| 1743 |
27th June |
George II leads his army into battle. |
The Battle of Dettingen, at which the British allies defeated the French, was just one engagement in the War of the Austrian Succession. The war began in 1740, when Prussia invaded the Austrian region of Silesia, but its underlying causes were rival claims for the hereditary lands of the Austrian monarchy, the Habsburgs. Prussia allied with France against Austria, Britain and the Netherlands. The war ended in 1748 with all seized lands returned, except Silesia, which Austria ceded to Prussia. |
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| 1745 |
23rd July |
Bonnie Prince Charlie lands in Scotland |
Charles Edward Stuart, or ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’, was the grandson of the deposed James II. He landed at Eriskay, Scotland, and quickly gathered an army, who proclaimed him ‘Charles III’. On 21 September, he defeated the government army in Scotland at the Battle of Prestonpans. He then marched south |
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| 1746 |
16th April |
Jacobites defeated at Culloden |
Culloden, the last battle fought on British soil, marked the defeat of the Jacobite revolt of 1745-1746, also known as the ’45 Rebellion. Led by ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’ – Charles Edward Stuart, the grandson of the deposed king James II – the Jacobites were fighting to restore the exiled Stuarts to the throne. They reached as far south as Derby before being chased back to Scotland, where they were routed by an army under William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland and second son of George II. |
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| 1747 |
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Liverpool overtakes Bristol as Britain’s busiest slave trading port |
In the mid-18th century, Liverpool slave ships made around 49 voyages a year against Bristol’s average of 20. Bristol had itself overtaken London as the main slave trading port in 1737. Slave ship owners and the owners of Caribbean plantations, most of whom lived in Britain, became very wealthy and influential in government and society. |
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| 1752 |
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Higgins tried for sheep stealing at Worcester and acquitted. |
According to an article. Need to find public records of trial if available. |
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| 1753 |
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George Washington made Major of the militia of the British Province of Virginia |
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| 1754 |
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George Washington made Lieutenant Colonel of the Virginia Regiment |
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| 1754 |
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Higgins convicted in Worcester on two counts of housebreaking in the county and sentenced to 7 years transportation |
According to an article. Need to find public records of trial if available. |
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| 1754 |
August |
Higgins transported aboard the Frisby |
The Frisby sailed from Bristol to Maryland, captained by George Davie. According to http://thistleandbee.com/transport-ships.html info originally from the Maryland Gazette? |
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| 1754 |
August |
In the Maryland Gazette, George Washington offers reward for the capture and return of deserters from the Virginia Regiment |
The reward is of one pistole or two depending on distance. A pistole is a gold coin. |
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| 1755 |
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George Washington made Colonel of the Virginia Regiment |
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| 1756 |
May |
Seven Years’ War begins |
The war between Britain and France that began in May 1756 is arguably the first global war in modern history. Britain and her allies fought France in America, India and Europe. France forged alliances with Austria and Russia against Prussia. In 1762, Spain entered the war on the side of France. Britain emerged from the war victorious in 1763, and under the Treaty of Paris acquired Quebec, Florida, Minorca, large parts of India and the West Indies. |
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| 1756 |
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Higgins arrives in Knutsford |
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| 1757 |
August |
George Davie died in Maryland |
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| 1757 |
21st April |
Higgins marries Katherine |
According to parish records |
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| 1757 |
23rd April |
Daughter Nancy Higgins baptised |
According to parish records |
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| 1757 |
23rd June |
Bengal passes into British control after the battle of Plassey |
The Battle of Plassey took place between Siraj Ud Daulah, the last independent ruler of Bengal, and the forces of the British East India Company led by Colonel Robert Clive. The defeat of Daulah, who was backed by the French, led to the entire province of Bengal passing into Company control. This victory, and the enormous wealth of Bengal, are often seen as important factors in establishing eventual British control over all of India. |
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| 1760 |
April |
Tacky leads a slave rebellion in Jamaica |
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| 1760 |
7th May |
Son, John Higgins baptised |
According to parish records |
| 1760 |
25th October |
George III succeeds his grandfather George II |
George III was the first of the Hanoverian kings to be born and brought up in Britain. He was nicknamed ‘Farmer George’ because of his passion for agriculture. During his reign, Britain lost its American colonies but emerged as a leading European power. From 1788, George suffered recurrent mental illness and in 1811 his son was appointed regent. |
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| 1763 |
April |
Radical journalist John Wilkes is arrested for criticising the king |
John Wilkes, a member of parliament and journalist, was charged with seditious libel for criticism of George III his paper ‘The North Briton’. He was released and for the next 15 years campaigned for parliamentary reform. He was frequently in trouble with the authorities, and was expelled from the Commons a number of times, only to be re-elected. After his arrest in 1768, seven were killed in the ‘Massacre of St George’s Fields’ when a crowd demanding his release was fired on by troops. |
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| 1765 |
March |
Riots in American colonies over ‘stamp’ taxes |
In 1765, British Prime Minister George Grenville’s administration passed the Stamp Act to raise extra taxes from the North American colonists. The money was intended to pay for the colonists’ own military defence against possible future French incursions. Stamp duties were levied on newspapers and legal documents. Six of the 13 American colonies petitioned against the act and riots broke out. The Stamp Act was repealed in March 1766. |
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| 1767 |
June |
American colonists are taxed on imports |
In 1767, Charles Townshend, the chancellor of the exchequer, drew up legislation to raise taxes from North American colonists on selected imports, including glass, paint, lead and tea. As with the repealed Stamp Act of 1765, the intention was to make colonists contribute towards their own defence against French incursions. Colonial protests led to the Revenue Act being repealed in 1770, except for the duty on imported tea. |
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| 1767 |
23rd October |
Sheriff receives execution warrant for Higgins |
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23rd or 26th October |
Higgins writes to friends for a reprieve |
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3rd November |
Sham reprieve arrives, dated Oct 29th |
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6th November |
Undersheriff tells Higgins to prepare for eternity |
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| 1767 |
7th November |
Higgins hanged at Pensarn, Carmarthen |
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Here Lies Higgins 