'' by
Henry Perronet Briggs • February –
Nell Gwyn retires from the stage and moves into a brick
townhouse at
79 Pall Mall, London. • 13 March – The
Parliament of England addresses the King against the growth of
popery. • 22 March – The
Sabine baronetcy is created for John Sabine. • 31 March – The
Royal Navy launches 102-gun
HMS Royal James at
Portsmouth Royal Dockyard, its first warship to have a frame reinforced by iron bars rather than an all wooden ship, an innovation by naval architect
Anthony Deane. • c. 23 April – First record of
ice cream being served in England, to the King at Windsor. • 9 May –
Thomas Blood, disguised as a clergyman, attempts to steal the
Crown Jewels from the
Tower of London. He is immediately caught because he is too drunk to run with the loot. He is later condemned to death and then pardoned and exiled by
King Charles II. • 6 September – The Royal Court dispatches a letter to the "King of Formosa" (
Zheng Jing, ruler of the
Kingdom of Tungning) confirming that English ships will be welcome to trade at the "City of Tywan" (
Taipei on the island of
Taiwan). • 9 November – The
Duke of York's Theatre is opened at Dorset Garden in London by the players of the
Duke's Company. • Late – French lady-in-waiting
Louise de Kérouaille becomes a mistress to the King. ==Publications==