1688 – 1702 William and Mary 1688 – 1694
1689 The Toleration Act was passed which made it lawful for Dissenters and Nonconformists to worship freely and to vote providing they met the relevant property qualifications.
1689 William III gave the title Earl of Brentford to Frederick Marshal de Schomberg who came with him from Holland. The title was inherited by his son, Meinherd who lived at Little Hillingdon and was the last Duke of Schomberg and Earl of Brentford.
1690 The Battle of the Boyne was fought in Ireland when William III defeated Catholic forces supporting the exiled James Il.
1691 A warrant was issued against James Hobbs for taking Mr Clitherow’s ducks. He was convicted of killing game.
1694 The Bank of England was established.
1696 The Justices received a complaint that William Buck, the petty constable of New Brentford ‘was so in drink that he was unfit to execute his office’. He was to be fined 5/- or committed to the stocks.
1698 The Poll Tax was abandoned as it was unpopular and difficult to collect.
1700 A line of elm trees were planted in the Butts.
1701 The Act of Settlement was passed confirming that anyone who was a Catholic or married to a Catholic was not able to inherit the Crown.
1701 The Middlesex Parliamentary elections were first held on the Butts and continued there for all of the 18th century. This was one of the reasons the town became known as the County Town.
The History of Brentford 