Election to Parliament
Is elected Member of Parliament for Newtown on the Isle of Wight and serves during the short 1679 Parliament.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1679 in England
Explore 33 historical events and records for England in 1679.
Historical records for England in 1679
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 33 of 33 unique records.
33Unique records
1 of 1Page
27Named events on this page
16Named people on this page
9Places on this page
March
June
Battle of Bothwell Bridge
Crushes the Covenanters rebellion, "the Protestant Dukes" finest hour
Covenanters
Crushes the Covenanters rebellion, "the Protestant Dukes" finest hour
Rebellion of Crushes the Covenanters
Crushes the Covenanters rebellion, "the Protestant Dukes" finest hour
September
Succession
Assured by the Mayor of London that if the King dies he will succeed
November
Newton Correspondence
Corresponds with Newton about falling bodies and orbital paths.
December
Death of Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes dies at Hardwick Hall.
Other events (month unknown)
Battle of Bothwell Bridge
Defeats the Covenanters
Battle of Drumclog
Defeated by the Covenanters
Covenanters
Defeats the Covenanters
Covenanters
Defeated by the Covenanters
Duke of York's Scottish Mission
Accompanies the Duke of York to Scotland and acts as a trusted intermediary between James and Charles II.
Exile of Anne
Joins James II in exile
Exile of James II
Forced into exile after the Popish Plot, awy from England for 2 years
Exile of James Scott
Returns to England against Charles IIs orders while the Duke of York is in Scotland
First Lord of the Treasury
Appointed First Lord of the Treasury
Halley Visits Hevelius in Danzig
Halley travelled to Danzig to assess the astronomical observations of Johannes Hevelius.
Inner Council-Temple
Appointed Member of Inner Council
Legislation
Simplifies the issue of writs, more than the King's Court can issue them. Passes the Habeas Corpus Act known as the "Shaftsburys Act"
Legislation
Supports the exclusion bill to keep the Catholic James II from the throne
Lord of the Treasury
Appointed Lord of the Treasury
Parliament
Parliament dissolves before the 1st Act of Succession is passed
Peerage
Created Earl then Marquis of Halifax
Privy Council
Appointed President of the Privy Council
Privy Council
Appointed Member of Privy Council, 2nd term
Reform of Habeas Corpus
Simplifies the issue of writs, more than the King's Court can issue them. Passes the Habeas Corpus Act known as the "Shaftsburys Act"
Reform of Privy Council
Attempts to reform the Privy Council, without much success
Reform of Royal Succession
1st of 3 Exclusion Bills from the Country Party to exclude James from the succession
Speaker of House of Commons
Appointed Speaker of the House of Commons
Succession
Supports the exclusion bill to keep the Catholic James II from the throne
Treaty of Nijmegen
Helps negotiate peace Treaty between England & Holland
Westminster Abbey Organist Appointment
Appointed Organist at Westminster Abbey
Wren Reconstructs Saint Mary Aldermary
The reconstruction of St Mary Aldermary was associated with Wren's office, although his personal design role remains disputed.
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.