Events
- 1 January - Count Carl Gyllenborg, the Swedish ambassador, is arrested in London over a plot to assist the Pretender James Francis Edward Stuart.
- 4 January - The Dutch Republic, Britain and France sign the Triple Alliance.
- February - As part of the treaty between France and Britain, James Stuart leaves France and seeks refuge with the Pope.
- 2 March - Dancer John Weaver performs in the first ballet in Britain, shown at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, The Loves of Mars and Venus.
- 31 March - Benjamin Hoadly, Bishop of Bangor, extends the Bangorian Controversy by delivering a sermon to, and supposedly at the request of, King George on The Nature of the Kingdom of Christ with the text "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36), concluding there is no Biblical justification for church government.
- 24 June - Grand Lodge of London and Westminster, the first Freemasonic Grand Lodge (now the United Grand Lodge of England), is founded.
- 1 July - Robert Harley, Earl of Oxford, is acquitted of conspiracy with the French to put the Pretender on the throne.
- 17 July - George Frideric Handel's Water Music performed on a barge on the River Thames for King George I.
- September - The first known Druid revival ceremony is held by John Toland at Primrose Hill, in London, at the Autumnal Equinox, to found the Mother Grove, which is later to become the Ancient Order of Druids.
- November - A rift between the King and his son the Prince of Wales leads to the latter being banished from the royal household.
- The King ceases to attend meetings of the Cabinet regularly.
- The Board of Ordnance establishes an Officer Corps of Engineers within the British Army, the immediate predecessor of the Royal Engineers.
Read more about this topic: 1717 In Great Britain
Famous quotes containing the word events:
“All strange and terrible events are welcome,
But comforts we despise.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“This is certainly not the place for a discourse about what festivals are for. Discussions on this theme were plentiful during that phase of preparation and on the whole were fruitless. My experience is that discussion is fruitless. What sets forth and demonstrates is the sight of events in action, is living through these events and understanding them.”
—Doris Lessing (b. 1919)
“There are no little events in life, those we think of no consequence may be full of fate, and it is at our own risk if we neglect the acquaintances and opportunities that seem to be casually offered, and of small importance.”
—Amelia E. Barr (1831–1919)