In 1702 "William III" died and Queen Anne came to the thrown. Anne was the last of the House Of Stuart. She was succeeded in 1717 by a second cousin George I - the first of the Hanoverian monarchs.

The power of the monarchy was diminishing by this time, and the fact that George I spoke only German did not help. Power was moving more towards Parliament and the Prime Minister.

"George I" passed away in 1727 and was succeeded by his son George II (1683 - 1760), George II was in turn succeeded by George III (1738 - 1820).

The seventeen hundreds was a time a great economic boom in England. With textiles, coal, cotton, and iron all proving to be boom industries especially for the north of England. It was also a time of great explorers such as James Cook, and the expansion of the developing British empire.

In 1745 Scarborough prepared its medieval defenses for war for the last time in fear of a return of the Stuarts to the thrown through the efforts of Bonnie Prince Charlie , and the Jacobites. These concerns were eventually extinguished in 1746 - though new barracks were constructed in Scarborough Castle as a precaution.

Disputes with France and Spain, especially over America and American independence, were ongoing throughout this century. John Paul Jones , one of the very few American Naval commanders to bring the American War of Independence to the shore lines of England, reputedly defeated two British war ships in the Scarborough bay in 1779.

The authority of the Monarchy, and church were substantially curtailed, and the laws, and taxes that most affected everyone’s lives were through Parliament. There was a vigorous resistance to ruling monopolies and an overwhelming sense of liberty and freedom among the English - most especially among a growing middle class. A main proponent for civil liberties during this period was John Wilkes .

Taxes became the main grievance of the common person. Highway robbery became quite common along with smuggling. The famous Highwaymen, Dick Turpin , was hung in York. Smugglers enjoyed an active trade along the coastline from Whitby down to Scarborough - as well as along much of the rest of the British coastline. The Tax collectors where very unpopular. This quite often made the highwaymen and smugglers popular and in some cases legendary. Piracy was also common on the open seas.

In 1752 a York to Scarborough Turnpike Trust was set-up, and a anti-tax petition movement began in 1780, in Yorkshire, and spread throughout the country complaining that taxes were too high and that the government was wasting money - sounds familiar...

In Scarborough, the first Spa was built in the beginning of the century by Dicky Dickerson, and was destroyed in 1735 by the sea, and destroyed again in 1738 by an earthquake. The Harbour pier was extended to 1200ft in 1732.