1717 in Great Britain
Encyclopedia
.svg.png) 1717 in Great Britain: |
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| 1715 1715 in Great Britain Events from the year 1715 in Great Britain.-Events:* February to March - General election results in victory for the Whigs.* 27 March - Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke flees to France. His part in secret negotiations with France leading to the Treaty of Utrecht has cast suspicion on him in... | 1716 1716 in Great Britain Events from the year 1716 in Great Britain.-Events:* January - The Duke of Argyll disperses the remainder of the Jacobite troops.* 10 February - The pretender James Francis Edward Stuart flees to France... | 1717 | 1718 1718 in Great Britain Events from the year 1718 in Great Britain.-Events:* 7 January - Occasional Conformity Act repealed.* 15 May - James Puckle patents the Puckle Gun, an early form of machine gun.... | 1719 1719 in Great Britain Events from the year 1719 in Great Britain.-Events:* April - Bank rate set at 5%, at which it will remain for more than a century.* 28 April - A Peerage Bill, proposed by Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland, to prevent the creation of peers in the House of Lords is defeated in the House of... |
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| 1717 English cricket season |
Events from the year 1717 in Great Britain
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
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Events
- 1 January - Count Carl GyllenborgCarl GyllenborgCount Carl Gyllenborg was a Swedish statesman and author.-Biography:After serving in the Polish War, he was sent to London as secretary of legation. In 1715, he was made minister plenipotentiary, and two years later was imprisoned for five months because of his participation in the plot to...
, the SwedishSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
ambassador, is arrested in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
over a plot to assist the PretenderPretenderA pretender is one who claims entitlement to an unavailable position of honour or rank. Most often it refers to a former monarch, or descendant thereof, whose throne is occupied or claimed by a rival, or has been abolished....
James Francis Edward StuartJames Francis Edward StuartJames Francis Edward, Prince of Wales was the son of the deposed James II of England...
. - 4 January - The Dutch RepublicDutch RepublicThe Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
, Britain and FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
sign the Triple AllianceTriple Alliance (1717)The Triple Alliance was a treaty between the Dutch Republic, France and Great Britain, against Spain, attempting to maintain the agreement of the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht. The three states were concerned about Spain becoming a superpower in Europe. As a result of this militarisation took place,...
. - February - As part of the treaty between France and Britain, James Stuart leaves France and seeks refuge with the PopePopeThe Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
. - 2 March - Dancer John WeaverJohn WeaverJohn Weaver was an English dancer and choreographer, and is often regarded as the father of English pantomime....
performs in the first balletBalletBallet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
in Britain shown in Drury LaneDrury LaneDrury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster....
The Loves of Mars and VenusThe Loves of Mars and VenusThe Loves of Mars and Venus was the first ballet in Britain. It was created on Saturday, March 2nd, 1717....
. - 31 March - Benjamin HoadlyBenjamin HoadlyBenjamin Hoadly was an English clergyman, who was successively Bishop of Bangor, Hereford, Salisbury, and Winchester. He is best known as the initiator of the Bangorian Controversy.-Life:...
, Bishop of BangorBishop of BangorThe Bishop of Bangor is the Ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of Bangor.The diocese covers the counties of Anglesey, most of Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire and a small part of Montgomeryshire...
, extends the Bangorian ControversyBangorian ControversyThe Bangorian Controversy was a theological argument within the Church of England in the early 18th century, with strong political overtones. The origins of the controversy lay in the 1716 posthumous publication of George Hickes's Constitution of the Catholic Church, and the Nature and...
by delivering a sermon to, and supposedly at the request of, King GeorgeGeorge I of Great BritainGeorge I was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 until his death, and ruler of the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire from 1698....
on The Nature of the Kingdom of Christ with the text "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36), concluding there is no BiblicalBibleThe Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
justification for church government. - 24 June - Grand Lodge of London and WestminsterPremier Grand Lodge of EnglandThe Premier Grand Lodge of England was founded on 24 June 1717 as the Grand Lodge of London and Westminster and it existed until 1813 when it united with the Ancient Grand Lodge of England to create the United Grand Lodge of England. It was the first Masonic Grand Lodge to be created...
, the first FreemasonicFreemasonryFreemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
Grand LodgeGrand LodgeA Grand Lodge, or "Grand Orient", is the usual governing body of "Craft", or "Blue Lodge", Freemasonry in a particular jurisdiction. The first Masonic Grand Lodge was established in England in 1717 as the Premier Grand Lodge of England....
(now the United Grand Lodge of EnglandUnited Grand Lodge of EnglandThe United Grand Lodge of England is the main governing body of freemasonry within England and Wales and in other, predominantly ex-British Empire and Commonwealth countries outside the United Kingdom. It is the oldest Grand Lodge in the world, deriving its origin from 1717...
), is founded. - 1 July - Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer acquitted of conspiracy with the French to put the Pretender on the throne.
- 17 July - George Frideric HandelGeorge Frideric HandelGeorge Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
's Water MusicWater Music (Handel)The Water Music is a collection of orchestral movements, often considered three suites, composed by George Frideric Handel. It premiered on 17 July 1717 after King George I had requested a concert on the River Thames...
performed on a barge on the River ThamesRiver ThamesThe River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
for King George IGeorge I of Great BritainGeorge I was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 until his death, and ruler of the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire from 1698....
. - September - The first known Druid revival ceremony is held by John TolandJohn TolandJohn Toland was a rationalist philosopher and freethinker, and occasional satirist, who wrote numerous books and pamphlets on political philosophy and philosophy of religion, which are early expressions of the philosophy of the Age of Enlightenment...
at Primrose HillPrimrose HillPrimrose Hill is a hill of located on the north side of Regent's Park in London, England, and also the name for the surrounding district. The hill has a clear view of central London to the south-east, as well as Belsize Park and Hampstead to the north...
, in London, at the Autumnal Equinox, to found the Mother Grove, what is later to become the Ancient Order of DruidsAncient Order of DruidsThe Ancient Order of Druids is a fraternal organization founded in London, England in 1781 that still operates to this day. It is the earliest known English group to be founded based upon the iconography of the ancient druids, who were priest-like figures in Iron Age Celtic paganism...
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Births
- 2 January - Edward Seymour, 9th Duke of SomersetEdward Seymour, 9th Duke of SomersetEdward Seymour, 9th Duke of Somerset, etc. was the son of Edward Seymour, 8th Duke of Somerset and Mary Webb...
, son of Edward Seymour, 8th Duke of Somerset and Mary Webb (died 17921792 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1792 in the Kingdom of Great Britain.-Incumbents:* Monarch - King George III* Prime Minister - William Pitt the Younger, Tory-Events:* 25 January - The radical London Corresponding Society established....
) - 5 January - William Barrington, 2nd Viscount BarringtonWilliam Barrington, 2nd Viscount BarringtonWilliam Wildman Shute Barrington, 2nd Viscount Barrington PC was a British politician best known for his two periods as Secretary at War during Britain's involvement in the Seven Years War and American War of Independence....
, statesman (died 17931793 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1793 in the Kingdom of Great Britain.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George III*Prime Minister - William Pitt the Younger, Tory-Events:...
) - 23 January - Benjamin BeddomeBenjamin BeddomeBenjamin Beddome was an English Baptist minister and hymnist. He was born in Henley-in-Arden, Warwickshire, England.He was the son of Baptist minister John Beddome...
, Baptist minister and hymnist (died 17951795 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1795 in the Kingdom of Great Britain.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George III*Prime Minister - William Pitt the Younger, Tory-Events:* March - English Benedictine monks expelled from the Priory of St...
) - 29 January - Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron AmherstJeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron AmherstField Marshal Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst KCB served as an officer in the British Army and as Commander-in-Chief of the Forces.Amherst is best known as one of the victors of the French and Indian War, when he conquered Louisbourg, Quebec City and...
