25 March – Anniversary Days Observance Act 1859 abolishes observance by the established church of the anniversary of the execution of Charles I and certain other 17th-century political events.
16 September – Charles Vaughan announces his resignation as headmaster of Harrow School, apparently under threat of exposure for an affair with a pupil.[9]
1 October – the Odontological Society of London's Dental Hospital of London opens the first dental school in Britain, the London School of Dental Surgery.[10]
25–26 October – Royal Charter Storm, the most severe storm to hit the British Isles this century. 133 ships are sunk and another ninety badly damaged, with a death toll estimated as up to 800 (including some killed on land); most notably from the steam clipperRoyal Charter, driven ashore on the north-east coast of Anglesey on 26 October with around 459 dead and just 39 men surviving.[12]
The racing newspaper The Sporting Life is first published (From its launch on 24 March to 30 April it is called Penny Bell's Life & Sporting News).[14]