Timeline: Valentine Clark: Our Family History

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1556 -

	Date	Event(s)
1	1556	21 Mar 1556—21 Mar 1556: Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer burned at the stake in Oxford
2	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
3	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
4	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
5	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
6	1562	1562—1562: Earliest English slave-trading expedition, under John Hawkins - between Guinea and the West Indies
7	1563	28 Jul 1563—28 Jul 1563: The English surrender Le Havre to the French after a siege
8	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
9	1565	29 Jul 1565—29 Jul 1565: Marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots to Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, her first cousin
10	1566	9 Mar 1566—9 Mar 1566: Murder of David Riccio (or Rizzio) in Holyrood House
11	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
12	1568	13 May 1568—13 May 1568: Battle of Langside - Mary's flight to England and her imprisonment by Queen Elizabeth I
13	1569	1569—1569: Elizabeth I approved Sunday sports
14	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
15	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
16	1577	1577—1577: James Burbage opens first theatre in London
17	1579	1579—1579: Act of Uniformity in matters of religion enforced
18	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
19	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
20	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
21	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'
22	1585	1585—1585: Foundation of Oxford University Press
23	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)
24	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
25	1591	1591—1591: Trinity College, Dublin, founded
26	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
27	1593	1593—1593: British statute mile established by law
28	1594	1594—1594: Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, leads Irish rebellion against English rule (-1603)
29	1597	1597—1597: Poor Law Act for erection of parish workhouses for the Poor - Poor Rate collection allowed
30	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
31	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
32	1601	1601—1601: Great English Poor Law Act passed 1601—1601: First use of fruit juice as a preventative for scurvy by James Lancaster
33	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
34	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
35	1604	1 Nov 1604—1 Nov 1604: Shakespeare: Othello' first presented
36	1605	5 Nov 1605—5 Nov 1605: Gunpowder plot at Westminster (Guy Fawkes, etc)
37	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)
38	1607	14 May 1607—14 May 1607: Jamestown, Virginia settled - to become the first permanent British colony in North America
39	1608	1608—1608: First use of telescope by Galileo - he observed the moons of Jupiter two years later in Jan 1610
40	1610	1610—1610: James VI & I established the Episcopal Church in Scotland - Prebyterians persecuted and many of their records lost
41	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
42	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)
43	1616	23 Apr 1616—23 Apr 1616: Tuesday Apr 23 (Julian calendar): Death of Shakespeare
44	1618	1618—1618: Sir Walter Raleigh beheaded for allegedly conspiring against James I
45	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)
46	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)
47	1621	1621—1621: Chimneys to be made of brick and to be four and a half feet above the roof
48	1622	1622—1622: First English newspaper appeared - Weekly News'
49	1624	1624—1624: Monopoly Act in England: patents protected 1624—1624: Edmund Gunter introduces the surveyor's chain (measurement of length)
50	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
51	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
52	1629	10 Mar 1629—10 Mar 1629: Parliament dissolved by King Charles I - did not meet for another 11 yea
53	1633	Jun 1633—Jun 1633: Galileo summoned by Inquisition for publishing in favour of Copernican theory
54	1635	1635—1635: Letter Office of England & Scotland started 1635—1635: Flintlock small arms invented around this time (replaces matchlock)
55	1636	1636—1636: Hackney Carriages in use by now in London
56	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)
57	1639	1639—1639: Act of Toleration in England established religious toleration
58	1640	3 Nov 1640—3 Nov 1640: Charles I forced to recall Parliament (the 'Long Parliament') due to Scottish invasion
59	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
60	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
61	1643	13 Dec 1643—13 Dec 1643: Battle of Alton - victory for Parliamentarians - Sir Richard Bolle killed in St Lawrence's church
62	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
63	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
64	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
65	1648	1648—1648: Society of Friends (Quakers) founded by George Fox 1648—1648: First practical thermometers made
66	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
67	1650	1650—1650: Coffee brought to England about this time
68	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
69	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
70	1657	1657—1657: Post Office established by Act of Parliament [others say 1660] 1657—1657: A few Jews permitted to settle in England
71	1658	1658—1658: Richard Cromwell (son of Oliver) Lord Protector (-1660) 3 Sep 1658—3 Sep 1658: Death of Oliver Cromwell
72	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
73	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)
74	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!
75	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
76	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
77	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
78	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)