, soldier and conqueror of Quebec (died 17971797 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1797 in Great Britain.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George III*Prime Minister - William Pitt the Younger, Tory-Events:* 3 January - Three of the stones making up Stonehenge fall due to heavy frosts....
) - 19 February - David GarrickDavid GarrickDavid Garrick was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of theatrical practice throughout the 18th century and was a pupil and friend of Dr Samuel Johnson...
, actor (died 17791779 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1779 in Great Britain.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George III*Prime Minister - Lord North, Tory-Events:* 9 January - First Anglo-Maratha War: British troops surrender to the Marathas in Wadgaon, India, and are forced to return all terrorities acquired since 1773.* 11 February -...
) - 5 June - Emanuel Mendez da CostaEmanuel Mendez da CostaEmanuel Mendez da Costa was an English botanist, naturalist, philosopher, and collector of valuable notes and of manuscripts, and of anecdotes of the literati....
, botanist (died 17911791 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1791 in the Kingdom of Great Britain.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George III*Prime Minister - William Pitt the Younger, Tory-Events:...
) - 15 August - John MetcalfJohn Metcalf (civil engineer)John Metcalf , also known as Blind Jack of Knaresborough or Blind Jack Metcalf, was the first of the professional road builders to emerge during the British Industrial Revolution....
, roadbuilder (died 18101810 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1810 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George III*Prime Minister - Spencer Perceval, Tory-Events:...
) - 4 September - Job OrtonJob OrtonJob Orton was an English dissenting minister.-Life:He was born at Shrewsbury. He entered the academy of Dr Philip Doddridge at Northampton, became minister of a congregation formed by a fusion of Presbyterians and Independents at High Street Chapel, Shrewsbury , received Presbyterian ordination...
, dissenting minister (died 17831783 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1783 in the Kingdom of Great Britain.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George III*Prime Minister - Lord Shelburne, Whig , Duke of Portland, Coalition , William Pitt the Younger, Tory-Events:...
) - 24 September - Horace Walpole, 4th Earl of OrfordHorace Walpole, 4th Earl of OrfordHoratio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford was an English art historian, man of letters, antiquarian and Whig politician. He is now largely remembered for Strawberry Hill, the home he built in Twickenham, south-west London where he revived the Gothic style some decades before his Victorian successors,...
, writer (died 17971797 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1797 in Great Britain.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George III*Prime Minister - William Pitt the Younger, Tory-Events:* 3 January - Three of the stones making up Stonehenge fall due to heavy frosts....
) - 28 September - William Nassau de Zuylestein, 4th Earl of RochfordWilliam Nassau de Zuylestein, 4th Earl of RochfordWilliam Henry Nassau, 4th Earl of Rochford, PC, KG was a British courtier, diplomat and statesman of Anglo-Dutch descent. He occupied senior ambassadorial posts at Madrid and Paris, and served as Secretary of State in both the Northern and Southern Departments...
, diplomat and statesman (died 17811781 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1781 in the Kingdom of Great Britain.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George III*Prime Minister - Lord North, Tory-Events:* 1 January - Industrial Revolution: The Iron Bridge opens across the River Severn....
) - 30 October - Jonathan HornblowerJonathan Hornblower (1717)Jonathan Hornblower was an English pioneer of steam power, the son of Joseph Hornblower and brother of Josiah Hornblower, two fellow steam pioneers....
, pioneer of steam power (died 17801780 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1780 in Great Britain.-Incumbents:*Monarch - George III of the United Kingdom*Prime Minister - Frederick North, Lord North, Tory-Events:* 16 January - American Revolutionary War: British victory at the Battle of Cape St...
) - 13 November - Prince George William, member of the Royal Family (died 17181718 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1718 in Great Britain.-Events:* 7 January - Occasional Conformity Act repealed.* 15 May - James Puckle patents the Puckle Gun, an early form of machine gun....
