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Date |
Event(s) |
| 1 | 1715 | - 1715: Oath Act
"An act for the further security of his majesty's person" (1 George I, c. 13) required holders of certain public offices to take the oaths of allegiance, supremacy and abjuration as defined in that Act first binding the swearer to "be faithful, and bear true Allegiance to his Majesty King George" and the second, ostensibly an anti-Catholic oath, condemning as "impious and heretical, that damnable doctrine and Position, That Princes excommunicated or deprived by the Pope" could be deposed or murdered by their subjects or any foreign power.
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| 2 | 1720s | - 1720s: Moravians
Arrived in London and Oxford.
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| 3 | 1723 | - 27 May 1723: Loyalty Oath Act
Oath Act
"An Act to oblige all Persons being Papists..., and all Persons... refusing or neglecting to take the Oaths appointed for the Security of His Majesty's Person and Government..., to register their Names and real Estates" (9 George I, c. 24, as defined in the previous act of 1 George I c. 13). The Act required "every Person and Persons" aged 18 years and older to swear loyalty oaths to King George by 25 December 1723. Those who refused to take the oaths were to registers their names and real estates by 25 March 1724. Individuals who refused to either swear their allegiance or register their property risked forfeiting their estates. The oaths administered were those of allegiance, supremacy and abjuration. A large proportion of these oaths were recorded at courts of Quarter Sessions.
- 27 May 1723: Catholic Taxation Act
"An Act for granting an Aid to His Majesty by laying a Tax upon Papists" was designed to raise the sum of £100,000 through a tax imposed upon all Papists aged eighteen years and over, and was in addition to the existing double land tax already imposed upon Roman Catholics. The Act detailed the amounts to be raised from the Catholic communities in each English county. Those liable to pay the additional tax were defined as anyone who refused to take the oaths of allegiance, supremacy and abjuration as embodied within the 1715 Oath Act. It was designed to deter Catholic powers on the continent from supporting any future attempts at restoring the Stuart monarchy by highlighting the potential impact upon Roman Catholics in Britain.
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| 4 | 1733 | - 1733: Official Language - English
English adopted as official language for public records. Until this date, legal documents were in Latin.
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| 5 | 1740 | - 1740: Wesleyan Religion
The Wesleyan religion was formed but most did not break away from the Church of England until 1780s.
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| 6 | 1741 | - 1741—1837: Protestant Dissenters' Registry
A registry for Protestant events was set up at Dr. Williams Library in London, closed 1837 with 50,000 entries.
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| 7 | 1742 | - 1742: Moravian Split
Moravians split and some became the Congregation of Unity of Brethren.
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| 8 | 1749 | - 1749: Protestant Episcopal Church
This church came into existence.
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| 9 | 1752 | - 1752: Change to the Julian Calendar.
Change to the Julian Calendar.
(24 Geo. II, c. 23)3 September became 14 September. In the middle of the 18th century, two changes were made in the English calendar. The first, moved the official start of the year from 25th March to 1st January, so changing January, February and March from being the last three months of the old year to the first three of the new year. The second, by "losing" eleven days from September, was from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian, bringing England into line with the rest of Europe where the Gregorian system had been used since 1582. As the new system was adopted by some before its official introduction, great care must be taken in transcribing extracts containing dates in January, February and March before 1752. The correct procedure is to transcribe the dates in both Old Style and New: 2nd February 1603 Old Style, should be shown as 2nd February 1603/4.
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| 10 | 1753 | - 1 Jan 1753: Hardwicke's Marriage Act
Commencement of the provisoes of Hardwicke's Marriage Act. The most significant contribution to family history research comes with the commencement of the provisions of Hardwicke's Marriage Act, or, an "Act for the Better Prevention of Clandestine Marriages," which was proposed by Lord Hardwicke and passed during 1752. The first and foremost important point in research that comes directly from the operation of this law is that every marriage, other than those of Jewish or Quaker faith, had to be performed at a parish church of the Church of England. Marriages were not permitted at chapelries of the Church of England unless special dispensation had been granted to that chapelry. Therefore, when looking for marriages that occurred between 1 Jan 1753 and 1 July 1837, when the then new provisions took precedence over marriage ceremonies, you can be assured that the couple had to marry a Church of England parish church. Again, the only exemptions were those allowed to Quakers and Jews to permit them to marry within their own places of worship.
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| 11 | 1763 | - 1763: Marrying Age Raised
Minimum age for marriage set at 16 thereby raising the previously accepted age for marriage of girls from 12 to 16 and of boys from 14 to 16. Individuals under the age of 21 years still needed the consent of their parents to a marriage before the marriage would be permitted to proceed. On marriage records individuals that are over 21 often have their age listed as "full age" rather than an exact age.
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| 12 | 1778 | - 1778: First Catholic Relief Act
First Catholic Relief Act to relieve the burden of followers of that faith.
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| 13 | 1783 | - 1 Oct 1783: The Stamp Act
23 Geo. Ill, c. 71: Tax of 3p per entry instituted which was to be paid on every entry of a birth, christening, marriage or burial. Some churches and parishioners refused to record their vital events - baptisms and marriages. Some families took their children to be baptised, or marriages to be performed, to parishes that were sympathetic to the burden that had been placed on them by the government. The levy was collected directly by the incumbent of the parish and he was allowed to retain 10 percent as a commission.
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| 14 | 1785 | - 1785: The Stamp Act Extended
Provisions in this act were extended to non-conformist events.
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1712 - 1790 (~ 78 years)