1809 in the United Kingdom

Events from the year 1809 in the United Kingdom.

[edit] Incumbents

Monarch - George III of the United Kingdom
Prime Minister - William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, Tory (until 4 October), Spencer Perceval, Tory

The Theatre Royal, Covent Garden as drawn by Augustus Pugin. This building opened in 1809 to replace its predecessor, which had burned down in 1808.

5 January - Treaty of the Dardanelles between Britain and the Ottoman Empire concluded.
16 January - Peninsular War: The British defeat the French at the Battle of Corunna.
18 April - First running of the 2,000 Guineas Stakes horse race.^[1]
24 May - Dartmoor Prison opens, first to house French prisoners of war.^[2]
19 June - Law passed to prevent blatant sale of seats in the British House of Commons to supporters.^[1]
7 June - Shoja Shah of Afghanistan signs a treaty with the British. Only weeks later, he is succeeded by Mahmud Shah.
28 July - Wellington's British, Portuguese, and Spanish army defeats a much larger French force at the Battle of Talavera.^[1]
30 July - British invasion army lands in Walcheren.
18 September - A new theatre to hold the Royal Opera House opens in London to replace the first burnt down in a fire in 1808 (pictured). The price increases led to the Old Price Riots which lasted for 64 days.
4 October - Portland resigns due to ill health; Spencer Perceval takes over as Prime Minister.^[1]
26 December - British invasion force leaves Vlissingen.

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Palmer, Alan & Veronica (1992). The Chronology of British History. London: Century Ltd. pp. 243–244. ISBN 0-7126-5616-2.
^ Penguin Pocket On This Day. Penguin Reference Library. 2006. ISBN 0-141-02715-0.