How about a cheat sheet of this decade to better set the scene for what was happening in the background (and foreground!) of any story set in this ten-year span?

Any story set in the 1790s should show war as background noise (conscription, newspapers, naval press gangs, fear of French spies), and in mid-decade especially, hunger and high bread prices. A character blithely enjoying endless banquets in 1795 would raise eyebrows, no matter their wealth or status.

Fashion, too, took a big shift during this decade, as this is where we see a complete transformation of court dress as the daily standard to a more natural palette, silhouette, and style, offering a curious combination of fashions between the older generations and the younger ones.

1790–1799 Highlights

1793: Britain enters war with Revolutionary France

• The war dominates politics, newspapers, taxes, and recruitment.

• Widespread fear of French invasion and revolution spreading.

1794–95: Harsh Winters & Food Riots

• Severe frost, poor harvests, and soaring bread prices.

• Food riots break out; common people across England feel the pinch.

1797: The “Bank Restriction Act”

• Gold payments suspended; banknotes become standard.

• Currency anxiety, counterfeiting, and a sense of financial instability.

1798: Income Tax Introduced

• William Pitt levies Britain’s first income tax to fund war.

• All classes aware of the change, deeply unpopular.

1799: Combination Acts

• Outlaw trade unions and collective bargaining.

• Rising unrest among workers, early industrial stirrings.