Person    | Male  Born 4/6/1738  Died 29/1/1820

King George III

Born in St James's Square (not the public garden, one of the houses, obviously). Crowned in 1760, the first monarch since Queen Anne to be truly British. It was during his rule that many of the American colonies were lost in the American Revolutionary War. Later in life suffered from an intermittent mental illness which made him eventually too mad to rule and his eldest son ruled as Prince Regent, becoming George IV on his father's death, at Windsor. His consort was Queen Charlotte. In recent years the accepted diagnosis has been manic depression.

George III was a strong supporter of Eton College (his local school) and, in return, the school made the King's birthday a holiday and the 'Fourth of June' became a traditional day of festivities even though it is seldom celebrated on June 4.

Journal of the American Revolution describes the toppling of a Manhattan statue of George III in 1776. This had been erected only about 10 years previously but when the States declared their independence a group of New Yorkers celebrated by pulling it down.  A 2021 meme: "After hearing a reading of the newly adopted Declaration of Independence, New Yorkers "Destroy History" by toppling a statue of King George III. And that's why no one knows who won the American Revolution.”

Invested in and was governor of the South Sea company whose trade was slavery. During the campaign to end the slave trade George supported neither side, which, given his position, was helpful to those in favour of retention.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
King George III

Commemorated ati

Duke of York's column

Bronze statue by Westmacott of "The Grand Old Duke of York" of nursery rhyme ...

Read More

General Roy's cannon - south

The cannon was installed in 1791 by Mudge. The plaque came later in 1926. Fr...

Read More

George III at Trinity House

This building was erected during his reign.

Read More

George III in Cockspur Street

Considered to be Wyatt's best work.

Read More

George III with the River god

Bronze statue erected in 1789 showing the king who had commissioned the rebui...

Read More

Show all 16

Other Subjects

Clementia Taylor

Clementia Taylor

Women's activist. Born Clementia Doughty at Brockdish, Norfolk. She married Peter Alfred Taylor in 1842, and they became involved with many social and political movements, particularly anti-slavery...

Person, Gender Issues, Race Issues, Social Welfare

1 memorial
Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela

Anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician, and International elder statesman.  Born in a village near Umtata in the Transkei, South Africa.  Gaoled 5th August 1962, sentenced to life imprisonment 12...

Person, Peace, Politics & Administration, Race Issues, Seriously Famous, South Africa

5 memorials
Paul Robeson

Paul Robeson

Singer, actor (also athlete and civil rights activist). Born Princeton, New Jersey to a former slave, who educated himself to become a theologian and who had great expectations of his son, expectat...

Person, Cinema, Music / songs, Race Issues, Seriously Famous, Theatre, USA

1 memorial
Sir William Prichard

Sir William Prichard

Alder President associated with St Bartholomew's Hospital in 1702. A director of the slave trading Royal African Company and a governor of the colonial Irish Society.

Person, Medicine, Politics & Administration, Race Issues

1 memorial
Battle of Lewisham

Battle of Lewisham

In the mid 1970s, New Cross and surrounding areas became the focus of racist activity by neo-Nazis and the National Front (NF). This culminated in an attempted march by 500 members of the NF. Vario...

Event, Politics & Administration, Race Issues

2 memorials