Invasion of Afghanistan
By late March 1839, the British forces had reached Quetta, crossed the Bolan Pass and begun their march to Kabul
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1839 in Great Britain
Explore 63 historical events and records for Great Britain in 1839.
Historical records for Great Britain in 1839
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 63 unique records.
63Unique records
1 of 2Page
37Named events on this page
14Named people on this page
16Places on this page
March
April
Belgian Neutrality Guarantee
Commits Britain to the international settlement guaranteeing Belgium as an independent and permanently neutral state.
Belgian Settlement
Helps conclude the final settlement between Belgium, the Netherlands and the five Great Powers.
European Guarantee
Accepts Britain's place among the five powers guaranteeing the Belgian settlement.
Guarantee of Neutrality
Commits Britain to the Great Power guarantee of Belgium's independence and perpetual neutrality.
Neutrality
Melbourne's government accepts Britain's role in guaranteeing Belgian independence and perpetual neutrality.
Scheldt Navigation
Accepts provisions protecting navigation on the Scheldt as part of the Belgian-Dutch settlement.
Scheldt Navigation
Supports treaty provisions regulating navigation and commerce on the Scheldt after Belgian independence.
Treaty of London
His government signs the final international settlement recognising Belgium and guaranteeing its permanent neutrality.
Treaty Signature
Signs the 1839 guarantee settlement for Britain as Foreign Secretary.
Twenty-Four Articles Settlement
Helps complete the definitive arrangement based on the Twenty-Four Articles negotiated by the Great Powers.
Invasion of Afghanistan
Kandahar is captured
July
Maidenhead Railway Bridge
Maidenhead Railway Bridge opens to traffic and vindicates Brunel's unusually flat arch design.
SS Great Britain
Construction begins on Brunel's iron-hulled transatlantic steamship SS Great Britain.
August
Box Tunnel
Difficult rock strata and heavy water ingress delay excavation, with less than half of the tunnel completed.
September
Ross Expedition
Sails with HMS Erebus and HMS Terror on the British Antarctic expedition that will explore the Ross Sea region
October
Invasion of Afghanistan
The official British position that their troops were merely supporting Shah Shujas small army in retaking what was once his throne was generally seen (at the time, as well as now) as pretext for incorporating Afghanistan into the British empire
Other events (month unknown)
ACLL
Founds the Anti Corn Law League to promote free trade & internationalism
Anti-Corn Law
Helps found the Anti-Corn Law League
Avon Viaduct Masonry Prepared
Railway builders prepared the stonework for an Avon crossing on the Great Western route through Wiltshire.
Bath GWR Bridge
The Tudor-Gothic bridge forms part of Brunel's Bristol-Bath railway works.
Bridge Anchor Tunnels Constructed
Engineers excavated and built underground anchorage structures to resist the future suspension chain loads.
Bright Joins Organized Repeal Movement
John Bright became a leading campaigner in the organized free trade movement that opposed the Corn Laws.
Brook Road Bridge
Completes Brook Road Bridge for the Great Western Railway near Bath.
Brook Road Crossing Built
A railway overbridge at Brook Road formed part of Brunel's engineered approach toward Bath.
Captain
Appointed Captain
Chief Whip
Appointed Chief Whip
Chippenham River Crossing Designed
Brunel's engineering plans provided a railway crossing over the River Avon near Chippenham.
Chippenham Viaduct Stonework Advanced
Masonry construction progressed on the rail viaduct required to carry the main line across the Avon valley.
Commercial Electric Telegraph
Supports installation of electric telegraph wires beside the Great Western Railway.
Confiscation-Opium
The Chinese Government confiscates 20,000 British crates of opium
Corn Law
Founds the Anti Corn Law League to promote free trade & internationalism
Declaration of War
1st of the 2 Opium Wars between China & Britain
Denounces the war as unjust and iniquitous and criticised Lord Palmerston's
Denounces the war as "unjust and iniquitous" and criticised Lord Palmerston's willingness "to protect an infamous contraband traffic."
Fielden Builds Parliamentary Reform Alliances
Fielden collaborated with factory reform supporters seeking stronger limits on working hours in textile mills.
Government
Asks Peel to to form a Government but refuses to replace Whigs at Court
Great Western Bristol New York Route Consolidated
Commercial experience with repeat journeys strengthened the case for scheduled transatlantic steamship services.
Great Western Passenger Expansion Planned
The steamship underwent a programme of alterations intended to provide additional passenger accommodation.
Great Western Regular Atlantic Crossings Continue
The large paddle steamer continued passenger and mail voyages between Britain and North America.
GWR Shareholder Challenge Defeated
Brunel successfully defends his engineering decisions when dissatisfied shareholders attempt to remove him from the railway project.
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.