Old and New Style Dating Systems

 

Although there have been many calendars used around the world throughout human history, the two that are important in the study of Georgia history are the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Because of small errors in the Julian calendar (adopted in 46 B.C. during the reign of Julius Caesar), Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 mandated a new system for accounting for the passage of time for members of the Catholic Church. The new Gregorian calendar proved much more accurate, so gradually various countries adopted the Gregorian calendar. Great Britain, however, was one of the last major countries to change calendars. Not until 1752 did Britain and the American colonies officially adopt the Gregorian calendar. By that time, there were eleven days' difference between the two calendars. This has resulted in confusion when dating events and documents in Britain and its American colonies. For example, an event that happened on January 1 using the Julian Calendar then in effect would in essence be January 12 after the conversion to the Gregorian Calendar. As a result, some historians began the practice of adding "Old Style" (or "O.S.") after Julian calendar dates, and "New Style" (or "N.S.") for Gregorian calendar dates.

Further complicating matters, under the Julian Calendar as used by Britain, a new year began on March 25--not Jan. 1. For instance, events happening in January, February, and the first 24 days of March of what we recognize as 1733 technically took place in 1732. In light of the fact that much of Europe observed Jan. 1 as the beginning of a new year, many letters and documents relating to Georgia's early history dated in January, February, and most of March bear a double year (e.g., 1732/33). Thus, a British date of Jan. 1, 1732 might be cited as "Jan. 1, 1732/33"--which would be Jan. 12, 1733 under the Gregorian Calendar. In reality, the use of double-year dates ended long before Britain's official calendar conversion in 1752.

To give the Gregorian equivalent for every date in history would be a major task (although there are resources that will automatically calculate the conversion). More important, it would be distracting. As a result, most historians simply use the date of whatever calendar was in effect at the time an event happened. However, in 1847, when William Stevens wrote his important two-volume A History of Georgia, he used contemporary dates as they happened for the story of the founding of Georgia -- except for the landing of Oglethorpe and the colonists at Yamacraw Bluff. While Oglethorpe wrote that they arrived on Feb. 1, 1733, Stephens substituted the New Style equivalent of Feb. 12 for the founding of Georgia. Subsequent historians followed suit, leading Feb. 12 later to be widely recognized as Georgia Day. [Click here to read the story of the debate over Georgia's birthday.]

Since students reading primary sources (such as Oglethorpe's letters) from the time of Georgia's founding could be confused, dates from the arrival of the Anne in Charleston harbor to the arrival of the colonists on Yamacraw Bluff have been identified in "This Day in Georgia History" as Old Style -- but with the New Style equivalent added.

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