Great Fire of London, after a drought beginning 27 June (2-6 Sep)

Use of semaphore signalling pioneered by Lord Worcester

Newton formulated Laws of Gravity

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

Great Plague of London (July-October) kills over 60,000

Five-mile Act restricts non-conformist ministers in Britain

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

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.

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

'Hearth Tax' introduced - until 1689 (1690 in Scotland)

Poor Relief Act or Act of Settlement' - gave JPs the power to return any wandering poor to the parish of origin (repealed 1834)

Tea introduced to Britain

Oliver Cromwell formally 'executed', having been dead for over two years!

Restoration of Episcopacy in Scotland

Board of Trade founded in London

Hand-struck postage stamps first used

Corporation Act prevents non-Anglicans from holding municipal office

First actress plays in London (Margaret Hughes as Desdemona)

Twelve men, including Christopher Wren, Robert Boyle, John Wilkins, and Sir Robert Moray decide to found what is later known as the Royal Society

Ten Regicides are executed at Charing Cross or Tyburn

Restoration of British monarchy (Charles II) - 'Oak Apple Day' - theatres reopened

Commonwealth registers ended, Parish Registers resumed

Provincial Probate Courts re-established

Clarendon code restricts Puritans' religious freedom

Composition of light discovered by Newton

Honourable East India Company founded by British

Samuel Pepys starts his diary

Date of first known bank cheque to be drawn

Start of national meteorological Temperature records in the UK

Death of Oliver Cromwell

Richard Cromwell (son of Oliver) Lord Protector (-1660)

Post Office established by Act of Parliament [others say 1660]

A few Jews permitted to settle in England

Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland

Cromwell dissolves the Rump Parliament

Commonwealth registers start

Under the Act of Settlement Cromwell's opponents stripped of land

Provincial probate courts abolished - probates granted only in London

Battle of Worcester

The second English Civil War (1651-1652)

Scottish prisoners transported to the British settlements in America

Coffee brought to England about this time

Theatres banned by Cromwell

Christmas banned by Cromwell

Commonwealth declared

King Charles I executed

'Rump' Parliament votes to put Charles I on trial

Cromwell's Irish campaign starts

King Charles II proclaimed King of Scots and England in Scotland

Society of Friends (Quakers) founded by George Fox

First practical thermometers made

Royalists sign articles of surrender at Oxford

Charles I surrenders to the Scottish Army at Newark

Battle of Naseby: Parliament's New Model Army crushes the Royalist forces

Battle of Philiphaugh in Scotland

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

Plague made its last appearance in Scotland