1678 in England
Appearance
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See also: | Other events of 1678 |
Events from the year 1678 in England.
Incumbents
Events
- 10 January – England and the Dutch Republic sign a mutual alliance against France.[1]
- 21 March – Thomas Shadwell's comedy A True Widow is given its first performance, at The Duke's Theatre in London, staged by the Duke's Company.
- 31 May – the Godiva Procession, a commemoration held in honour of Lady Godiva's legendary 11th century naked horseback ride through the streets of Coventry in protest against her husband's treatment of the citizens, begins.
- 6 September – Titus Oates first presents sworn allegations of the "Popish Plot", a supposed Catholic conspiracy to assassinate King Charles II.[2] On 28 September before the Privy Council he makes allegations against numerous Jesuits and Catholic nobles. Oates applies the term Tory to those who disbelieve his allegations.
- 17 October – magistrate Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey is found murdered in Primrose Hill, London. Titus Oates claims it as a proof of his allegations.[2]
- 25 October – five Catholic peers accused of involvement in the "Popish Plot" are arrested at the instance of the House of Commons and committed to the Tower of London. On 1 November, impeachment proceedings begin.
- 26 November – William Staley, a Catholic banker, becomes the first person to be executed in connection with the "Popish Plot".
- 3 December – the Test Act provides that members of both the House of Lords and House of Commons must swear an anti-Catholic oath before taking office.
- Second Burying in Woollen Act, to support the home textile industry, more rigidly enforced.[3]
Publications
- 18 February – John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress.[4]
- John Dryden's play All for Love.[2]
Births
- July – Thomas Hearne, antiquarian (died 1735)
- 16 September – Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke, statesman and philosopher (died 1751)
- 8 December – Horatio Walpole, 1st Baron Walpole of Wolterton, diplomat (died 1757)
- 14 December – Daniel Neal, historian (died 1743)
- 30 December – William Croft, composer (died 1727)
Deaths
- 12 April – Mary Rich, Countess of Warwick, courtier and diarist (born 1625 in Ireland)
- 16 August – Andrew Marvell, writer (born 1621)
- 28 August – John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton, soldier (born 1602)
- 12 October – Edmund Berry Godfrey, magistrate (born 1621)
- 1 November – William Coddington, first Governor of Rhode Island (born 1601)
References
- ^ Grose, C. L. (1924). "The Anglo-Dutch Alliance of 1678". The English Historical Review. 39: 349–372.
- ^ a b c Palmer, Alan & Veronica (1992). The Chronology of British History. London: Century Ltd. pp. 193–194. ISBN 0-7126-5616-2.
- ^ "Charles II, 1677 & 1678: An Act for burying in Woollen". British History Online. Retrieved 2011-08-18.
- ^ Penguin Pocket On This Day. Penguin Reference Library. 2006. ISBN 0-14-102715-0.