1981 in England

← 1980 1979 1978 1981 in England → 1982 1983 1984
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s
See also:	1980–81 in English football 1981–82 in English football 1981 in the United Kingdom Other events of 1981

Events from 1981 in England

Incumbent

Further information: Politics of England

Events

• March 29 – The first London Marathon starts, with 7,500 runners.
• April 11 – 1981 Brixton riot: Rioters in south London, UK, throw petrol bombs, attack police and loot shops.
• May 22 – Serial killer Peter Sutcliffe is found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment on 13 counts of murder and 7 of attempted murder in England.
• November 12 – The Church of England General Synod votes to admit women to holy orders.

Births

• 9 February – Tom Hiddleston, actor
• 18 February – Andrew McKay, actor

Deaths

• 16 January – Bernard Lee, actor (born 1908)^[1]
• 12 February – Bruce Fraser, 1st Baron Fraser of North Cape, British admiral (born 1888)
• 23 March – Mike Hailwood, motorcycle racer and racing driver (born 1950)
• 29 September – Bill Shankly, football manager (born 1913)^[2]

See also

• 1981 in Northern Ireland
• 1981 in Scotland
• 1981 in Wales

References

1. "Bernard Lee". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on October 21, 2011. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
2. "Former Liverpool manager Bill Shankly dies". The Guardian. 29 September 1981. Retrieved 1 November 2025.