Egham and the Empire: Timeline
1600: The East India Company is founded, and brings back spices from across the world back to Britain.
1662: Catherine of Braganza marries King Charles I. The marriage grants some territories in Asia to the British. Catherine’s love of drinking tea makes the beverage popular in Britain amongst high society.
1700s: The American Revolutionary War Begins: The American colonies seek independence from British control. The conflict is covered by the British press.
1775: Sugar is imported from the Caribbean to Britain, and is produced by slaves on plantations. Before this, tobacco and raw cotton had been exported to Britain after being produced by slaves.
1788: ‘The First Fleet’ arrives in Botany Bay, Australia. Carrying mainly convicts, it’s goal is to establish a penal colony.
1833: Slavery officially ends across most of the British Empire, over 150 years after the British first participated the Atlantic slave trade. Many slaves did not obtain their freedom until 1838.
May 1851: The Indian Mutiny begins against British control, as a result of the inclusion of grease from pigs and cows in the production of rifles. These animals are considered impure by those who follow Islamic and Hindu faiths.
1857: The Great Exhibition of 1851 is held at the Crystal Palace, and is attended by several notable individuals. It was a chance for Britain to show off its technological and imperial might and was visited by approximately six million people.
1858: India is placed under the control of the British crown.
1874: The East India Company is dissolved after nearly 275 years of trade.
1878: Queen Victoria is declared Empress of India.
1883: The Primrose League is founded.
1886: Colonial and Indian Exhibition is held in South Kensington, London. It’s goal was to strengthen the ties between the empire by displaying various objects and resourced from across Britain’s Imperial territories.
1887: The Mazawattee Tea Company is founded, whose advertising campaigns would become legendary over the following decades.
1890: Lipton’s Tea is sold and produced, using tea leaves grown in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).
1897: Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria.
1899-1902:The Boer War is fought between British and Boer forces over colonial expansion in South Africa.
1902: The first (unofficial) Empire Day is held on the 24th May in Britain.
1914-1918: Recruitment Posters for the First World War emphasise the link between Britain and its overseas Empire, encouraging men from the colonies to fight for Britain.
1916: Empire Day is officially recognised by the British Government.
1914-1918: Millions of men from the colonies and overseas territories fight for Britain throughout the First World War.
1924-1925: The British Empire Exhibition is held nearby at Wembley, and is visited by thousands of people from across Britain.
May 1926: The Empire Marketing Board is established; it’s task is to inform the British public about the benefits of empire and to encourage the purchase of ’empire goods’.
12th May 1937: Coronation of King George VI and Elizabeth (later The Queen Mother). They are both crowned Emperor and Empress of India.
1938: Empire Exhibition, Scotland takes place in Glasgow. It was heavily inspired by the exhibition that took place at Wembley.
1939-1945: Millions of men from the colonies and overseas territories fight for Britain throughout the Second World War.
1947: On her 21st Birthday, The Princess Elizabeth promises that her life “shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong”.
1949: The British Monarch is appointed as Head of the Commonwealth, a title which the Queen still holds today.