In 1752, Great Britain and its colonies adopted the Gregorian calendar, replacing the Julian calendar. The start of the new year shifted from 25 March to 1 January, and 11 days were dropped from the calendar to align with the rest of Western Europe. The omitted days were 3 to 13 September.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the calendar year was adjusted, the financial year remained tied to the old \u201cLady Day\u201d (25 March), which became 5 April in the new calendar to account for the dropped days, and later shifted to 6 April to correct for inaccuracies in the Julian system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dates between 1 January and 24 March were often recorded with double years (e.g., 1750\/51) to indicate both Julian and Gregorian equivalents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People famously went to bed Wednesday, 2 September, and awoke the following morning on Thursday, 14 September.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Understanding these changes is important when interpreting burial records, gravestone inscriptions, or archival materials at Ballast Hills Burial Ground. Many entries, particularly from the 18th century, reflect old-style dating or use double dates, which can affect how family history timelines are reconstructed and understood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Credit for this content goes to Gary Taylorson.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In 1752, Great Britain and its colonies adopted the Gregorian calendar, replacing the Julian calendar. The start of the new year shifted from 25 March to 1 January, and 11 days were dropped from the calendar to align with the rest of Western Europe. The omitted days were 3 to 13 September. While the calendar … <\/p>\n