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Timeline 1700 - 1799
| Before Railways | Early Lines | Trunk Lines | Later constructions | The grouping | National | Closures more | Reduced | Privatisation |
| 1700s | 1800 | 1810 | 1820 | 1830 | 1840 | 1850 | 1860 | 1870 | 1880 | 1890 | 1900 | 1910 | 1920 | 1930 | 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 |
Before the Railways
During this period Military Roads, Canals and Waggonways were built. Following two disastrous attempts to re-seat the Stuarts on the throne of Britain, land was confiscated from Jacobite supporters, and the Clan system collapsed. Scotland was officially re-named North Britain. It was also a time of some major changes - America declared its Independence, the French Revolution occurred, and the Industrialisation of Britain intensified.
This page has been replaced by 1700 to 1749 and 1750 to 1799.
| Before 1700 | ||
| 1701 | Frederick III becomes King of Prussia | |
| 1702 | Death of William III | |
| 1702 | Coronation of Anne | Calls for Union of Scotland and England in inaugural speech to parliament |
| 1704 | Admiral Rooke captures Gibraltar | |
| 1707 | Act of Union | All Scottish plans for Colonies abandoned. (Notably the Darien Heights). |
| 1709, 18 September | Birth of Doctor Samuel Johnson | |
| 1714, 1 August | Death of Anne (End of House of Stuart) | |
| 1714 | Coronation of George I (Start of House of Hanover) | |
| 1714 | Tea is imported to the British American Colonies | |
| 1715 | Riot Act passed | |
| 1715 | Jacobite Rebellion under James Francis Edward Stuart | |
| 1720 | Birth of Charles Edward Stuart | |
| 1722 | Tranent Waggonway | Opened from Tranent pit to Cockenzie port. (Wooden rails) |
| 1725 | Fort William to Inverness Military Road | Construction commences |
| 1727 | Death of George I | |
| 1727 | Coronation of George II | |
| 1727 | Fort William to Inverness Military Road | Construction suspended |
| 1728 | Dunkeld to Inverness Military Road (Action) | Construction commences |
| 1730 | Dunkeld to Inverness Military Road (Action) | Road complete |
| 1730 | Crieff to Dalnacardoch Military Road (Action) | Road built |
| 1730 | Dalwhinnie to Fort Augustus Military Road (Action) | Road built |
| 1732 | Fort William to Inverness Military Road | Construction resumes |
| 1733 | Fort William to Inverness Military Road | Road complete |
| Before 1734 | Etteridge Cross Road Military Road (Action) | Road built |
| 1738, 4 June | Birth of George III | |
| 1741 | Stirling to Crieff Military Road (Action) | Construction commences |
| 1742 | Stirling to Crieff Military Road (Action) | Road complete |
| 1744 | Dumbarton to Inverary Military Road (Action) | Construction commences |
| 1745 | Cumberland defeated at Fontenoy by Marshal Saxe | |
| 1745 | Jacobite Rebellion under Charles Edward Stuart | |
| 1746, April | Jacobite Rebellion defeated by Cumberland at Culloden | At this time there are approximately 10,000 Scots in Poland, Scots now start emigrating to the British American Colonies (America declares independence in 30 years). |
| 1748 | Stirling to Fort William Military Road (Action) | Construction commences |
| 1748 | Coupar Angus to Fort George Military Road (Action) | Construction commences |
| 1750 | Dumbarton to Inverary Military Road (Action) | Road complete |
| 1750 | Death of JS Bach | |
| 1750 | John Dixon opens a waggonway from his Knightswood coal pits to Yoker. | |
| 1750s | Stonehaven to Fochabers by Aberdeen Military Road (Action) | Road built |
| 1750s | Huntly to Portsoy Military Road (Action) | Road built |
| 1750s | Colgarff to Aberdeen Military Road (Action) | Road built |
| 1751 | Chinese defeat of Tibet | |
| 1752 | Tarbet to Crianlarich Military Road (Action) | Construction commences |
| 1752 | Dalmally to Bonawe Military Road (Action) | Construction commences |
| 1753 | British Museum founded | |
| 1753 | Stirling to Fort William Military Road (Action) | Road complete |
| 1753 | Coupar Angus to Fort George Military Road (Action) | Road complete |
| 1753 | Bonawe Iron Furnace comes into operation | Operated by the Yorkshire Iron Company? (There had been an earlier works further up Loch Etive which was operated by Irish entrepreneurs) |
| 1754 | Tarbet to Crianlarich Military Road (Action) | Road complete |
| 1754 | Dalmally to Bonawe Military Road (Action) | Road complete |
| 1755 | Fort Augustus to Bernera Military Road (Action) | Construction commences |
| 1756 | Start of seven years war | |
| 1757 | Clive conquers Bengal | |
| 1757 | Inveraray to Tyndrum Military Road (Action) | Construction commences |
| 1758, 29 September | Horatio Nelson born | |
| 1759 | Death of Handel | |
