Calendar Change September 1752

Calendar illustration for the September, 1607. People picking fruit, goats grazing, goatherds or travelers resting, and farmers plowing fields, with distant view of a village. Engraver: Ægidius Sadeler. Artist: Pieter Stevens. Location unknown. Library of Congress: 2017650429.
Calendar illustration for September, 1607. People picking fruit, goats grazing, goatherds or travelers resting, and farmers plowing fields, with distant view of a village. Engraver: Ægidius Sadeler. Artist: Pieter Stevens. Location unknown. Library of Congress: 2017650429.

Calendar Complications 1582

The Julian Calendar, which the English continued to use from 1582–1752, started the new year on March 25. So December was the tenth month.

Parliament declared that the day after September 2, 1752 was to be September 14, 1752. The change to the 
Gregorian Calendar, happened in several steps:

• December 31, 1750 was followed by January 1, 1750.
• March 24, 1750 was followed by March 25, 1751.
• December 31, 1751 was followed by January 1, 1752
• September 2, 1752 was followed by September 14, 1752.

By September 14, 1752 the English (including the 
Colonies) had switched to the Gregorian Calendar and were 
using the same dates as the rest of Europe. The year 1752 was 72 days shorter.

Is it all clear now?

Any document dated January 1st through March 24th, 
before 1752, is one year off.

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