) - 17 November - Caroline Townshend, 1st Baroness GreenwichCaroline Townshend, 1st Baroness GreenwichCaroline Townshend, 1st Baroness Greenwich was a British peeress, a daughter of the John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll....
, peeress (died 17941794 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1794 in the Kingdom of Great Britain.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George III*Prime Minister - William Pitt the Younger, Tory-Events:* 23 March - British troops capture Martinique from the French....
) - 16 December - Elizabeth CarterElizabeth CarterElizabeth Carter was an English poet, classicist, writer and translator, and a member of the Bluestocking Circle.-Biography:...
, writer (died 18061806 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1806 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.-Incumbents:*Monarch - George III*Prime Minister - William Pitt the Younger, Tory , Lord Grenville coalition-Events:...
) - 25 December - George Augustus Eliott, 1st Baron HeathfieldGeorge Augustus Eliott, 1st Baron HeathfieldGeorge Augustus Eliott, 1st Baron Heathfield, KB was a British Army officer who took served in three major wars during the eighteenth century. He rose to distinction during the Seven Years War when he fought in Germany and participated in the British attacks on Belle Île and Cuba...
(died 17901790 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1790 in the Kingdom of Great Britain. This is a General Election year.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George III*Prime Minister - William Pitt the Younger, Tory-Events:...
)
Unknown dates
- James Paine, architect (died 17891789 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1789 in the Kingdom of Great Britain.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George III*Prime Minister - William Pitt the Younger, Tory-Events:...
) - Matthew Stewart, mathematician (died 17851785 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1785 in the Kingdom of Great Britain.-Incumbents:*Monarch - George III of the United Kingdom*Prime Minister - William Pitt the Younger, Tory-Events:...
) - William Williams PantycelynWilliam Williams PantycelynWilliam Williams Pantycelyn , also known as Williams Pantycelyn and Pantycelyn, is generally acknowledged as Wales' most famous hymn writer. He was also one of the key leaders of the 18th century Welsh Methodist revival, along with Daniel Rowland and Howell Harris. As a poet and prose writer he is...
, hymn writer (died 17911791 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1791 in the Kingdom of Great Britain.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George III*Prime Minister - William Pitt the Younger, Tory-Events:...
)
Deaths
- 8 March - Abraham Darby IAbraham Darby IAbraham Darby I was the first, and most famous, of three generations with that name in an English Quaker family that played an important role in the Industrial Revolution. He developed a method of producing pig iron in a blast furnace fuelled by coke rather than charcoal...
, first of that name of three generations of a Quaker family that was key to the development of the Industrial Revolution (born 16781678 in EnglandEvents from the year 1678 in the Kingdom of England.-Events:* 31 May - The Godiva Procession, a commemoration held in honour of Lady Godiva's legendary naked ride on horseback through the streets of Coventry in protest against her husband's treatment of the citizens, begins.* 6 September - Titus...
) - 19 March - John Campbell, 1st Earl of Breadalbane and HollandJohn Campbell, 1st Earl of Breadalbane and HollandJohn Campbell, 1st Earl of Breadalbane and Holland , son of Sir John Campbell of Glen Orchy, and of the Lady Mary Graham, daughter of William Graham, 1st Earl of Airth and 7th Earl of Menteith, was a member of Scottish nobility during the Glorious Revolution and Jacobite risings and also known as...
, royalist (born 1636) - 20 May - John TrevorJohn Trevor (speaker)Sir John Trevor was a Welsh lawyer and politician. He was Speaker of the English House of Commons from 1685 to 1687 and from 1689 to 1695. Trevor also served as Master of the Rolls from 1685 to 1689 and from 1693 to 1717...
, Speaker of the House of Commons (born 1637) - August
- William BlathwaytWilliam BlathwaytWilliam Blathwayt was a civil servant and politician who established the War Office as a department of the British Government and played an important part in administering the Thirteen Colonies of North America....
, civil servant and politician (born c. 16491649 in EnglandEvents from the year 1649 in England.-Incumbents:Monarch - King Charles I of England ; Interregnum-Events:* 3 January - An explosion of several barrels of gunpowder in Tower Street, London kills 67 people and destroys 60 houses....
