page_title: Timeline of Cornish history
section_title: 18th century
hierarchical_section_title: Timeline of Cornish history / 2nd millennium / 18th century
caption_attribution_description: Statue of Richard Trevithick in front of the Public Library at Camborne, Cornwall, United Kingdom. Author Chris Angove June 2006
context_page_description: This timeline summarizes significant events in the History of Cornwall
context_section_description: 1702: Sidney Godolphin becomes Lord Treasurer until 1710
  1707: Scilly naval disaster of 1707; Action of 2 May 1707
  1715: Jacobite uprising in Cornwall
  1715: Lizard lighthouse built
  1743: John Wesley visits Cornwall for first time. Methodism will become dominant during the next hundred years.
  1747: Admiral Boscawen wins fame at Cape Finisterre by singly engaging the French fleet until the English fleet arrive
  1755: A tsunami caused by the Lisbon earthquake strikes the Cornish coast
  1756–1763: Seven Years' War
  1771: Birth of Richard Trevithick
  1777: Death of Dolly Pentreath, commonly known as the last fluent, native speaker of the Cornish language, prior to its revival in 1904
  1778: Humphry Davy born in Penzance
  1779: William Murdoch the Scottish inventor moves to Cornwall. Whilst in Cornwall he carried out important work on steam engines and gas-lights.
  1788: James Ruse, a Cornishman from Launceston, arrives in New South Wales aboard the transport Scarborough, part of the First Fleet of Australian convict ships.
  1792: Cornwall County Library (public) founded in Truro.
  1792–1802: French Revolutionary Wars
  1796: Earthquake in St Hilary.
caption: Richard Trevithick's statue by the public library at Camborne, Cornwall
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