Four Times of the Day is 29 May, Oak Apple Day, a public holiday which celebrated the Restoration of the monarchy (demonstrated by the oak boughs above the barber's sign and on some of the subjects' hats, which recall the royal oak tree in which Charles II hid after losing the Battle of Worcester in 1651). Alternatively, Sean Shesgreen has suggested that the date is 3 September, commemorating the battle of Worcester itself, a dating that preserves the seasonal progression from winter to spring to summer to autumn. Charing Cross was a central staging post for coaches, but the congested narrow road was a frequent
Usury Act 1660 Usury Act 1660 The Usury Act 1660 is an Act of the Parliament of England (12 Car. II. c. 13) with the long title "An Act for restraining the taking of Excessive Usury". The purpose of the Act was to reduce the interest rate from 8% to 6%. The legislation had been enacted in 1651 under the Commonwealth, but this Act was passed to confer legality on the measure following the Restoration of Charles II after the English Civil War. It was amended by the Usury Act 1840 (3&4 Vict, c.83), the Usury Act 1841 (4&5 Vict, c.54), the Usury