Death of Frederick John Robinson Goderich
Death of Frederick John Robinson
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1859 in Great Britain
Explore 58 historical events and records for Great Britain in 1859.
Historical records for Great Britain in 1859
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 58 unique records.
58Unique records
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37Named events on this page
22Named people on this page
10Places on this page
January
Treaty of Cobden
Cobden & Napoleon agree the Treaty
Treaty of Cobden
Has a budget surplus & wishes to quell anti-French feeling
April
Royal Albert First Test Train Crosses
A South Devon locomotive makes the first test crossing of Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge.
Royal Albert Bridge
The Royal Albert Bridge passes its official Board of Trade inspection and load tests.
May
Royal Albert Bridge
Prince Albert formally opens the Royal Albert Bridge, although illness prevents Brunel from attending.
Royal Albert Bridge
Public railway services begin across the Royal Albert Bridge as the Cornwall Railway opens through Saltash.
Birth of Arthur Conan Doyle
Birth of Arthur Conan Doyle
June
Resignation of Edward Stanley
Lord Derby resigns
Prime Minister of Great Britain
Appointed Prime Minister of Great Britain, 2nd term
September
Stroke
Brunel suffers a severe stroke shortly before the first sea trials of SS Great Eastern.
Death of Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel dies at the age of fifty-three after a career transforming railways, bridges, tunnels and ships.
Other events (month unknown)
Australian Route Becomes Regular Service
Great Britain continued the established Australian emigrant route with steam and sail operating together.
Barlow Backs Bridge Memorial Campaign
William Henry Barlow helps revive interest in finishing the Clifton Suspension Bridge as a memorial to Brunel after the engineer dies in September 1859.
Board of Trade
Appointed President of the Board of Trade
Brunel Crosses Saltash Bridge
The crossing marks completion of one of his final major bridge projects.
Brunel Dies Before Clifton Completion
Brunel died before the suspension bridge designed under his direction could carry passengers across the Avon Gorge.
Brunel Suffers Stroke Before Sea Trial
Brunel became gravely ill shortly before the immense vessel he had designed undertook sea trials.
Budget
Raises a budget to pay for the war with China raising income tax from 5d to 9d
Captain
Appointed Captain
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer
Charing Cross Rail Approach Planned
Railway schemes proposed a new crossing near Hungerford to carry trains toward a central London terminus.
Cornwall Railway Connection Completed
Completion of the Tamar crossing allows the Cornwall Railway to connect directly with the South Devon broad-gauge network.
Discovery of Malawi
Establishes European contact with what becomes Malawi
Editor
Acton is appointed Editor of the Roman Catholic monthly paper, The Rambler, in 1859, on John Henry (later Cardinal) Newmans retirement from the editorship
First Crossing of Royal Albert Bridge
Crosses the completed Royal Albert Bridge while seriously ill.
Foreign Secretary of Great Britain
Appointed Foreign Minister
Franchise
Reform Bill, Introduces & loses the bill for extending the franchise
Great Eastern Machinery Trials Prepared
Engineers readied the vessel's steam machinery ahead of its first substantial sea trials.
Great Eastern Trial Explosion Causes Casualties
A steam explosion during the ship's early trials killed members of the crew and exposed serious boiler problems.
Hawkshaw Supports Brunel Memorial Completion
Following Brunel's death, John Hawkshaw joins engineering colleagues who promote completion of the unfinished Clifton crossing as a lasting tribute to its designer.
Home Secretary of Great Britain
Appointed Home Secretary
Income Tax
Raises a budget to pay for the war with China raising income tax from 5d to 9d
Member of Parliament
Elected Parliamentary member of the Irish Borough of Carlow and becomes a devoted admirer and adherent of Gladstone
On Liberty
Publication of "Thoughts on Parliamentary Reform". Publication of "On Liberty"
On the Origin of Species
Publication of "The Origin of the Species"
Peelites
Lord Palmerston forms a new mixed Government with Radicals included, and Gladstone again joins the Government as Chancellor of the Exchequer (with most of the other remaining Peelites) to become part of the new Liberal Party
Postmaster General
Appointed Post Master General
President of Board of Trade
Appointed President of the Board of Trade
President of the Council
Appointed financial member of the council of India
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.