Timeline: MERRIKEN, John: Byrne and Asimov Genealogy and Family Histories

1689 - 1754 (64 years)

	Date	Event(s)
1	1689	1689: Convention Parliament issues Bill of Rights; establishes a constitutional monarchy in Britain; bars Roman Catholics from the throne; William III and Mary II become joint monarchs of England and Scotland (to1694), Toleration Act grants freedom of worship to dissenters in England; Grand Alliance of the League of Augsburg, England, and the Netherlands 1689: Parliament draws up the Declaration of Right detailing the unconstitutional acts of King James II. James' daughter and her husband, his nephew, become joint sovereigns of Britain as King William III and Queen Mary II. Parliament passes the Bill of Rights. Toleration Act grants rights to Trinitarian Protestant dissenters. Catholic forces loyal to James II land in Ireland from France and lay siege to Londonderry
2	1690	1690: King William defeats the Irish and French armies of his father-in-law at the Battle of the Boyne in Ireland
3	1691	1691: The Treaty of Limerick allows Cathloics in Ireland to exercise their religion freely, but severe penal laws soon follow. The French War begins
4	1692	1692: The Glencoe Massacre occurs
5	1694	1694: Death of Queen Mary; King William now rules alone. Foundation of the Bank of England. Triennial Act sets the maximum duration of a parliament to three years
6	1695	1695: Lapse of the Licensing Act
7	1697	1697: Peace of Ryswick between the allied powers of the League of Augsburg and France ends the French War. Civil List Act votes funds for the maintenance of the Royal Household 1697: Blasphemy Act in England
8	1698	1698: Thomas Savery patented an engine which produced a vacuum by condensing steam. It was employed for raising water from a mine and supplying water to several country houses.
9	1701	1701: The Act of Settlement settles the Royal Succession on the Protestant descendants of Sophia of Hanover. Death of the former King James II in exile in France. The French king recognizes James II's son as "King James III". King William forms a grand alliance between England, Holland and Austria to prevent the union of the Spanish and French crowns. The War of the Spanish Succession breaks out in Europe over the vacant throne
10	1702	1702: Death of King William III in a riding accident. He is succeeded by his sister-in-law, Queen Anne. England declares war on France as part of the War of the Spanish Succession
11	1704	1704: Johann Sebastian Bach began composing music 1704: British, Dutch, German and Austrian troops, under the Duke of Marlborough, defeat the French and Bavarians at the Battle of Blenheim. British, Bavarian and Austrian troops under Marlborough defeat the French at the Battle of Ramillies, and expel the French from the Netherlands. The British capture Gibraltar from Spain
12	1706	1706: The Evening Post', first evening newspaper issued in London
13	1707	1707: The Act of Union unites the kingdoms of England and Scotland and transfers the seat of Scottish Government to London
14	1708	1708: The Duke of Marlborough defeats the French at the Battle of Oudenarede. The French incur heavy losses. Queen Anne vetoes a parliamentary bill to recognise the Scottish militia. This is the last time a bill is vetoed by the sovereign
15	1709	1709: Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit constructed an alcohol thermometer 1709: Marlborough defeats the French at the Battle of Malplaquet
16	1710	1710: A Tory ministry is formed, under Harley, with the impeachment of Dr. Sacheverell and the fall of the Whig government
17	1713	1713: The Treaty of Utrecht is signed by Britain and France, thus concluding the War of the Spanish Succession
18	1714	1714: Death of Queen Anne at Kensington Palace. She is succeeded by her distant cousin, the Elector George of Hanover, as King George I. A new parliament is elected with a strong Whig majority, led by Charles Townshend and Robert Walpole
19	1715	1715: Thomas Fairchild produced the first artificial hybrid plant 1715: The Jacobite Rebellion begins in Scotland with the aim of overthrowing the Hanovarian succession and placing the "Old Pretender" - James II's son - on the throne. The rebellion is easily defeated
20	1716	1716: The Septennial Act sets General Elections to be held every seven years
21	1717	1717: Townshend is dismissed from government by George I, causing Walpole to resign. The Whig party is split. Convocation is suspended
22	1719	1719: South Sea Bubble bursts, leaving many investors ruined after speculating with stock of the 'South Sea Company'
23	1721	1721: Sir Robert Walpole Prime Minister to 1742 (Whig) 1721: Sir Robert Walpole returns to government as First Lord of the Treasury. He remains in office until 1742 and effectively becomes Britain's first Prime Minister
24	1722	1722: First written reference to Stilton cheese in William Stukeley?s Itinerarium Curiosum, letter V 1722: Death of the Duke of Marlborough. The Jacobite 'Atterbury Plot' is hatched
25	1726	1726: First circulating library in Britain opens in Edinburgh. Jonathan Swift publishes his 'Gulliver's Travels'
26	1727	1727: Death of Sir Isaac Newton and of King George I (in Hanover). The latter is succeeded by his son as King George II 1727: The Gentleman's Magazine', first modern magazine, published
27	1728	1728: Pierre Fauchard, in 'The Surgeon Dentist', described preventive measures to keep teeth healthy as well as inventing the word 'dentist.'
28	1729	1729: Alexander Pope publishes his ' Dunciad'
29	1730	1730: A split occurs between Walpole and Townshend
30	1732	1732: A royal charter is granted for the founding of Georgia in America
31	1733	1733: The 'Excise Crisis' occurs and Walpole is forced to abandon his plans to reorganise the customs and excise
32	1736	1736: John Harrison finished building and tested at sea what proved to be the first accurate chronometer for timing longitude
33	1737	1737: Death of King George II's wife, Queen Caroline
34	1738	1738: John and Charles Wesley start the Methodist movement in Britain
35	1739	1739: Britain goes to war with Spain in the 'War of Jenkins' Ear'. The cause: Captain Jenkins' ear was claimed to have been cut off during a Naval Skirmish
36	1740	1740: Commencement of the War of Austrian Succession in Europe
37	1742	1742: Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington Prime Minister until 1743 (Whig) 1742: Beginning with a bull calf from the cow 'Silver' and two cows, 'Pidgeon' and 'Mottle' (inherited from his father's estate), Benjamin Tomkins is credited with founding the Hereford breed. 1742: Walpole resigns as Prime Minister
38	1743	1743: Henry Pelham Prime Minister until 1754 (Whig) 1743: George II leads British troops into battle at Dettingen in Bavaria
39	1744	1744: Ministry of Pelham
40	1745	1745: Jacobite Rebellion in Scotland led by 'Bonnie Prince Charlie'. There is a Scottish victory at Prestonpans
41	1746	1746: The Duke of Cumberland crushes the Scottish Jacobites at the Battle of Culloden
42	1747	1747: Yorkshire pudding mentioned in recipes
43	1748	1748: The Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle brings the War of Austrian Succession to a close
44	1750	1750: The grapefruit was first described by Griffith Hughes as the "forbidden fruit" of Barbados
45	1751	1751: Benjamin Franklin published 'Experiments and Observations on Electricity' after several years of experiments done with several friends. In this book Franklin suggested an experiment to prove that lightning is a large-scale electrical discharge, a task which later he took upon himself, using a kite. This led to the invention of the lightning rod. 1751: Death of Frederick, Prince of Wales. His son, Prince George, becomes heir to the throne
46	1752	1752: James Lind called attention to the value of fresh fruit in the prevention of scurvy 1752: Ren? Antoine Ferchault de R?aumur showed by experiment that gastric juice liquifies meat. 1752: Adoption of the Gregorian Calendar in Britain
47	1753	1753: Parliament passes the Jewish Naturalization Bill
48	1754	1754: The ministry of Newcastle

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