3 January – first known arrest of a fugitive achieved through use of the newelectric telegraph when murdererJohn Tawell is arrested after being followed by a detective alerted prior to Tawell's arrival atLondon Paddington station.
26 March – Sisterhood of the Holy Cross ('Park Village Community') established as the firstAnglican sisterhood, to minister to the poor ofSt Pancras, London.[4]
20 May – the last fatal duel between Englishmen on English soil takes place nearGosport.[7]James Alexander Seton is shot and dies twelve days later from his wound. His opponent, Royal Marine Lieutenant Charles Lawes Pym, is tried for murder a year later, but acquitted.
31 May – launch of the first English lake steamerLady of the Lake forWindermere.[8]
31 October–1 November – an emergency meeting of theCabinet (summoned on 15 October by SirRobert Peel, thePrime Minister) votes against Peel on the distribution of famine relief in Ireland, considering it would call theCorn Laws into question.[13][14]
9–10 November – Peel orders the secret purchase of £100,000 worth ofmaize and meal from the United States for distribution in Ireland.[13][15][16]
20 November – Anglo-French blockade of the Río de la Plata:Battle of Vuelta de Obligado: the Anglo-French fleet narrowly defeats theArgentine Confederation on the waters of theParaná River but the victors suffer serious damage to their ships and Argentina attracts political support in South America.
5 December – unable to persuade his Cabinet to repeal the Corn Laws in the face of the Great Famine in Ireland, Peel tenders his resignation as Prime Minister[15] to the Queen but is reinstated days later whenLord John Russell is unable to form a government.[13]
