Timeline: William Cecil, Lord Burleigh: The genealogy of the Selwyn and related families.

	Date	Event(s)
1	1520	Nov 1520—Nov 1520: Three ships under the command of Ferdinand Magellan negotiate the Strait of Magellan, becoming the first Europeans to sail from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific
2	1521	17 Apr 1521—17 Apr 1521: Martin Luther speaks to the assembly at the Diet of Worms, refusing to recant his teachings 17 May 1521—17 May 1521: Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, executed for treason 25 May 1521—25 May 1521: Diet of Worms ends when Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor issues the Edict of Worms, declaring Martin Luther an outlaw
3	1522	6 Sep 1522—6 Sep 1522: The Victoria, one of the surviving ships of Ferdinand Magellan's expedition, becomes the first ship known to circumnavigate the world
4	1525	1525—1525: New Testament translated into English by William Tyndale
5	1527	1527—1527: Bishop Vesey's Grammar School founded in Sutton Coldfield
6	1528	1528—1528: St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle completed
7	1531	11 Feb 1531—11 Feb 1531: Henry VIII recognised as Supreme Head of the Church of England
8	1532	1532—1532: Foundation of the Court of Session in Scotland
9	1533	25 Jan 1533—25 Jan 1533: Henry VIII marries Anne Boleyn secretly, wife #2 (she was crowned as Queen on 1st June) 30 Mar 1533—30 Mar 1533: Thomas Cranmer becomes Archbishop of Canterbury 23 May 1533—23 May 1533: Henry VIII's marriage with Catherine of Aragon officially declared annulled 11 Jul 1533—11 Jul 1533: Henry VIII excommunicated by Pope Clement VII 17 Sep 1533—17 Sep 1533: Anne Boleyn gives birth to a daughter Elizabeth, to become Queen Elizabeth I
10	1534	1534—1534: Reformation of the Catholic Church in England church (Henry VIII)
11	1535	1535—1535: Sir Thomas More executed
12	1536	1536—1536: Wales and England legally united by the Laws in Wales Act of 1535 1536—1536: Dissolution of monasteries starts in England (to 1540) 19 May 1536—19 May 1536: Anne Boleyn executed 30 May 1536—30 May 1536: Henry VIII marries Jane Seymour, wife #3 (she was crowned as Queen on 29th October) 18 Jul 1536—18 Jul 1536: The authority of the Pope is declared void in England
13	1537	24 Oct 1537—24 Oct 1537: Jane Seymour dies from complications in giving birth to a son, the future Edward VI
14	1538	1538—1538: Henry VIII issues English Bible 1538—1538: English and Welsh parish registers start 17 Dec 1538—17 Dec 1538: Henry VIII excommunicated by Pope Paul III
15	1540	1540—1540: Statute of Wills allows freehold land to be bequeathed 6 Jan 1540—6 Jan 1540: Henry VIII marries Anne of Cleves, the 'Flanders Mare', wife #4 9 Feb 1540—9 Feb 1540: First recorded horse racing event in Britain, at Chester 9 Jul 1540—9 Jul 1540: Henry VIII divorces Anne of Cleves 28 Jul 1540—28 Jul 1540: Thomas Cromwell executed; Henry VIII marries Catherine Howard the same day, wife #5
16	1541	1541—1541: Henry VIII proclaimed king (rather than feudal lord) of Ireland
17	1542	13 Feb 1542—13 Feb 1542: Catherine Howard executed 14 Dec 1542—14 Dec 1542: Death of King James V of Scots; his baby daughter Mary ?Queen of Scots' succeeds him just 6 days old
18	1543	12 Jul 1543—12 Jul 1543: Henry VIII marries Catherine Parr, wife #6, who survives him 9 Sep 1543—9 Sep 1543: Mary Stuart, at nine months old, is officially crowned Queen of Scots' in Stirling (spelling of the royal house changes from Stewart to Stuart)
19	1544	1544—1544: Henry's VIII's Rough Wooing' of the Scottish Borders 1544—1544: Mary of Guise, Regent of Scotland
20	1545	20 Jul 1545—20 Jul 1545: Mary Rose, flagship of Henry VIII, sinks in the Solent - raised in 1982
21	1546	1546—1546: Trinity College, Cambridge founded by Henry VIII
22	1547	1547—1547: Ivan the Terrible takes title 'Tsar of all the Russias' 1547—1547: Vagrants Act passed (able-bodied tramps can be detained as slaves) 1547—1547: English replaced Latin in church services in England and Wales 28 Jan 1547—28 Jan 1547: Death of Henry VIII (succeeded by Edward VI, aged 9, to 1553) 20 Feb 1547—20 Feb 1547: Coronation of Edward VI in Westminster Abbey 10 Sep 1547—10 Sep 1547: Battle of Pinkie Cleugh, said to be the first 'modern' battle to be fought in the British Isles
23	1548	1548—1548: Priests in England allowed to marry (about a third then did so) - but see 1554
24	1549	1549—1549: English Parliament declares enclosures legal 1549—1549: First Act of Uniformity in England made Catholic Mass illegal 1549—1549: Wedding ring finger changed from right to left hand 9 Jun 1549—9 Jun 1549: First Book of Common Prayer sanctioned by English Parliament
25	1550	1550—1550: Walloon Protestants arrive as refugees from the Low Countries
26	1551	1551—1551: Scotland: General Provincial Council orders each parish to keep a register of baptisms and banns of marriage
27	1552	Mar 1552—Mar 1552: An 'Act of Uniformity' imposes the Protestant prayerbook of 1552 in England
