Execution of John Nelson
John Nelson is executed for Catholic priesthood and refusal to acknowledge Elizabeth I's religious supremacy.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1578 in England
Explore 13 historical events and records for England in 1578.
Historical records for England in 1578
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 13 of 13 unique records.
13Unique records
1 of 1Page
11Named events on this page
10Named people on this page
3Places on this page
February
Execution of Thomas Sherwood
Thomas Sherwood is executed after conviction under the Act of Supremacy for refusing to recognise Elizabeth's ecclesiastical authority.
April
Death of Mary Grey
Mary Grey dies childless, removing the youngest Grey sister from the succession landscape and leaving Catherine Grey's disputed sons as the principal Suffolk descendants.
Other events (month unknown)
Chief Baron of the Court of Exchequer
Appointed Chief Baron of the Court of Exchequer
Circumnavigation
The Pelican is renamed the Golden Hind. All the ships in the fleet separate but all return to England
Circumnavigation
The fleet passes through the straits of Magellan
Exile of William Allen
Transfers his seminary from The Netherlands to France after falling out with Spain
Knighthood
Awarded a Knighthood
Marriage
Dudley marries Lettice Knollys, widow of Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex
Marriage
Dudley marries Lettice Knollys, widow of Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex
Privy Council
Appointed member of the Privy Council
Queens Spokesman
Apppointed the Queens Spokesman in the House of Commons
Reform of Religious Policy
Issues a new Book of discipline which acknowledges the General Assembly
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.