| 1759 | Heights of Abraham; Quebec taken by British from French | |
| 1759, 25 January | Birth of Robert Burns | |
| 1760 | Death of George II | |
| 1760 | Coronation of George III | |
| 1760s | Bridge of Sark to Portpatrick Military Road (Action) | Road built |
| 1760s | Coupar Angus to Dunkeld (Action) | Road built |
| 1761 | Inveraray to Tyndrum Military Road (Action) | Road complete |
| 1761 | Dunkeld to Amulree Military Road (Action) | Road built |
| 1761 | Contin to Poolewe Military Road (Action) | Construction commences |
| 1762 | Birth of George IV | |
| 1763 | Fort Augustus to Bernera Military Road (Action) | Road complete |
| 1763 | Contin to Poolewe Military Road (Action) | Road complete |
| 1764 | James Hargreaves invents the spinning jenny | |
| 1765 | Stamp Act imposed in British American Colonies | (America declares independence in 11 years) |
| 1765 | Birth of William IV | |
| 1767 | Townshend duties imposed in British American Colonies | Tax on tea, paper and other products; coffee drinking becomes popular |
| 1768 | Royal Academy of Arts founded | |
| 1768, 8 March | Forth and Clyde Canal | Act receives Royal assent |
| 1768, 10 June | Forth and Clyde Canal | First sod cut by Sir Lawrence Dundas |
| 1769 | James Watt receives patent for steam engine | |
| 1770, 5 March | “Boston Massacre” | (America declares independence in 6 years) |
| 1770, April | Townshend duties suspended | Tax remains on Tea (America declares independence in 6 years) |
| 1770, 16 December | Birth of Ludwig van Beethoven in Bonn | |
| 1770 | Dumbarton to Stirling Military Road (Action) | Construction commences |
| 1772 | First Partition of Poland between Russia, Prussia and Austria | |
| 1773 | Forth and Clyde Canal | Water let into the canal from Grangemouth to Kirkintilloch |
| 1773 | James Boswell and Doctor Samuel Johnson journey through Scotland and the Hebrides | |
| 1773, 17 December | "Boston tea Party" | (America declares independence in 3 years) |
| 1774 | Oxygen discovered | |
| 1775 | Forth and Clyde Canal | Water let into the canal from Kirkintilloch to Stockingfield (Glasgow) |
| 1775 | Forth and Clyde Canal | Water let into the canal from Stockingfield to Hamiltonhill |
| 1775, 14 April | American War of Independence starts | Governor Gage ordered to enforce the Coercive Acts using all necessary force |
| 1775, 5 July | Continental Congress offer the Olive Branch Petition to George III for reconciliation | Offer refused |
| 1775 | Forth and Clyde Canal | Construction workforce join army which delays construction |
| 1776, 4 July | American Declaration of Independence | Under provisions of Magna Carta |
| 1776 | Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations published | |
| 1777 | British army under Burgoyne surrenders to Americans at Saratoga | |
| 1780 | Dumbarton to Stirling Military Road (Action) | Road complete |
| 1780 | Stranraer to Ballantrae Military Road (Action) | Construction commences |
| 1781, 17 October | Surrender of British army under Cornwallis to Americans at Yorktown |
| 1782 | Stranraer to Ballantrae Military Road (Action) | Road complete |
| 1783 | Forth and Clyde Canal | Track boats Glasgow and Lady Charlotte operate between Grangemouth and Glasgow for goods and passengers |
| 1784 | Death of Doctor Samuel Johnson | |
| 1785 | Edmund Cartwright invents the power loom. | |
| 1786 | Fort William to Glencoe Military Road (Action) | Road built |
| 1787 | American Constitution drafted | |
| 1789 | Start of French Revolution | |
| 1789 | Forth and Clyde Canal | Twin-hull paddle steamer, Experiment, tried by William Symington on canal |
| 1789, 14 July | Storming of the Bastille during the French Revolution | |
| 1790s | Dulsie Bridge to Aviemore Military Road (Action) | Road built |
| 1790, 31 August | Forth and Clyde Canal | Canal opened from Stockingfield to Bowling. The sloop Agnes becomes the first vessel to sail from Grangemouth to Bowling |
| 1791 | Forth and Clyde Canal | Hamiltonhill to Port Dundas opened |
| 1792 | Denmark bans Slavery (first country to do so) | |
| 1793 | Monkland Canal Forth and Clyde Canal |
Monkland Canal and Forth and Clyde Canal joined by a new section of canal at the Blackhill locks |
| 1796 | Death of Robert Burns | |
| 1797 | Battle of Cape St. Vincent | |
| 1798 | Battle of the Nile |
| Before Railways | Early Lines | Trunk Lines | Later constructions | The grouping | National | Closures more | Reduced | Privatisation |
| 1700s | 1800 | 1810 | 1820 | 1830 | 1840 | 1850 | 1860 | 1870 | 1880 | 1890 | 1900 | 1910 | 1920 | 1930 | 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 |
Page last edited on 18/03/98
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