28	1553	6 Jul 1553—6 Jul 1553: Edward VI dies; Lady Jane Grey queen for a few days only 19 Jul 1553—19 Jul 1553: Mary Tudor ('Bloody Mary') comes to the throne
29	1554	1554—1554: Brief Catholic restoration under Queen Mary Tudor - married priests forced to separate at least 30 miles from their wives 12 Feb 1554—12 Feb 1554: Lady Jane Grey beheaded
30	1556	21 Mar 1556—21 Mar 1556: Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer burned at the stake in Oxford
31	1558	1558—1558: System of Counties adopted 1558—1558: Scottish parish registers start 7 Jan 1558—7 Jan 1558: French take Calais, last English possession in France 24 Apr 1558—24 Apr 1558: Marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots to Fran?ois the Dauphin of France in Paris 17 Nov 1558—17 Nov 1558: Queen Mary Tudor of England dies and is succeeded by her half-sister Elizabeth - Protestantism restored in England
32	1559	1559—1559: Tobacco introduced to Europe 1559—1559: John Knox returns from Continent - strengthens case for Presbyterianism in Scotland 15 Jan 1559—15 Jan 1559: Elizabeth crowned in Westminster Abbey by Owen Oglethorpe, the Bishop of Carlisle 29 Apr 1559—29 Apr 1559: Acts of Supremacy passed in Parliament, ending papal jurisdiction over England & Wales; established Church of England
33	1560	1560—1560: Establishment of Protestantism in Scotland - commissary courts thrown into confusion - some records lost 27 Feb 1560—27 Feb 1560: Treaty of Berwick between Duc du Chatelherault (as governor of Scotland) and the English, agreeing to act jointly to expel the French from Scotland
34	1561	1561—1561: Spire of St Paul's, highest in England, destroyed by fire 1561—1561: The first coins produced by machinery (known as a 'mill') rather than by hand, but it was a slow process and did not replace hand struck coinage until new machinery was introduced in 1663
35	1562	1562—1562: Earliest English slave-trading expedition, under John Hawkins - between Guinea and the West Indies
36	1563	28 Jul 1563—28 Jul 1563: The English surrender Le Havre to the French after a siege
37	1564	26 Apr 1564—26 Apr 1564: Shakespeare baptised - he is said to have been born on Apr 23, St George's Day; he certainly died on Apr 23, 1616
38	1565	29 Jul 1565—29 Jul 1565: Marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots to Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, her first cousin
39	1566	9 Mar 1566—9 Mar 1566: Murder of David Riccio (or Rizzio) in Holyrood House
40	1567	10 Feb 1567—10 Feb 1567: Murder of Darnley outside Holyrood House in an explosion 15 May 1567—15 May 1567: Marriage of Mary Queen of Scots to James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell 24 Jul 1567—24 Jul 1567: Mary Queen of Scots deposed and replaced by her 1 year old son James VI
41	1568	13 May 1568—13 May 1568: Battle of Langside - Mary's flight to England and her imprisonment by Queen Elizabeth I
42	1569	1569—1569: Elizabeth I approved Sunday sports
43	1570	25 Feb 1570—25 Feb 1570: Pope Pius V issued the papal bull 'Regnans in Excelsis' to excommunicate Elizabeth I and her followers in the Church of England
44	1571	1571—1571: Presbyterianism introduced into England by Thomas Cartwright 1571—1571: Repeal of Act prohibiting lending of money on interest - gradual change from 'subsistence economy' to 'cash economy' resulted 1571—1571: Beginning of penal legislation against Catholics in England 23 Jan 1571—23 Jan 1571: Opening of the Royal Exchange in London, founded by Sir Thomas Gresham - this building destroyed in Great Fire of London 1666
45	1577	1577—1577: James Burbage opens first theatre in London
46	1579	1579—1579: Act of Uniformity in matters of religion enforced
47	1580	1580—1580: Congregational movement founded by Robert Browne about this time 1580—1580: Colonisation of Ireland 6 Apr 1580—6 Apr 1580: Dover Straits earthquake, largest in the recorded history of England, mentioned by Shakespeare - dozens of ships sunk and a tsunami hit Calais
48	1581	1581—1581: English Levant Company founded 16 Jan 1581—16 Jan 1581: English Parliament outlaws Roman Catholicism 4 Apr 1581—4 Apr 1581: Francis Drake knighted by Elizabeth I aboard the Golden Hind after circumnavigating the world
49	1583	1583—1583: University of Edinburgh founded 1583—1583: Foundation of Cambridge University Press by Thomas Thomas Aug 1583—Aug 1583: Sir Humphrey Gilbert attempts to establish English authority at St John's, Newfoundland
50	1584	4 Jun 1584—4 Jun 1584: Sir Walter Raleigh establishes first English colony in the New World, on Roanoke Island, Virginia (now in North Carolina) - the so-called 'Lost Colony'
51	1585	1585—1585: Foundation of Oxford University Press
52	1587	1587—1587: Introduction of potatoes to England 8 Feb 1587—8 Feb 1587: Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, at Fotheringay Castle, near Peterborough 19 Apr 1587—19 Apr 1587: Sir Francis Drake sinks the Spanish fleet in Cadiz harbour 11 Aug 1587—11 Aug 1587: Raleigh's second expedition to New World lands in North Carolina - first child born in the New World of English parents was Virginia Dare (Aug 18)
