Carnegie.
15. (1999-08-15). "Sequoiadendron giganteum (Lindley) Buchholz 1939". University of Hamburg.
16. "The Skye and Raasay Clearances – 1853". [[BBC]].
17. Weller, Shane. (1992). "Christmas Carols: Complete Verses". Courier Corporation.
18. (2006-09-30). "Good King Wenceslas". Hymns and Carols of Christmas.
19. Leavis, Q. D.. (1965). "Fiction and the Reading Public". Chatto & Windus.