Capture of Belle Ile
Pitt's plan for an expedition to capture Belle Ile is put into force and it is captured after a siege
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1761 in Great Britain
Explore 18 historical events and records for Great Britain in 1761.
Historical records for Great Britain in 1761
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 18 of 18 unique records.
18Unique records
1 of 1Page
16Named events on this page
13Named people on this page
8Places on this page
April
Siege of Belle Ile
Pitt's plan for an expedition to capture Belle Ile is put into force and it is captured after a siege
June
Transit of Venus Expedition
Dixon joins Charles Mason in observing the transit of Venus from the Cape of Good Hope for international distance measurements.
Transit of Venus Expedition
Mason observes the transit of Venus from the Cape of Good Hope after wartime conditions disrupt the expedition's original destination.
September
Marriage
Marries Charlotte, daughter of Charles Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Succession
Succeeds as King of Great Britain, Succeeds his grandfather George II
Other events (month unknown)
Admiral
Appointed First Admiral of the Navy
Bridgewater Canal
Commissioned by the Duke of Bridgwater to build the Bridgewater Canal, opened in 1761, often regarded as the first British canal of the modern era
Capture of Pondicherry
Captures Pondicherry
Commander in Chief
Appointed Commander in Chief
Commander in Chief
Appointed Commander in Chief of the Leeward Islands station
Election
Elected Member of Parliament for Penryn
Five Orders of Periwigs
Hogarth published Five Orders of Periwigs, lampooning fashionable hairstyles through mock scholarly classification.
Reform of Navy
Reforms the Navy
Secretary to William Hamilton
Burke became private secretary to William Gerard Hamilton and gained experience in British political administration.
Soho Manufactory Development
Boulton begins developing the Soho site into an integrated manufacturing complex.
Venus Transit Observations Coordinated
Astronomers used the transit of Venus as an opportunity to compare measurements across observatories and improve solar system estimates.
Works Placed on Catholic Index
The Catholic Church placed Hume's writings on its Index of Prohibited Books, reflecting religious opposition to his philosophy.
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.