53	1588	1588—1588: Invention of shorthand by Dr Timothy Bright 19 Jul 1588—19 Jul 1588: Spanish Armada sighted off the Lizard (had set sail from Lisbon in late May) 29 Jul 1588—29 Jul 1588: Defeat of Spanish Armada off Gravelines
54	1591	1591—1591: Trinity College, Dublin, founded
55	1592	1592—1592: A Congregational (or Independent) Church formed in London 1592—1592: Scotland: Presbyterian Church formally established - all ministers equal - no bishops - secular commissaries appointed by the Crown
56	1593	1593—1593: British statute mile established by law
57	1594	1594—1594: Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, leads Irish rebellion against English rule (-1603)
58	1597	1597—1597: Poor Law Act for erection of parish workhouses for the Poor - Poor Rate collection allowed
59	1598	1598—1598: Bishop's transcripts of English and Welsh parish registers start - parish records were to be kept in 'great decent books of parchment' and copies or 'Bishop's Transcripts' of new entries were to be sent each month to the diocesan centre
60	1600	1 Jan 1600—1 Jan 1600: Scotland adopts New Year beginning 1st January (previously 25th March) 31 Dec 1600—31 Dec 1600: British East India Company founded
61	1601	1601—1601: Great English Poor Law Act passed 1601—1601: First use of fruit juice as a preventative for scurvy by James Lancaster
62	1602	20 Mar 1602—20 Mar 1602: Dutch East India Company founded 8 Nov 1602—8 Nov 1602: Bodleian Library at Oxford University opened to the public
63	1603	24 Mar 1603—24 Mar 1603: Death of Elizabeth I: union of Scottish and English crowns - under King James VI of Scots and I of England (d. 1625) 25 Jul 1603—25 Jul 1603: Coronation - James VI of Scotland is crowned first king of Great Britain
64	1604	1 Nov 1604—1 Nov 1604: Shakespeare: Othello' first presented
65	1605	5 Nov 1605—5 Nov 1605: Gunpowder plot at Westminster (Guy Fawkes, etc)
66	1606	1606—1606: The London Company chartered to colonise Virginia: the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery leave England on 19th De c taking 144 days to reach America 1606—1606: Episcopacy established in Scotland (against wishes of the Scots) 31 Jan 1606—31 Jan 1606: Guy Fawkes and co-conspirators executed 12 Mar 1606—12 Mar 1606: Adoption of Union Flag as the flag of Great Britain' (the term Union Jack is used officially only when the Union Flag is flown from the Jack Mast of a Royal Naval vessel)
67	1607	14 May 1607—14 May 1607: Jamestown, Virginia settled - to become the first permanent British colony in North America
68	1608	1608—1608: First use of telescope by Galileo - he observed the moons of Jupiter two years later in Jan 1610
69	1610	1610—1610: James VI & I established the Episcopal Church in Scotland - Prebyterians persecuted and many of their records lost
70	1611	1611—1611: Authorised (King James) Version of Bible in Britain 22 May 1611—22 May 1611: James VI & I created the title of baronet
71	1613	1613—1613: A copper farthing was produced, as a silver coin would be too small 29 Jun 1613—29 Jun 1613: The Globe Theatre in London burns during a performance of Henry the Eighth (finally pulled down in 1644)
72	1616	23 Apr 1616—23 Apr 1616: Tuesday Apr 23 (Julian calendar): Death of Shakespeare
73	1618	1618—1618: Sir Walter Raleigh beheaded for allegedly conspiring against James I
74	1619	4 Dec 1619—4 Dec 1619: (Nov 24 old style): Colonists from Berkeley Parish in England disembark in Virginia and give thanks to God (considered by many to be the first Thanksgiving in the Americas)
75	1620	1620—1620: Manufacture of coke (the fuel, not the drink!) patented by Dud Dudley 21 Dec 1620—21 Dec 1620: (Dec 16 old style): The Mayflower reaches America - founds Plymouth, New England (had initially set sail from Southampton on Aug 5)
76	1621	1621—1621: Chimneys to be made of brick and to be four and a half feet above the roof
77	1622	1622—1622: First English newspaper appeared - Weekly News'
78	1624	1624—1624: Monopoly Act in England: patents protected 1624—1624: Edmund Gunter introduces the surveyor's chain (measurement of length)
79	1625	1625—1625: The size of bricks standardised in England around this time 27 Mar 1625—27 Mar 1625: Death of King James VI & I
80	1628	1 Mar 1628—1 Mar 1628: Writs issued by Charles I that every county in England (not just seaport towns) pay ship tax by this date
81	1629	10 Mar 1629—10 Mar 1629: Parliament dissolved by King Charles I - did not meet for another 11 yea
82	1633	Jun 1633—Jun 1633: Galileo summoned by Inquisition for publishing in favour of Copernican theory
83	1635	1635—1635: Letter Office of England & Scotland started 1635—1635: Flintlock small arms invented around this time (replaces matchlock)
84	1636	1636—1636: Hackney Carriages in use by now in London
