Richard Grosvenor

CHANGE OF CALENDAR "OLD STYLE" TO "NEW STYLE"

Down to 1762 the Julian Calender, established by Julius Caesar, remained in use in England. The Gregorian Calendar, by which most of the world now com- putes time, was introduced by Pope Gregory in 1582, at which time the greater part of continental Europe adopted It. The EInglish Parliament considered it In 1685. but did not adopt it until 1751, when it was ordered that the New Style go into effect the following year, 1752. which was to begin January 1st, and that eleven days should be omitted after the 2d of September 1762, making the following day the 14th. Russia still uses the Julian Calendar, and the difference is now thirteen days. The year formerly began March 26th (The Feast of Our Lady) but had been generally changed to January 1st (The Feast of the Circumcision) long before the English reform. In the Old Style Decem- ber was the tenth month as its name indicates, January the eleventh, and February the twelfth, and while March was the first month, the first 24 days in It belonged to the previous year.

Therefore for a long period preceding the reform, English dates between January 1st and March 24 th Inclusive, were expressed in both styles, as 1/Jan. 1695/6. 24/Mar. 1695/6 or in Quaker parlance, 1/11 mo. 1695/6. 24/3 mo. 1695/6.

The difference between Old and New Style, both in the common or •^•ul- gar" notation, and in that used by Friends, and which now, like many of their reforms, is generally adopted in the business world, is shown by a quotation from the statement issued by London Yearly Meeting in 1751 *'By the said Act it is Ordered and Ehiacted that the Computation according to which the year of our Lord beglnneth on the 25 day of March shall not be made use of from and after the last day of December 1751." The following form will help to keep in mind the differences caused by the change.

Digitized by VjOOQIC