) - William CochraneWilliam CochraneWilliam Cochrane was a Scottish MP in the British Parliament.He represented Wigtown Burghs 1708-1713.-References:...
, MP (year of birth unknown, after 1659)
- William Blathwayt
- 30 August - William Lloyd, bishop (born 1627)
- 17 September - Robert CottonRobert Cotton (MP)Sir Robert Cotton was an English politician. He sat as a Member of Parliament from 1679 to 1701 and briefly in 1702.-Life:...
, politician (born 16441644 in EnglandEvents from the year 1644 in the Kingdom of England.-Events:* King Charles I opens a Royalist 'parliament' at Oxford.* 26 January - First English Civil War: At the Battle of Nantwich the Parliamentarians defeat the Royalists....
) - 26 October - Catherine Sedley, Countess of Dorchester, mistress of James II of EnglandJames II of EnglandJames II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
(born 16571657 in EnglandEvents from the year 1657 in the The Protectorate.-Events:* January - Regional military government in England abolished.* 13 March - Anglo-Spanish War: With the Treaty of Paris, France and England form an alliance against Spain....
) - 26 November - Daniel PurcellDaniel PurcellDaniel Purcell was an English composer, the younger brother of Henry Purcell.As a teenager, Daniel Purcell joined the choir of the Chapel Royal, and in his mid-twenties he became organist of Magdalen College, Oxford. He began to compose while at Oxford, but in 1695 he moved to London to compose...
, English composer (born 1664) - 4 December - William HamiltonWilliam Hamilton (surgeon)William Hamilton was a surgeon in the British East India Company. He was a part of the delegation that went from Calcutta, the base of the company, to meet Mughal emperor Farrukhsiyar in his court in Delhi in 1715....
, surgeon in the British East India Company (year of birth unknown) - 5 December - Richard Onslow, 1st Baron OnslowRichard Onslow, 1st Baron OnslowRichard Onslow, 1st Baron Onslow PC was a British Whig Member of Parliament, known as Sir Richard Onslow, 2nd Baronet from 1688 until 1716. He served as the Speaker of the House of Commons from 1708 until 1710 and as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1714 until 1715...
, politician (born 16541654 in EnglandEvents from the year 1654 in The Protectorate.-Events:* 5 April - Signing of the Treaty of Westminster ends the First Anglo-Dutch War, and the Dutch agree to observe the Navigation Acts.* 11 April - England signs a treaty of commerce with Sweden....
)
Unknown dates
- Jane WisemanJane WisemanJane Holt [née Wiseman] was an actress, poet, and playwright. She seems to have been from a modest labouring-class background and self-taught, but very little is known about her. Her one known play, Antiochus the Great, or, The Fatal Relapse, was successfully produced at the New Theatre, Lincoln's...
, actress, poet and playwright (born c. 16821682 in EnglandEvents from the year 1682 in the Kingdom of England.-Events:* 11 March - The Royal Hospital Chelsea for old soldiers is founded in London.* 25 August - Following the Bideford witch trial, three women become the last known to be hanged for witchcraft in England, at Exeter.* September - Halley's...
) - William DiaperWilliam DiaperWilliam Diaper was an English poet of the Augustan era. Little is known about his life. He was born in Bridgwater, Somerset and attended Balliol College, Oxford as a pauper, where he took his BA in 1702...
, poet of the Augustan era (born 16851685 in EnglandEvents from the year 1685 in the Kingdom of England.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King Charles II , King James II-Events:* 6 February - James Stuart, Duke of York becomes King James II of England.* 23 April - Coronation of King James II....
) - William Boyd, 3rd Earl of KilmarnockWilliam Boyd, 3rd Earl of KilmarnockWilliam Boyd, 3rd Earl of Kilmarnock was a Scottish nobleman.He fought for the British Government during the Jacobite rising of 1715....
, nobleman (year of birth unknown)