85	1638	1638—1638: King Charles regarded protests against the prayerbook as treason - forced Scots to choose between their church and the King - a ?Covenant' swearing to resist these changes to the Death was signed in Greyfriars Church Edinburgh and was accepted by hundreds of thousands of Scots (revival of Presbyterian Church)
86	1639	1639—1639: Act of Toleration in England established religious toleration
87	1640	3 Nov 1640—3 Nov 1640: Charles I forced to recall Parliament (the 'Long Parliament') due to Scottish invasion
88	1641	1641—1641: Charles I's policies cause insurrection in Ulster and Civil War in England 1641—1641: Charles I and the English Parliament acknowledge the Prebyterian Church in Scotland 23 Oct 1641—23 Oct 1641: 50,000 Irish killed in an uprising in Ulster
89	1642	1642—1642: The Civil War interrupted the keeping of parish registers 1642—1642: English theatres closed by Puritans (till 1660) 22 Aug 1642—22 Aug 1642: Charles I raises his standard at Nottingham - First Civil War in England (to 1649) 13 Nov 1642—13 Nov 1642: Battle of Turnham Green - Royalist forces withdraw in face of the Parliamentarian army and fail to take London 24 Nov 1642—24 Nov 1642: Abel Janszoon Tasman discovers Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania) 18 Dec 1642—18 Dec 1642: Abel Janszoon Tasman first European to set foot in New Zealand
90	1643	13 Dec 1643—13 Dec 1643: Battle of Alton - victory for Parliamentarians - Sir Richard Bolle killed in St Lawrence's church
91	1644	29 Jun 1644—29 Jun 1644: Battle of Cropredy Bridge - Royalists beat the Parliamentarian forces 2 Jul 1644—2 Jul 1644: Battle of Marston Moor, near York - Parliamentarian forces beat the Royalists
92	1645	1645—1645: Battle of Philiphaugh in Scotland 1645—1645: Scotland: Each county and burgh ordered to raise and maintain a number of foot soldiers, according to population, to serve as militia - population of Scotland estimated at 420,000 1645—1645: Plague made its last appearance in Scotland 14 Jun 1645—14 Jun 1645: Battle of Naseby: Parliament's New Model Army crushes the Royalist forces
93	1646	5 May 1646—5 May 1646: Charles I surrenders to the Scottish Army at Newark 20 Jun 1646—20 Jun 1646: Royalists sign articles of surrender at Oxford
94	1648	1648—1648: Society of Friends (Quakers) founded by George Fox 1648—1648: First practical thermometers made
95	1649	1649—1649: Cromwell's Irish campaign starts 1649—1649: King Charles II proclaimed King of Scots and England in Scotland 6 Jan 1649—6 Jan 1649: 'Rump' Parliament votes to put Charles I on trial 30 Jan 1649—30 Jan 1649: King Charles I executed 19 May 1649—19 May 1649: Commonwealth declared 20 Dec 1649—20 Dec 1649: Theatres banned by Cromwell 20 Dec 1649—20 Dec 1649: Christmas banned by Cromwell
96	1650	1650—1650: Coffee brought to England about this time
97	1651	1651—1651: The second English Civil War (1651-1652) 1651—1651: Scottish prisoners transported to the British settlements in America 3 Sep 1651—3 Sep 1651: Battle of Worcester
98	1653	1653—1653: Commonwealth registers start 1653—1653: Under the Act of Settlement Cromwell's opponents stripped of land 1653—1653: Provincial probate courts abolished - probates granted only in London 20 Apr 1653—20 Apr 1653: Cromwell dissolves the Rump Parliament 16 Dec 1653—16 Dec 1653: Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland
99	1657	1657—1657: Post Office established by Act of Parliament [others say 1660] 1657—1657: A few Jews permitted to settle in England
100	1658	1658—1658: Richard Cromwell (son of Oliver) Lord Protector (-1660) 3 Sep 1658—3 Sep 1658: Death of Oliver Cromwell
101	1659	1659—1659: Start of national meteorological Temperature records in the UK 6 Feb 1659—6 Feb 1659: Date of first known bank cheque to be drawn
102	1660	1660—1660: Commonwealth registers ended, Parish Registers resumed 1660—1660: Provincial Probate Courts re-established 1660—1660: Clarendon code restricts Puritans' religious freedom 1660—1660: Composition of light discovered by Newton 1660—1660: Honourable East India Company founded by British 1 Jan 1660—1 Jan 1660: Samuel Pepys starts his diary 29 May 1660—29 May 1660: Restoration of British monarchy (Charles II) - 'Oak Apple Day' - theatres reopened 17 Oct 1660—17 Oct 1660: Ten Regicides are executed at Charing Cross or Tyburn 28 Nov 1660—28 Nov 1660: Twelve men, including Christopher Wren, Robert Boyle, John Wilkins, and Sir Robert Moray decide to found what is later known as the Royal Society 8 Dec 1660—8 Dec 1660: First actress plays in London (Margaret Hughes as Desdemona)
103	1661	1661—1661: Restoration of Episcopacy in Scotland 1661—1661: Board of Trade founded in London 1661—1661: Hand-struck postage stamps first used 1661—1661: Corporation Act prevents non-Anglicans from holding municipal office 30 Jan 1661—30 Jan 1661: Oliver Cromwell formally 'executed', having been dead for over two years!
