The act of Settlement was an act passed by the English parliament in 1700, by which the succession to the throne of the three kingdoms, in the event of King William and Queen Anne dying without issue, was settled on the PrincessSophia, Electress of Hanover, and the heirs of her body being Protestants. The PrincessSophia was the youngest daughter of Elizabeth, queen of Bohemia, daughter of James I. By this act George I, son of the PrincessSophia, succeeded to the crown on the death of Queen Anne.
Another act of Settlement was, that by which, under Oliver Cromwell's government, a new allotment was made of almost all landed property in Ireland, in 1652. Research Act of Settlement
The Bangorian Controversy was a controversy stirred up by a sermon preached before George I in 1717 by Dr. Hoadly, bishop of Bangor, from the text 'My kingdom is not of this world,' in which the bishop contended in the most pronounced manner for the spiritual nature of Christ's kingdom. The controversy was carried on with great heat for many years, and resulted in an enormous collection of pamphlets. Research Bangorian Controversy
Brunswick was a distinguished German family founded by Albert Azo II., Marquis of Reggio and Modena, a descendant, by the female line, of Charlemagne. In 1047 he married Cunigunda, heiress of the Counts of Altorf, thus uniting the two houses of Este and Guelph. From his son, Guelph, who was created Duke of Bavaria in 1071, and married Judith of Flanders, a descendant of Alfred of England, descended Henry the Proud, who succeeded in 1125, and by marriage acquired Brunswick and Saxony. Otho, the great-grandson of Henry by a younger branch of his family, was the first who bore the title of Duke of Brunswick (1235). By the two sons of Ernest of Zeil, who became duke in 1532, the family was divided into the two branches of Brunswick -Wolfenbluttel (II.) and Brunswick-Hanover, from the latter of which comes the present royal family of Britain. The former was the German family in possession of the duchy of Brunswick until the death of the last duke in 1884. George Louis, son of ErnestAugustus and Sophia, granddaughter of James I of England, succeeded his father as Elector of Hanover in 1698, and was called to the throne of Great Britain in 1714 as George I. Research Brunswick
Charles Montage (Earl of Halifax) was an English poet and statesman. He was born in 1661 and died in 1715. He was educated at Westminster School and Trinity College, Cambridge. He first attracted notice by his verses, and in 1687 wrote in conjunction with Matthew Prior, The Town and Country Mouse. He entered the House of Commons as member for Maiden during the Convention Parliament, became a lord of the treasury in 1692, and chancellor of the exchequer in 1694. His administration was distinguished by the adoption of the funded debt system, and by the establishment of the Bank of England. In 1700 he was raised to the peerage as BaronHalifax, was twice impeached by the House of Commons, and remained out of office during the reign of Anne. Having taken an active part in securing the succession of the house of Brunswick, George I created him an earl, and bestowed on him the order of the Garter. He became first lord of the treasury in 1714. His character was a mixture of meanness and arrogance, but his taste in literature and the arts was good, and he had a great talent for finance. Research Charles Montague
Charles Townshend (2nd ViscountTownshend nicknamed Turnip Townshend on account of his love of agriculture) was a British politician. He was born in 1674 and died in 1738. The eldest son of Horatio, ViscountTownshend, he became viscount in 1687. Educated at Eton and King's College Cambridge, he soon became prominent in the House of Lords as a Whig. After some diplomatic experience in the Netherlands, he was chosen in 1714 as a secretary of state, and became one of the leading ministers of George I. In 1716 he left office, but returned in 1720 as president of the council. He was a secretary of state from 1721 until 1730, his brother-in-law, Walpole, being his chief colleague.
Charles Townshend was an English statesan. He was born in 1725 and died in 1767. He was made Commissioner of Trade and Plantations in 1749, and made a careful study of the American colonies. In 1763 he was made First Lord of Trade and Plantations. He ardently supported Grenville's Stamp Act in 1765 and was in favour of imposing upon the colonies heavy burdens. He advocated the annulling of the colonial charters and the establishment of a uniform system of Government. In 1766 he became Chancellor of the Exchequer. He secured the passage of an act in 1767 which levied burdensome duties on such articles as tea, paper and glass. Research Charles Townshend
Daniel Defoe was an English novelist and political writer. He was born in 1660 or 1661 in London and died in 1731. His father, James Foe, carried on the trade of a butcher. In 1686 He joined the insurrection of the Duke of Monmouth, and had the good fortune to escape; after which he made several unsuccessful attempts at business, and at last turned bis attention to literature.
