1560The Treaty of Berwick (see picture of Berwick) which would expel the French from Scotland, was signed by England and the Protestant noblemen known as the Congregation of Scotland.

1700The island of New Britain (close to New Guinea) was discovered by William Dampier, English buccaneer, sea captain, author and scientific observer. He dubbed the island with the Latin name Nova Britannia.

1735The death of John Arbuthnot, English satirist and creator of 'John Bull', the character that symbolized Britain.

1776Pitt the Younger resigned his commission in the army rather than fight America.

1812Poet Lord Byron gave his first address as a member of the House of Lords. He argued in defence of Luddite violence against industrialism in his home county of Nottinghamshire.

1848The birth of Hubert Parry, English composer. As a composer he is best known for the choral song 'Jerusalem', based on Blake's poem that begins with the lines - 'And did those feet in ancient time. Walk upon England's mountains green.' The term 'dark Satanic Mills', referenced in the poem, is interpreted as referring to the early Industrial Revolution that destroyed nature and human relationships. The family's country house was two miles west of Gloucester.

1868Benjamin Disraeli became Prime Minister of Britain.

1900The British Labour Party was founded. Ramsay MacDonald became secretary.

1907London's main criminal court, the Old Bailey was built, on the site of Newgate Prison.

1932The birth, in London, of the film actress Elizabeth Taylor. Her first success was in the 1944 film National Velvet. She played the title role in Cleopatra (1963) and married her co-star Richard Burton (twice).

1981The former Prime Minister Harold Wilson announced that he would not be standing for Parliament again at the next General Election.

1991The Gulf War came to an end with the liberation of Kuwait & the retreat of Iraqi forces.

1999While trying to circumnavigate the world in a hot air balloon, British pilots Colin Prescot and Andy Elson set a new endurance record after being in a hot air balloon for 233 hours and 55 minutes.

2002Spike Milligan, Irish comedian and writer died, aged 83. After the death of his friend Harry Secombe from cancer on 11th April 2001, Milligan said, "I'm glad he died before me, because I didn't want him to sing at my funeral." On his headstone is inscribed "I'Duirt mé leat go raibh mé breoite", which is Irish for "I told you I was ill." He was the favourite comic of Prince Charles who wrote a letter congratulating Milligan on winning a Lifetime Achievement Award, whereupon the comic, on live TV, jokingly labelled the Prince a "grovelling little bastard".

2012The first 12 Nature Improvement Areas (NIAs) were announced, to help protect and enhance wildlife and ecosystems.

2014An 'unreserved apology' was issued by the government to the family of 47 year old Sheila Holt from Rochdale who was sent a letter encouraging her to find work, even though she had been in a coma for two months. She was sectioned under the Mental Health Act in December after struggling to cope with the government’s controversial new back-to-work scheme and had a heart attack on 17th December.

2015 Former pop star Gary Glitter was jailed for 16 years for having sex with a 12 year old girl, attempting to rape an 8 year old and repeatedly molesting a third. Glitter was told by the judge that the sentence would have been longer if the offences had taken place today rather than in the 1970s. Glitter (real name Paul Gadd) was jailed in 1999 after admitting possessing 4,000 indecent images of children and was also jailed in Vietnam in 2002 after being found guilty of sexually abusing two girls aged 10 and 11.

2023 The legal age of marriage in England and Wales was raised to 18 to protect the damaging impact of forced marriages. 16 and 17 year olds will no longer be allowed to marry or enter a civil partnership, even if they have parental consent.

2023 The death (aged 93) of Betty Boothroyd, British politician and the only woman to date, in over 700 years, to have served as Speaker of the House of Commons.

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