104	1662	1662—1662: 'Hearth Tax' introduced - until 1689 (1690 in Scotland) 1662—1662: Poor Relief Act or Act of Settlement' - gave JPs the power to return any wandering poor to the parish of origin (repealed 1834) 1662—1662: Tea introduced to Britain 24 Aug 1662—24 Aug 1662: Act of Uniformity - Acceptance of Book of Common Prayer required - About 2,000 vicars and rectors driven from their parishes as nonconformists (Presbyterians and Independents) - Persecution of all non-conformists - Presbyterianism dis-established - Episcopalian Church of England restored
105	1664	29 May 1664—29 May 1664: Oak Apple Day - the birthday of Charles II and the day when he entered London at the Restoration; commanded by Act of Parliament in 1664 to be observed as a day of thanksgiving. A special service (expunged in 1859) was inserted in the Book of Common Prayer and people wore sprigs of oak with gilded oak-apples on that day. 27 Aug 1664—27 Aug 1664: Nieuw Amsterdam becomes New York as 300 English soldiers under Col. Mathias Nicolls take the town from the Dutch under orders from Charles II. The town is renamed after the King's brother James, Duke of York
106	1665	1665—1665: Great Plague of London (July-October) kills over 60,000 1665—1665: Five-mile Act restricts non-conformist ministers in Britain 7 Nov 1665—7 Nov 1665: The ?London Gazette' first published - one of the official journals of record of the United Kingdom government and the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United Kingdom
107	1666	1666—1666: Use of semaphore signalling pioneered by Lord Worcester 1666—1666: Newton formulated Laws of Gravity 2 Sep 1666—2 Sep 1666: Great Fire of London, after a drought beginning 27 June (2-6 Sep)
108	1668	1668—1668: British East India Company obtains control of Bombay 1668—1668: Newton constructs reflecting telescope
109	1669	31 May 1669—31 May 1669: Last entry in Pepys's diary
110	1670	26 May 1670—26 May 1670: King Charles II and King Louis XIV of France sign the Secret Treaty of Dover
111	1671	9 May 1671—9 May 1671: Thomas Blood caught stealing the Crown Jewels
112	1672	1672—1672: High Court of Justiciary established in Scotland 1672—1672: War with Holland (to 1674) - British Army increased to 10,000 men
113	1673	1673—1673: First Test Act deprives British Catholics and Non-conformists of Public Office
114	1674	10 Nov 1674—10 Nov 1674: Treaty of Westminster - Netherlands cedes New Netherlands (on the eastern coast of North America) to Britain
115	1675	1675—1675: Beginning of Whig party under Shaftsbury 1675—1675: Rebuilding of St Paul's started by Wren (completed 1710) 4 Mar 1675—4 Mar 1675: John Flamsteed appointed first Astronomer Royal of England 10 Aug 1675—10 Aug 1675: Building of Royal Greenwich Observatory started
116	1676	1676—1676: Compton Census, named after its initiator Henry Compton, Bishop of London, was intended to discover the number of Anglican conformists, Roman Catholic recusants and Protestant dissenters in England and Wales from enquiries made in individual parishes
117	1677	1677—1677: Lee's Collection of Names of Merchants in London' published
118	1678	1678—1678: Extension of Test Act to peers
119	1679	1679—1679: Tories first so named 27 May 1679—27 May 1679: Habeas Corpus Act becomes law in England - (later repealed from time to time)
120	1680	1680—1680: William Dockwra(y) begins his London Penny Post 1680—1680: Dodo becomes extinct in Mauritius through over-hunting
121	1681	1681—1681: Second Test Act (against non-conformists) passed by Westminster Parliament 1681—1681: Oil lighting first used in London streets
122	1682	1682—1682: Pennsylvania founded by William Penn 1682—1682: Library of Advocates founded in Edinburgh - later National Library of Scotland 1682—1682: Halley observes the comet which bears his name
123	1683	1683—1683: Wild boar become extinct in Britain 6 Jun 1683—6 Jun 1683: Ashmolean Museum opened at Oxford - first museum in Britain
124	1685	1685—1685: James the Second (1685-1689, died 1701) - Monmouth rebellion and battle of Sedgemoor - British Army raised to 20,000 men 1685—1685: Earl of Argyll's Invasion of Scotland 1685—1685: Judge Jeffreys and the Bloody Assizes - 320 executed, 800 transported
125	1686	1686—1686: Release of all prisoners held for their religious beliefs
126	1687	4 Apr 1687—4 Apr 1687: James II issues the Declaration of Indulgence, suspending laws against Catholics and non-conformists 5 Jul 1687—5 Jul 1687: Newton published his Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica' - written in Latin
127	1688	1688—1688: British Army raised to 40,000 1688—1688: Bill of Rights limits the powers of the monarchy over parliament 1688—1688: Hearth Tax abolished 1688—1688: Mutiny Act Feb 1688—Feb 1688: Edward Lloyd's Coffee House opens - later became Lloyd's of London Nov 1688—Nov 1688: The Glorious Revolution: James II abdicates 5 Nov 1688—5 Nov 1688: William of Orange lands at Torbay Dec 1688—Dec 1688: Siege of Londonderry (began Dec 1688; ended 28 Jul 1689)
