1781 in Great Britain

Events from the year 1781 in the Kingdom of Great Britain.

[edit] Events

5 January - American Revolutionary War: Richmond, Virginia is burned by British naval forces led by Benedict Arnold.
17 January - American Revolutionary War: Americans under Daniel Morgan defeat British forces at the Battle of Cowpens. ^[1]
January - William Pitt the Younger, later Prime Minister, enters Parliament.

March 13: Uranus discovered [image in false color].

13 March - Sir William Herschel discovers the planet Uranus. Originally he calls it Georgium Sidus (George's Star) in honour of King George III.
15 March - American Revolutionary War: American General Nathanael Greene loses Battle of Guilford Court House to British.
27 July - French spy Francis Henry de la Motte executed in Tyburn prison in London for high treason.
30 August - American Revolutionary War: French fleet under Comte de Grasse enters Chesapeake Bay, cutting British General Charles Cornwallis off from escape by sea.
5 September - American Revolutionary War: British fleet under Thomas Graves arrives and fights de Grasse, but to no effect.
6 September - American Revolutionary War: The British army attacks a fort in Groton, Connecticut which became known as the Battle of Groton Heights.
19 October - American Revolutionary War: Following the Siege of Yorktown, General Charles Cornwallis surrenders to General George Washington at Yorktown, Virginia, ending the armed struggle of the American Revolutionary War.
29 November - Henry Hurle officially founds the Ancient Order of Druids(AOD) in London.
12 December - French and British fleets fight in the Second Battle of Ushant.