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
Alliteration is the repetition of the same letter at the beginning of two or more words immediately succeeding each other, or at short intervals; as many men many minds; death defies the doctor. 'Apt alliteration's artful aid.' Churchhill. 'Puffs, powders, patches, bibles, billet-doux.' Pope. In the ancient German and Scandinavian and in early English poetry alliteration took the place of terminal rhymes, the alliterative syllables being made to recur with a certain regularity in the same position in successive verses. In the Vision of William Concerning Piers the Ploughman, for instance, it is regularly employed as in
the following lines: -
Hire robe was ful riche of red scarlet engreyned, With ribanes of red gold and of riche stones;
Hire arraye me ravysshed such ricchesse saw I
neyere; I had wondre what she was and whas wyf she
were.
In the hands of some English poets and prose writers of later times alliteration became a mere conceit. It is still employed in Icelandic poetry, and also in Finnish poetry. So far has alliteration sometimes been carried that long compositions have been written every word of which commenced with the same letter. Research Alliteration
The Arkansas Gazette was the first newspaper published in Arkansas. The first edition, with less than 100 copies printed, was issued at the then territorial capital of Arkansas Post on November 20 1819 by William E Woodruff. The Arkansas Gazette ceased publication in 1991, when it was sold to the rival Democrat-Gazette newspaper and became the 'Arkansas Democrat-Gazette'. Research Arkansas Gazette
The Arundelian Marbles are a series of ancient sculptured marbles discovered by William Petty, who explored the ruins of Greece at the expense of and for Thomas Howard, earl of Arundel, who lived in the time of James I and Charles I, and was a liberal patron of scholarship and art. After the Restoration they were presented by the grandson of the collector to the University of Oxford. Among them is the Parian Chronicle, a chronological account of the principal events in Grecian, and particularly in Athenian history, during a period of 1318 years, from the reign of Cecrops (1450 BC) to the archonship of Diognetus (264 BC). Research Arundelian Marbles
An aviary is a building, or a portion of a building, netted off, or a large cage designed for keeping, breeding and rearing birds. Aviaries appear to have been used by the Persians, Greeks, and Romans, and are highly prized in China. In England they were in use at least as early as 1577, when William Harrison refers to 'ourcostlie and curious aviaries.' An aviary may be simply a kind of very large cage; but the term usually has a wider scope than this. Research Aviary
Bacon's Rebellion in 1676 was an uprising in Virginia, North America, led by an English immigrant, Nathaniel Bacon. Dissident county leaders and landless ex-servants followed his opposition to Sir William Berkeley. Though he was initially successful, Bacon died soon after the passage of reforms in the Virginian Assembly. Underlying the rebellion were problems caused by depressed tobacco prices and lack of colonial autonomy. Research Bacon's Rebellion
The Bayeux-tapestry is a tapestry preserved in the Cathedral of Bayeux, representing the events in William of Normandy's conquest of England. It is thought to have been wrought by his queen, Matilda, and to have been presented by Odo, bishop of Bayeux, the half-brother of William, to the church in which it was found. It is 214 feet in length and 20 inches in breadth, and is divided into seventy-two compartments, the subject of each scene being indicated by a Latin inscription. These scenes give a pictorial history of the invasion and conquest of England by the Normans, beginning with Harold's visit to the Norman court, and ending with his death at Hastings. Research Bayeux-Tapestry
Brasenose is one of the colleges of Oxford University, founded by William Smith, bishop of Lincoln, and Sir Richard Sutton, in 1509. The origin of the name is doubtful, but there is a large nose of brass over the entrance. The college is very rich in endowments. Research Brasenose
The Bridgewater Treatises were a series of books, the outcome of the will of the Reverend Henry Francis, Earl of Bridgewater, who died in 1829, bequeathing a sum of 8000 pounds, which should be paid to the person or persons chosen to write and publish 1000 copies of a work on the power, wisdom, and goodness of God as manifested in the creation. The result was eight works on animal and vegetablephysiology, astronomy, geology, the history, habits, and instincts of animals, etc, which at one time enjoyed great popularity. The names of the writers are Dr. Chalmers, Dr. Kidd, Dr. Whewell, Sir Charles Bell, Dr. Roget, Dr. Buckland, Reverend William Kirby, and Dr. Prout. Research Bridgewater Treatises
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Act of Settlement