128	1689	1689—1689: Devonport naval dockyard established 13 Feb 1689—13 Feb 1689: William III and Mary II, daughter of James II, jointly take the throne (only William, however, has regal power) 12 Mar 1689—12 Mar 1689: Deposed James VII & II flees to Ireland - defeated at the Battle of the Boyne (1 Jul 1690) 24 May 1689—24 May 1689: Toleration Act passed for Protestant non-conformists 27 Jul 1689—27 Jul 1689: Battle of Killiecrankie in Scotland - Jacobites defeated Government troops but at high cost 16 Dec 1689—16 Dec 1689: Bill of Rights passed by Parliament, ending King's divine right to raise taxes or wage war
129	1690	20 May 1690—20 May 1690: England passes Act of Grace, forgiving Roman Catholic followers of James II
130	1692	1692—1692: Land Tax introduced - originally designed as an annual tax on personal estate, public offices and land. For practical purposes, however, assessors tended to avoid assessing items of wealth other than landed property so that it became known as the Land Tax. 1692—1692: French intention to invade England came to nothing 13 Feb 1692—13 Feb 1692: The massacre of Glencoe - Clan Campbell sides with King William and murders members of Clan McDonald
131	1693	4 Aug 1693—4 Aug 1693: Date traditionally ascribed to Dom Pierre P?rignon 's invention of Champagne
132	1694	1694—1694: National Debt came into effect in England 1694—1694: Stamp Duties introduced into Britain from Holland 1694—1694: Mary II death leaves William III as sole ruler 1694—1694: Triennial Act, new Parliamentary elections every three years 1694—1694: Scotland: Poll Tax imposed on all over sixteen, except the destitute and insane (-1699) 27 Jul 1694—27 Jul 1694: Bank of England founded by William Paterson (a Scot)
133	1695	1695—1695: Freedom of Press in England granted 1695—1695: Bank of Scotland founded 1695—1695: Act of Parliament imposes a fine on all who fail to inform the parish minister of the birth of a child (repealed 1706) 1695—1695: Start of Dissenters' lists in parish registers - children born but not christened in the parish church - some were named 'Papist' and others 'Protestants'
134	1697	2 Dec 1697—2 Dec 1697: Official opening of St Paul's Cathedral
135	1698	1698—1698: Invention of steam engine by Capt Thomas Savery 1698—1698: Darien Expedition: a disastrous attempt to establish a Scots settlement in Panama 1698—1698: Duties (taxes) on entries in parish registers - repealed after five years 4 Jan 1698—4 Jan 1698: Most of the Palace of Whitehall in London destroyed by fire 14 Nov 1698—14 Nov 1698: Eddystone Lighthouse (Henry Winstanley's) first lit; completed 10 days earlier
136	1700	1700—1700: Population in England and Scotland approx 7.5 million
137	1701	1701—1701: Act of Settlement bars Catholics from the British throne 23 May 1701—23 May 1701: After being convicted of piracy and murdering William Moore, Captain William Kidd hanged in London
138	1702	8 Mar 1702—8 Mar 1702: Anne Stuart becomes Queen 11 Mar 1702—11 Mar 1702: First English daily newspaper The Daily Courant (till 1735)
139	1703	4 Aug 1703—4 Aug 1703: British take Gibraltar 24 Nov 1703—24 Nov 1703: Climate: Most violent storms of the millennium cause vast damage across southern England - about a third of Britain's merchant fleet lost, and Eddystone lighthouse destroyed on 27 November (Nov 24 - Dec 2)
140	1704	1704—1704: Penal Code enacted - Catholics barred from voting, education and the military 13 Aug 1704—13 Aug 1704: Battle of Blenheim
141	1705	1705—1705: First workable steam pumping engine devised by Thomas Newcomen (some say c1710 or 1711) 1705—1705: Isaac Newton knighted (for his work at the Royal Mint)
142	1706	1706—1706: First evening newspaper The Evening Post' issued in London
143	1707	16 Jan 1707—16 Jan 1707: Union with Scotland - Scots agree to send 16 peers and 45 MPs to English Parliament in return for full trading privileges - Scottish Parliament meets for the last time in March 1 May 1707—1 May 1707: English and Scottish Parliaments united by an Act of the English Parliament - The Kingdom of Great Britain established - largest free-trade area in Europe at the time
144	1708	1708—1708: First Jacobite rising in Scotland 1708—1708: Earliest Artillery Muster Rolls
145	1709	1709—1709: Second Eddystone lighthouse completed 1709—1709: First Copyright Act pass 1709—1709: Bad harvests throughout Europe - bread riots in Britain 2 Feb 1709—2 Feb 1709: Alexander Selkirk rescued from shipwreck on a desert island, inspiring the book Robinson Crusoe (published in 1719) by Daniel Defoe
146	1710	1710—1710: Tax on Apprentice Indentures introduced
147	1711	1711—1711: Incorporation of South Sea Company, in London 11 Aug 1711—11 Aug 1711: First race meeting at Ascot
148	1712	1712—1712: Imposition of Soap Tax (abolished 1853) 1712—1712: Last trial for witchcraft in England (Jane Wenham) 1712—1712: Toleration Act passed - first relief to non-Anglicans
149	1713	1713—1713: By this year there are some 3,000 coffee houses in London
150	1714	1714—1714: Longitude Act: prize of ?20,000 offered to the inventor of a workable method of determining a ship's longitude (won by John Harrison in 1773 for his chronometer). 1714—1714: Schism Act, prevents Dissenters from being schoolmasters in England 1714—1714: Landholders forced to take the Oath of Allegiance and renounce Roman Catholicism 1 Aug 1714—1 Aug 1714: Queen Anne Stuart dies - George I Hanover becomes king (1714-1727).
