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Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1884 in Great Britain
Explore 39 historical events and records for Great Britain in 1884.
Historical records for Great Britain in 1884
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 39 of 39 unique records.
39Unique records
1 of 1Page
31Named events on this page
18Named people on this page
10Places on this page
January
Birth of Arthur Ransome
Birth of Arthur Ransome, childrens writer
February
Independence of Great Britain
Arrives at Khartoum & declares the independence of Sudan
Independence of Sudan
Arrives at Khartoum & declares the independence of Sudan
Siege of Khartoum
Reaches Khartoum & then begins to evacuate the Angloian residents
London Convention
Signs the revised convention with Transvaal representatives.
March
Siege of Khartoum
Th reinforcements requested by Gordon are refused by the British Government. The Mahdi have Khartoum surrounded
September
Siege of Khartoum
Public opinion leads to 300,000 pounds raised by the British Government. A relief force under Wolseley is despatched but too late
November
Conference of Berlin
Britain participates in the Berlin Conference negotiations concerning trade and navigation in the Congo basin.
December
Election
Makes rural elections as democratic as urban ones
Reform of Electoral System
Recognizes individual voting rights regardless of property qualifications. Makes rural elections as democratic as urban ones. Extends the male electorate from 3 to 5 million
Rule of Nigeria
Germany agrees to support Britains claims in Nigeria, against the French
Other events (month unknown)
Brown Scores in First Blackburn FA Cup Triumph
Brown scores as Blackburn Rovers defeat Queen's Park 2–1 in the 1884 FA Cup final, bringing the Lancashire club its first major national honour.
Chief Secretary
Appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland
Election
Extends the franchise to agricultural labourers and others in the 1884 Reform Act, which gives the counties the same franchise as the boroughs, adult male householders and pounds 10 lodgers, and adds about six million to the total number who could vote in Parliamentary elections
Franchise
Extends the franchise to agricultural labourers and others in the 1884 Reform Act, which gives the counties the same franchise as the boroughs, adult male householders and pounds 10 lodgers, and adds about six million to the total number who could vote in Parliamentary elections
Gordon Relief Intelligence Duties
Serves on intelligence and reconnaissance duties during the expedition attempting to relieve Gordon at Khartoum.
Governor
Appointed Governor General of the Sudan, 2nd term
Governor
Appointed Governor General of Sudan
Greenwich Meridian Adopted Internationally
Delegates at the International Meridian Conference chose the Greenwich meridian as the world's prime reference meridian.
Independence of Great Britain
Recognizes the Transvaal but it cannot conclude treaties without British permission
Independence of Transvaal
Recognizes the Transvaal but it cannot conclude treaties without British permission
International Conference Adopts Greenwich Meridian
Delegates at Washington selected the Greenwich meridian as the prime meridian for global longitude measurement. The change strengthened the relationship between astronomy and accurate clocks.
International Prime Meridian Selection
An international conference selected the Greenwich meridian as the prime meridian, building on the reference line established by Airy.
Legislation
Extends the franchise to agricultural labourers and others in the 1884 Reform Act, which gives the counties the same franchise as the boroughs, adult male householders and pounds 10 lodgers, and adds about six million to the total number who could vote in Parliamentary elections
Lieutenant
Appointed Lieutenant of the Tower of London
Nile Expedition
French serves before later receiving the Ypres title.
NUCA
Appointed Chairman of the National Union of Conservative Associations
Peerage
Queen Victoria was an ardent admirer of Tennysons work, and in 1884 created him Baron Tennyson, of Aldworth in the County of Sussex and of Freshwater in the Isle of Wight
Princess Ida
1st performance of, "Princess Ida"
Reform Act
Extends the franchise to agricultural labourers and others in the 1884 Reform Act, which gives the counties the same franchise as the boroughs, adult male householders and pounds 10 lodgers, and adds about six million to the total number who could vote in Parliamentary elections
Reform of Parliament
Extends the franchise to agricultural labourers and others in the 1884 Reform Act, which gives the counties the same franchise as the boroughs, adult male householders and pounds 10 lodgers, and adds about six million to the total number who could vote in Parliamentary elections
Science Studies with Huxley
Wells studied biology under Thomas Henry Huxley at the Normal School of Science.
Siege of Khartoum
Orders General Gordon to evacuate Khartoum but is disobeyed. Gordon holds out for 1 year before being overcome & killed by the Mahdi
Siege of Khartoum
Public opinion leads to 300,000 pounds raised by the British Government. A relief force under Wolseley is despatched but too late. Th reinforcements requested by Gordon are refused by the British Government. The Mahdi have Khartoum surrounded. Holds out for 1 yr against the Mahdis army. Disobeys Gladstones orders to evacuate Khartoum
Siege of Khartoum
Fails to evacuate Khartoum before a siege led by the Mahdi
Sowerbutts Helps Blackburn Reach Cup Glory
Sowerbutts features in the Blackburn attacking unit that overcomes Queen's Park in the FA Cup final, the beginning of a series of Victorian successes.
Sudan Campaign Service
Carden serves during operations connected with the Sudan campaign, adding further active-service experience to his naval career.
Third Reform Act Franchise Debates
Gladstone's government advanced legislation extending parliamentary voting rights to many men in the counties.
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.