Government
Forms a minority Tory Protectionist Government for 9 months
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1852 in Great Britain
Explore 55 historical events and records for Great Britain in 1852.
Historical records for Great Britain in 1852
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 55 unique records.
55Unique records
1 of 2Page
36Named events on this page
19Named people on this page
13Places on this page
February
Prime Minister of Great Britain
Appointed Prime Minister of Great Britain, 1st term
August
First Australian Voyage Leaves Liverpool
Great Britain departed Liverpool for Melbourne carrying emigrants and other passengers during the Australian gold rush.
September
Death of Arthur Wellesley
Death of Arthr Wellesley
Birth of John Denton Pinkstone French
Birth of John Denton Pinkstone French
Birth of John French
Birth of John French, later Earl of Ypres.
October
Snow Hill Station
The Great Western Railway opens its Birmingham station at Snow Hill.
Privy Council
Appointed Privy Counsellor
Peerage
Created Baron Raglan
November
Government
Forms a coaltion Government of Peelites, Whigs & Radicals
Press Gallery
The House of Commons Press Gallery opens for the 1st time
Australian Liner Reaches Melbourne
Great Britain reached Melbourne after a long voyage carrying hundreds of people from Liverpool.
Burial
Buried at St Pauls Cathedral
December
Coup
Forced to resign after supporting the coup of Louis Napoleon in France
Resignation of Henry John Temple
Forced to resign after supporting the coup of Louis Napoleon in France
Government
Leads a Lib-Con coalition with Russell & Gladstone
Expedition
Napier takes command of a column in the first Hazara expedition
Other events (month unknown)
Asquith Birth
Herbert Henry Asquith is born in 1852.
Attorney General
Appointed Attorney General, 2nd term
Australian Passenger Capacity Expanded
The ship was fitted to accommodate substantially more travellers for its long voyages to Australia.
Australian Passenger Capacity Expanded
During the 1851 to 1852 conversion SS Great Britain gained passenger accommodation for roughly 730 travellers serving the Australian emigrant route.
Birth of Herbert Henry Asquith
Birth of Herbert Henry Asquith
Capture of Great Britain
Captures lower Burma
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer, 1st term
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Following the appointment of Lord Aberdeen as Prime Minister, head of a coalition of Whigs and Peelites, Gladstone became Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Whig Sir Charles Wood and the Tory Disraeli had both been perceived to have failed in the office and so this provided Gladstone with a great political opportunity
Chepstow Approach Plate Girders Used
Brunel employs wrought-iron plate girders for approach spans and decking at the Chepstow railway bridge.
Chepstow Inverted-W Main Girder Completed
The Chepstow railway bridge uses Brunel's distinctive large inverted-W tubular girder over the River Wye.
Chepstow Railway Bridge
Brunel completes the tubular railway bridge over the River Wye at Chepstow.
Death of the Duke of Wellington
Publication of "Death of the Duke of Wellington"
Discovery of Oberon
Herschel discovered two moons of Saturn, Mimas and Enceladus; as well as two moons of Uranus, Titania and Oberon, he did not give these moons their names; rather, they were named by his son John in 1847 and 1852, respectively, well after his death
Discovery of Titania
Herschel discovered two moons of Saturn, Mimas and Enceladus; as well as two moons of Uranus, Titania and Oberon, he did not give these moons their names; rather, they were named by his son John in 1847 and 1852, respectively, well after his death
Electric Greenwich Time Transmission
George Biddell Airy supported the transmission of Greenwich time by electric telegraph, helping distribute accurate time beyond the observatory.
First Australian Voyage Carries Emigrants
SS Great Britain carried hundreds of emigrants to Victoria during her first Australia voyage as demand surged following the gold discoveries.
First Sea Lord of the Admiralty
Appointed First Lord of the Admiralty, 2nd term
Foreign Secretary of Great Britain
Appointed Foreign Minister
Gray Joins Ship As Second Officer
John Gray joined SS Great Britain as second officer in time for her first voyage to Australia.
Great Britain Calls For Coal At Saint Helena
During the first Australia voyage SS Great Britain turned back towards Saint Helena to replenish coal after fuel consumption proved greater than expected.
Great Eastern Long-Range Concept Developed
Brunel develops a huge steamship intended to reach distant destinations without repeatedly stopping to take on coal.
Great Eastern Ocean Liner Concept Proposed
Brunel developed plans for a steamship large enough to travel immense distances without frequent coaling stops.
Greenwich Reference Meridian Records Expand
Observations made with the transit circle refined the reference positions used in navigation and mapping. The programme linked scientific data with public time standards.
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.