Rear Admiral
Joins Rodney in his flagship Barfleur, and remains in the West Indies or on the coast of North America until the close of the War of American Independence
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1781 in Great Britain
Explore 27 historical events and records for Great Britain in 1781.
Historical records for Great Britain in 1781
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 27 of 27 unique records.
27Unique records
1 of 1Page
23Named events on this page
12Named people on this page
12Places on this page
January
March
Battle of Guildford
Despite victory Cornwallis cannot hold Georgia & the Carolinas
Discovery of Uranus
Discovers Uranus using a home made telescope from his back garden in Bath
April
Battle of Porto Praya
Defeated by the Dutch on his way to attack the Dutch colony of Cape of Good Hope
June
Birth of George Stephenson
Birth of George Stephenson
July
Battle of Jamestown Ford
Defeats General Lafayette at Jamestown Ford, Virginia
September
Battle of Chesapeake
Hood joins Admiral Thomas Graves in the unsuccessful effort to relieve the army at Yorktown, when the British fleet is driven off by the French Admiral, the Comte de Grasse, at the Battle of the Chesapeake
Battle of Chesapeake Bay
A major defeat for the British, since it prevented the Royal Navy from reinforcing or evacuating the blockaded forces of General Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia, as a result, Cornwallis surrendered his army after the Siege of Yorktown
Battle of Chesapeake Bay
Crucial naval Battle near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay between a British fleet led by Rear Admiral Sir Thomas Graves and a French fleet led by Rear Admiral Francois Joseph Paul, the Comte de Grasse.
Battle of Chesapeake Bay
Graves arrived at the mouth of the Chesapeake early on 5 September to see de Grasses fleet at anchor in the bay.
Battle of Dunes
The British leave the sea near Chesapeake to the French & Graves returns to New York
Battle of Chesapeake Bay
On 13 September de Grasse broke away from the British and returned to the Chesapeake, where de Barras had arrived, Graves returned to New York to organize a larger relief effort; this did not sail until 19 October, two days after Cornwallis surrendered
October
Battle of Yorktown
Surrenders 7,000 soldiers ending the American Revolution & the War of Independence
Result of Surrender of Cornwallis's Army at Yorktown
Cornwallis's army is removed from the field, effectively ending major fighting in the American War of Independence.
Surrender of Cornwallis's Army at Yorktown
Surrenders 7,000 soldiers ending the American Revolution & the War of Independence
Other events (month unknown)
Composes Table Talk Poem
Cowper prepared his conversational moral poem Table Talk for his first substantial independent poetry collection.
Copley Medal
Herschel is awarded the Copley Medal and elected a Fellow of the Royal Society
Discovery of Georgium Sidus
Calls the new planet the Georgian star (Georgium sidus) after King George III
Discovery of Uranus
Calls the new planet the Georgian star (Georgium sidus) after King George III
Duplicity
Publication of "Duplicity"
Education
Enters Eton
HMS Albemarle
Commands HMS Albemarle on convoy and patrol duties.
Invasion of St Kitts
De Grasse attacks the British islands of St Kitts and Nevis with a force much superior to Hoods squadron
Member of Parliament
First elected MP
Mission to France for Aid
Paine traveled to France with John Laurens to help seek assistance for the American war effort.
Peace
Washington allows 2 days for written peace proposals but insists on complete surrender
Royal Society
Herschel is awarded the Copley Medal and elected a Fellow of the Royal Society
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.