Gold Convertibility
The Bank of England resumes full gold convertibility after the Restriction Period.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1821 in Great Britain
Explore 19 historical events and records for Great Britain in 1821.
Historical records for Great Britain in 1821
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 19 of 19 unique records.
19Unique records
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19Named events on this page
18Named people on this page
7Places on this page
May
Gold Convertibility Restored
The Bank of England resumes unrestricted convertibility at the pre-war parity, completing Britain's return to the gold standard after the Restriction Period.
Debt
Financial losses and unpaid obligations lead to Brunel's imprisonment for debt in the King's Bench Prison.
July
Vice Admiral
Appointed Vice Admiral
August
Birth of Arthur Cayley
Birth of Arthur Cayley
Release
The government grants money to clear Brunel's debts after concern that he may leave Britain to work in Russia.
October
Lieutenant
Appointed Lieutenant
Other events (month unknown)
Agricultural Distress in Register
Cobbett's longstanding interest in rural hardship linked political reform to the economic condition of agricultural labourers.
Confessions of an English Opium Eater
Publication of "Confessions of an English Opium Eater"
Death of John Keats
Death of John Keats
Education
Follows in the footsteps of his older brothers and attends Eton College
Elements of Political Economy
Publication of "Elements of Political Economy"
French Education
Brunel continues technical studies in Paris before entering practical engineering work.
Governor
Appointed Governor of New South Wales
Illustrates Thornton Virgil
Blake produced woodcuts for Robert John Thornton's edition of Virgil, offering distinctive pastoral imagery.
Invention of Electric Motor
Invents the electric motor
Painting
Paints the Hay Wain
Scottish Enlightenment Legacy Sustained
The journal continued carrying the Scottish Enlightenment tradition of engaging philosophy, history and political economy in public argument.
Stockton-Darlington Railway
A Parliamentary bill is passed to allow the building of the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR), the 25-mile railway will connect collieries near Bishop Auckland to the River Tees at Stockton, passing through Darlington, Stephenson surveyed the line, assisted by his eighteen-year-old son Robert and construction
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.