Catholic Church in England and Wales his mock-heroic poems, Rape of the Lock and The Dunciad. Around this time, in 1720, Clement XI proclaimed Anselm of Canterbury a Doctor of the Church. In 1752, mid-century, Great Britain adopted the Gregorian calendar decreed by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. Later in the century there was some liberalisation of the anti-Catholic laws on the basis of Enlightenment ideals. In 1778 a Catholic Relief Act allowed Catholics to own property, inherit land and join the army. Hardline Protestant mobs reacted in the Gordon Riots in 1780, attacking any building in London which was associated with Catholicism or owned by
1780 Epsom Derby race itself "fairly caught hold on the public imagination." It became the premier British classic and many of the world's top championship races were named after it. Further details of the winner, Diomed: 1780 Epsom Derby The 1780 Epsom Derby was the inaugural running of The Derby – the horse race which would become the "greatest turf event in the world" and after which more than 140 other horse races, including the famous Kentucky Derby, are named. It took place on 4 May 1780 on Epsom Downs in Surrey, England, and was won by Diomed, owned by Sir Charles Bunbury