In 1701 appeared his satire in verse, The True-born Englishman, in favour of William III. As a zealousWhig and Dissenter he was frequently in trouble. For publishing The Shortest Way with the Dissenters in 1702, the drift of which was misunderstood by both Churchmen and Dissenters, he was pilloried and imprisoned in Newgate, obtaining bis liberty through the influence of Harley, who employed him in several important missions, particularly in the negotiations for the union with Scotland, of which he wrote the history. While in Newgate, in 1704, he commenced the Review, a literary and political periodical which lasted for nine years. In 1705 he wrote a short account of the Apparition of Mrs Veal, a fictitious narrative accompanying a translation of Drelincourt on Death. In 1706 he published his largest poem, entitled Jure Divino, a satire on the doctrine of divine right.
In 1707 he was in Scotland, which he also visited several times subsequently in connection with political affairs, and as an agent of those in power. In 1719 appeared the most popular of all his performances: The Life and Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, the favourable reception of which was immediate and universal. The success of Daniel Defoe in this performance induced him to write a number of other lives and adventures in character; as Moll Flanders, Captain Singleton, Roxana, Duncan Campbell, The Memoirs of a Cavalier, Journal of the Plague, etc.
After the accession of George I he was employed by government in some underhand work connected with the obnoxious Jacobite press, and was a prolific contributor to periodical and ephemeral literature. Research Daniel Defoe
Dorigny was the name of several French painters and engravers. Michael Dorigny was born in 1617, became professor in the Academy at Paris, and died in 1665. Louis Dorigny, son of Michael Dorigny, was born in 1654, settled in Italy, and died in 1742. Sir Nicholas Dorigny, brother of Louis Dorigny, was born in 1658 at Paris, was the most celebrated of the three. He spent eight years in engraving the famous cartoons of Raphael at HamptonCourt, and was knighted by George I. He died in 1746. Research Dorigny
In 1547 Edward Seymour was made Duke Of Somerset but on his attainder in 1552, the title passed into abeyance, only to be restored in the person of his grandson, William Seymour, the husband of Lady Arabella Stuart, in 1660. He was succeeded by his grandson, William on whose death without heirs in 1671 it fell to John Seymour, the 2nd duke's youngest son. He too died without issue, and the dukedom devolved upon his cousin Francis who became the 5th duke in 1675. His brother, Charles, an important figure at the court of Anne and George I, became the 6th duke in 1678. Research Duke Of Somerset
Elizabeth Stuart was Queen of Bohemia. She was born in 1596 at Falkland Palace, Fifeshire and died in 1662. She was the daughter of James I of England (James VI of Scotland). Her marriage with the PalatineFrederick was celebrated at Whitehall in 1613. Her husband, then at the head of the Protestant interest in Germany, accepted in 1619 the crown of Bohemia offered to him by the revolted Protestants of that country; but after his defeat by the imperialists at the battle of Prague in 1620 he and his wife were obliged to flee, first to Breslau and Berlin, and then to the Hague. She returned to England at the Restoration with her nephew Charles II, and died at Leicester House, London, on the 13th of February 1662. Elizabeth had thirteen children, of whom Charles Louis, the eldest surviving, was reinstated in the palatinate by the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648. By her daughters, ElizabethCharlotte and Sophia, she was the ancestress of Louis Philippe and of George I, and her sons, Rupert and Maurice, became famous Cavalier leaders. Research Elizabeth Stuart
Eustace Budgell was an English writer. He was born in 1686 and died in 1737 He was first cousin to Addison, and went with him to Dublin in 1709 as secretary. On the accession of George I Eustace Budgell obtained several valuable Irish appointments, from which he was removed for an attack on the lord-lieutenant, the Duke of Bolton. He lost three-fourths of his fortune in the South Sea Bubble, and spent the rest in a fruitless attempt to get into parliament. Disgraced by an attempted fraud in connection with Dr. Matthew Tindal's will, he committed suicide by drowning in the Thames. He was best known for his articles in the Spectator which he signed 'X'. Research Eustace Budgell
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Act of Settlement
