1702 in England

Events from the year 1702 in England. This year sees a change of monarch.

← 1701 1700 1699 1702 in England → 1703 1704 1705
Centuries:	16th 17th 18th 19th 20th
Decades:	1680s 1690s 1700s 1710s 1720s
See also:	Other events of 1702

Incumbents

• Monarch – William III (until 8 March), Anne (starting 8 March)
• Parliament – 6th of King William III (until 2 July), 1st of Queen Anne (starting 20 August)

Queen Anne c.1702

Events

• 20 February – William III falls from his horse, Sorrel, in Richmond Park after it stumbles on a molehill and breaks his clavicle.[1]
• 8 March (19 March N.S.) – William III dies of complications following his accident; his sister-in-law Anne Stuart, Princess of Denmark, becomes Queen Anne of England.[2]
• 11 March (22 March N.S.) – the first regular English language national newspaper, The Daily Courant, is published for the first time[2] in Fleet Street in the City of London; it covers only foreign news.
• 23 April – coronation of Queen Anne in Westminster Abbey.[3]
• 4 May (14 May N.S.) – War of the Spanish Succession: England, the Dutch Republic and the Holy Roman Empire declare war on France as part of the Grand Alliance.[4]
• 8 May – Lord Godolphin becomes Lord High Treasurer at the urging his friend and political ally John Churchill, Earl of Marlborough establishing the Godolphin–Marlborough ministry which will remain in power until 1710.[5]
• June – War of the Spanish Succession: Queen Anne's Captain-General Marlborough forces the surrender of Kaiserswerth on the Rhine.
• July – general election results in victory for the Tories.[3]
• September – War of the Spanish Succession: Churchill forces the surrender of Venlo on the River Meuse.
• 27 October – English troops plunder St. Augustine in Florida.[4]
• October – War of the Spanish Succession: George Rooke fails to take Cádiz, but captures a Spanish treasure fleet and destroys French and Spanish warships.
• 23 October – War of the Spanish Succession:
  • Churchill forces the surrender of Liège.[4]
  • At the Battle of Vigo Bay, the Anglo-Dutch fleet defeats that of France and Spain.
• December – Daniel Defoe publishes his satiric pamphlet The Shortest Way with the Dissenters (anonymously).
• 14 December – John Churchill is created Duke of Marlborough.

Undated

• Castle Howard in Yorkshire completed, to the design of John Vanbrugh and Nicholas Hawksmoor.[3]
• George Sorocold erects machinery at Cotchetts' silk spinning mill in Derby, making it one of the earliest examples of a factory.[6]
• John Kersey publishes A New English Dictionary; or, a complete collection of the most proper and significant words, commonly used in the language.

Births

• 4 March – Jack Sheppard, burglar and escapee (died 1724)
• 26 June – Philip Doddridge, religious leader (died 1751)
• 5 November – Edward Stone, polymath (died 1768)
• Undated – Benjamin Stillingfleet, botanist (died 1771)

Deaths

• 8 March – King William III (born 1650 in The Hague, Netherlands)
• 23 April – Margaret Fell, Quaker leader (born 1614)
• 28 September – Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland, statesman (born 1640)
• 15 October – Frances Stewart, Duchess of Richmond, courtier (born 1647)
• 4 November – John Benbow, admiral (born 1653)

References

1. "History of King William III of England". Outline of Great Books. 2003. Retrieved 2012-10-27.
2. Penguin Pocket On This Day. Penguin Reference Library. 2006. ISBN 0-14-102715-0.
3. Palmer, Alan; Palmer, Veronica (1992). The Chronology of British History. London: Century Ltd. pp. 201–202. ISBN 0-7126-5616-2.
4. Williams, Hywel (2005). Cassell's Chronology of World History. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. p. 290. ISBN 0-304-35730-8.
5. Frances Harris. The General in Winter: The Marlborough-Godolphin Friendship and the Reign of Anne. 2017. p.108-110
6. Fairclough, K. R. (September 2004). "Sorocold, George (c.1668–1738?)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/47971. Retrieved 2010-07-05. (subscription or UK public library membership required)

See also