Battle of Cape St Vincent
Commands the British fleet at Cape St Vincent and praises Nelson's initiative.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1797 in Great Britain
Explore 29 historical events and records for Great Britain in 1797.
Historical records for Great Britain in 1797
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 29 of 29 unique records.
29Unique records
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26Named events on this page
15Named people on this page
9Places on this page
February
Battle of Cape St Vincent
Boards enemy ships during the Battle of Cape St Vincent.
Promotion
Is promoted rear admiral after Cape St Vincent.
Bank Restriction
The government permits the Bank of England to suspend cash payments after wartime pressure drains reserves, interrupting the earlier gold-based convertibility of banknotes.
Bank Restriction
Pitt authorises suspension of Bank of England gold payments during wartime financial pressure.
Bank Restriction
Pitt orders the Bank of England to suspend gold payments after a wartime run on reserves.
May
Order of Bath
Is invested as a Knight of the Order of the Bath.
July
Attack on Cadiz
Leads boat attacks during operations against Cadiz.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Leads an unsuccessful attack on Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Arm Amputation
Loses his right arm after being wounded at Tenerife.
October
Birth of James Thomas Brudenell
Birth of James Thomas Brudenell
Other events (month unknown)
Agrarian Justice Published
Paine published Agrarian Justice, proposing a fund to compensate people for unequal access to landed property.
Birth of Mary Shelley
Wollstonecraft gave birth to Mary, who later became the novelist Mary Shelley.
Cartwheel Coinage
The Soho Mint produces large copper pennies and twopences for the British Government.
Commander in Chief
Appointed Commander of the forces in Ireland
Death at Beaconsfield
Burke died at Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire after a career as a political theorist and parliamentarian.
Death of Mary Wollstonecraft
Wollstonecraft died after childbirth, leaving unfinished literary projects and a major legacy in feminist thought.
Invention of Engine
Invents an engine that uses alcohol as fuel
Land Value and Social Provision
In Agrarian Justice, Paine argued that shared claims to natural resources support payments to citizens.
Lieutenant Colonel
Appointed Lieutenant Colonel
Low-Denomination Banknotes Introduced
Thomas Raikes serves as Governor as the Bank of England issues one-pound and two-pound notes during the Restriction Period.
Marries William Godwin
Wollstonecraft married the political philosopher William Godwin, linking two important radical literary careers.
Night Thoughts
Publication of "Night Thoughts"
Night Thoughts Illustrations Issued
Blake's engravings illustrated a publication of Edward Young's Night Thoughts, integrating text with visual design.
Ordination
Ordained & becomes an Anglican country parson
Paper Currency
The Bank issues one-pound and two-pound notes to replace scarce gold coin during restriction.
Peerage
Created Earl of St Vincent, after the Battle of St Vincent
Posthumous Political Writings
Burke's writings continued to circulate after his death and shaped later debates over constitutionalism and reform.
Return after Wounding
Returns to Britain to recover after the loss of his arm.
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.