151	1715	1715—1715: Second Jacobite rebellion in Scotland, under the Old Pretender ('The Fifteen') 1 Aug 1715—1 Aug 1715: Riot Act passed
152	1716	1716—1716: The Septennial Act of Britain leads to greater electoral corruption - general elections now to be held once every 7 years instead of every 3 (until 1911) 1716—1716: Climate: Thames frozen so solid that a spring tide lifted the ice bodily 13ft without interrupting the frost fair
153	1717	1717—1717: First Masonic Lodge opens in London 1717—1717: Value of the golden guinea fixed at 21 shillings
154	1719	1719—1719: Third abortive Jacobite rising
155	1720	1720—1720: South Sea Bubble, a stock-market crash on Exchange Alley - government assumes control of National Debt 1720—1720: Manufacturing towns start to increase in population - rise of new wealth 1720—1720: Wallpaper becomes fashionable in England
156	1721	2 Apr 1721—2 Apr 1721: Robert Walpole (Whig) becomes first Prime Minister (to 1742)
157	1722	1722—1722: Last trial for witchcraft in Scotland 1722—1722: Knatchbull's Act, poor laws
158	1723	1723—1723: Excise tax levied for coffee, tea, and chocolate 1723—1723: The Waltham Black Acts add 50 capital offences to the penal code - people could be sentenced to death for theft and poaching - repealed in 1827 1723—1723: The Workhouse Act or Test - to get relief, a poor person has to enter Workhouse
159	1724	1724—1724: Rapid growth of gin drinking in England 1724—1724: Longman's founded (Britain's oldest publishing house)
160	1726	1726—1726: First circulating library opened in Edinburgh 1726—1726: Invention of the chronometer by John Harrison
161	1727	1727—1727: Board of Manufacturers established in Scotland 11 Jun 1727—11 Jun 1727: George I dies - George II Hanover becomes king
162	1729	9 Nov 1729—9 Nov 1729: Treaty of Seville signed between Britain, France and Spain - Britain maintained control of Port Mahon and Gibraltar
163	1730	1730—1730: Irish famine
164	1731	1731—1731: Invention of seed drill by Jethro Tull [others say 1701] 1731—1731: Invention of sextant by John Hadley
165	1732	7 Dec 1732—7 Dec 1732: Covent Garden Opera House opens
166	1733	1733—1733: Excise crisis: Sir Robert Walpole wanted to add excise tax to tobacco and wine - Pulteney and Bolingbroke oppose the excise tax 1733—1733: Law forbidding the use of Latin in parish registers generally obeyed - some continued in Latin for a few years 1733—1733: John Kay invents the flying shuttle, revolutionised the weaving industry
167	1734	1734—1734: Kent's Directory published
168	1737	1737—1737: Licensing Act restricts the number of London theatres and subects plays to censorship of the Lord Chamberlain (till 1950s)
169	1738	24 May 1738—24 May 1738: John Wesley has his conversion experience
170	1739	1739—1739: Wesley and Whitefield commence great Methodist revival 7 Apr 1739—7 Apr 1739: Dick Turpin, highwayman, hanged at York 23 Oct 1739—23 Oct 1739: War of Jenkins' Ear starts: Robert Walpole reluctantly declares war on Spain
171	1741	1741—1741: Benjamin Ingham founded the Moravian Methodists or Inghamites - Earliest Moravian registers
172	1742	1742—1742: England goes to war with Spain - incited by William Pitt the Elder (Earl of Chatham) for the sake of trade
173	1743	16 Jun 1743—16 Jun 1743: (June 27 in Gregorian calendar): Battle of Dettingen - last time a British sovereign (George II) led troops in battle
174	1744	1744—1744: Tune 'God Save the King' makes its appearance
175	1745	1745—1745: Jacobite rebellion in Scotland ('The Forty-five') 19 Aug 1745—19 Aug 1745: Bonnie Prince Charlie (The Young Pretender) lands in the western Highlands - raises support among Episcopalian and Catholic clans - The Pretender's army invades Perth, Edinburgh, and England as far as Derby
176	1746	16 Apr 1746—16 Apr 1746: Battle of Culloden - last battle fought in Britain - 5,000 Highlanders routed by the Duke of Cumberland and 9,000 loyalists Scots - Young Pretender Charles flees to Continent, ending Jacobite hopes forever - the wearing of the kilt prohibited
177	1747	1747—1747: Abolition of Heritable Jurisdictions in Scotland 1747—1747: Act for Pacification of the Highlands
178	1749	27 Apr 1749—27 Apr 1749: First performance of Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks (in Green Park, London)
179	1750	Feb 1750—Feb 1750: Series of earthquakes in London and the Home Counties cause panic with predictions of an apocalypse (Feb/Mar) 16 Nov 1750—16 Nov 1750: Original Westminster Bridge opened (replaced in 1862 due to subsidence)
180	1751	Mar 1751—Mar 1751: Chesterfield's Calendar Act passed - royal assent to the bill was given on 22 May 1751 - decision to adopt Gregorian Calendar in 1752: In and throughout all his
181	1752	1752—1752: Benjamin Franklin invents the lightning conductor 1 Jan 1752—1 Jan 1752: Beginning of the year 1752 [Scotland had adopted January as the start of the year in 1600, and some other countries in Europe had adopted the Gregorian calendar as early as 1582] 3 Sep 1752—3 Sep 1752: Julian Calendar dropped and Gregorian Calendar adopted in England and Scotland, making this Sep 14
182	1753	1753—1753: Private collection of Sir Hans Sloane forms the basis of the British Museum 1 May 1753—1 May 1753: Publication of ?Species Plantarum' by Linnaeus and the formal start date of plant taxonomy
183	1754	1754—1754: Hardwicke Act (1753): Banns to be called, and Printed Marriage Register forms to be used - Quakers & Jews exempt 1754—1754: In the General Election, the Cow Inn at Haslemere, Surrey caused a national scandal by subdividing the freehold to create eight votes instead of one 1754—1754: First British troops not belonging to the East India Company despatched to India
184	1755	1755—1755: Publication of Dictionary of the English Language' by Dr Samuel Johnson 1755—1755: Period of canal construction began in Britain (till 1827) 2 Dec 1755—2 Dec 1755: Second Eddystone Lighthouse destroyed by fire
185	1756	15 May 1756—15 May 1756: The Seven Years War with France (Pitt's trade war) begins Jun 1756—Jun 1756: Black Hole of Calcutta - 146 Britons imprisoned, most die according to British sources
186	1757	1757—1757: The foundation laid for the Empire of India 14 Mar 1757—14 Mar 1757: Admiral Byng shot at Portsmouth for failing to relieve Minorca 23 Jun 1757—23 Jun 1757: The Nawab of Bengal tries to expel the British, but is defeated at the battle of Plassey (Palashi, June 23) - the East India Company forces are led by Robert Clive
187	1758	1758—1758: India stops being merely a commercial venture - England begins dominating it politically - The East India Company retains its monopoly although it ceased to trade
188	1759	1759—1759: Wesley builds 356 Methodist chapels 15 Jan 1759—15 Jan 1759: British Museum opens to the public in London 16 Oct 1759—16 Oct 1759: Third Eddystone Lighthouse (John Smeaton's) completed
189	1760	1760—1760: Carron Iron Works in operation in Scotland 5 May 1760—5 May 1760: First use of hangman's drop 25 Oct 1760—25 Oct 1760: George II dies - George III Hanover, his grandson, becomes king. The date conventionally marks the start of the so-called first Industrial Revolution'
190	1761	16 Jan 1761—16 Jan 1761: British capture Pondicherry, India from the French
191	1762	1762—1762: Cigars introduced into Britain from Cuba
192	1763	1763—1763: Treaty of Paris - gives back to France everything Pitt fought to obtain - (Newfoundland [fishing], Guadaloupe and Martininque [sugar], Dakar [gum]) - but English displaces French as the international language
193	1764	1764—1764: Lloyd's Register of shipping first prepared 1764—1764: Practice of numbering houses introduced to London 1764—1764: James Hargeaves invents the Spinning Jenny (but destroyed 1768) 1764—1764: Mozart produces his first symphony at age eight
194	1765	1765—1765: The potato becomes the most popular food in Europe 22 Mar 1765—22 Mar 1765: Stamp Act passed - imposed a tax on publications and legal documents in the American colonies (repealed the following year)
195	1766	1766—1766: Start of 'composite' national records on rainfall in the UK 5 Dec 1766—5 Dec 1766: Christie's auction house founded in London by James Christie
196	1767	1767—1767: Newcomen's steam pumping engine perfected by James Watt
197	1768	9 Jan 1768—9 Jan 1768: Philip Astley starts his circus in London 6 Dec 1768—6 Dec 1768: The first edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica' published in Edinburgh by William Smellie
198	1769	1769—1769: Arkwright invents water frame (textile production) 1769—1769: Capt James Cook maps the coast of New Zealand 6 Sep 1769—6 Sep 1769: David Garrick organises first Shakespeare festival at Stratford-upon-Avon
199	1770	1770—1770: Clyde Trust created to convert the River Clyde, then an insignificant river, into a major thoroughfare for maritime communications 28 Apr 1770—28 Apr 1770: Capt James Cook lands in Australia (Botany Bay) ? Aug 21: formally claims Australia for Britain
200	1771	1771—1771: Right to report Parliamentary debates established in England
201	1772	1772—1772: First Travellers' Cheques issued by the London Credit Exchange Company 1772—1772: Morning Post' first published (until 1937) 14 May 1772—14 May 1772: Judge Mansfield rules that there is no legal basis for slavery in England
202	1774	13 Sep 1774—13 Sep 1774: Cook arrives on Easter Island
203	1775	19 Apr 1775—19 Apr 1775: Battle of Lexington: first action in American War of Independence (1775- 1783)
204	1776	1776—1776: Somerset House in London becomes the repository of records of population 1776—1776: Watt and Boulton produce their first commercial steam engine 4 Jul 1776—4 Jul 1776: American Declaration of Independence 7 Sep 1776—7 Sep 1776: First attack on a warship by a submarine - David Bushnell's ?Turtle' attacked HMS Eagle in New York harbour. The attack was perhaps spectacular (a charge did detonate beneath the ship) but was nevertheless unsuccessful. 'Turtle' was a one man Affair man-powered [Les Moore]
205	1777	1777—1777: Samuel Miller of Southampton patents the circular saw.
206	1779	1779—1779: Marc Isambard Brunel opens the first steamdriven sawmill at Chatham Dockyard in Kent 1779—1779: First iron bridge built, over the Severn by John Wilkinson 1779—1779: First Spinning Mills operational in Scotland 14 Feb 1779—14 Feb 1779: Capt James Cook killed on Hawaii 23 Sep 1779—23 Sep 1779: Naval engagement between Britain and USA off Flamborough Head
207	1780	1780—1780: Male Servants Tax 1780—1780: The English Reform Movement - until now, only landowners and tenants (freeholders with 40 shillings per year or more) allowed to vote, and in open poll books 1780—1780: Fountain pen invented 1780—1780: About this time the word 'Quiz' entered the language, said to have been invented as a wager by Mr Daly, a Dublin theatre manager 4 May 1780—4 May 1780: First Derby run at Epsom (some say 2nd June) 2 Jun 1780—2 Jun 1780: Jun 2- 8: The Gordon Riots - Parliament passes a Roman Catholic relief measure - for days, London is at the mercy of a mob and destruction is widespread