1653 in England

• Lord Protector – Oliver Cromwell (starting 16 December)

• 18–20 February (28 February–2 March New Style) – First Anglo–Dutch War: Battle of Portland off the Isle of Portland. Both sides claim victory but the English retain control of the Channel.
• 14 March – First Anglo–Dutch War: Battle of Leghorn: A Dutch fleet defeats the English in the Mediterranean but the Dutch commander, Johan van Galen, later dies of his wounds.
• 18 April – London–York stagecoach first recorded.
• 20 April – Oliver Cromwell dissolves the Rump Parliament.
• 2–3 June (12–13 June New Style) – First Anglo-Dutch War: Battle of the Gabbard off the coast of Suffolk: The English navy defeats the Dutch fleet, which loses 17 ships.{{cite book|last=Palmer|first=Alan|last2=Palmer|first2=Veronica|year=1992|title=The Chronology of British History|publisher=Century Ltd|location=London|pages=185–186|isbn=0-7126-5616-2}}
• 4 July–12 December – the Barebones Parliament meets in London.
• 8 July – John Thurloe becomes Cromwell's head of intelligence.{{cite web|first=Timothy|last=Venning|title=Thurloe, John (bap. 1616, d. 1668)|work=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2004|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/27405|access-date=2012-07-10|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/27405}} {{ODNBsub}}
• 8–10 August – Battle of Scheveningen: the final naval battle of the First Anglo-Dutch War is fought, between the fleets of the Commonwealth and the United Provinces off the Texel; the English navy gains a tactical victory over the Dutch fleet.
• 16 December – Instrument of Government: Britain's first written constitution, under which Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland,{{cite book|title=Penguin Pocket On This Day|publisher=Penguin Reference Library|isbn=0-14-102715-0|year=2006}}{{cite web|title=Commonwealth Instrument of Government, 1653|url=http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1653intrumentgovt.asp|work=Modern History Sourcebook|publisher=Fordham University|location=New York|date=August 1998|access-date=2012-07-10}} being advised by a remodelled Council of State. This is the start of The First Protectorate, bringing an end to the first period of republican government in the country, the Commonwealth of England.

• Cornelius Vermuyden completes excavation of the Forty Foot Drain and associated works for reclamation of The Fens.
• Sir Robert Shirley has a new parish church built at Staunton Harold in Leicestershire.

• Izaak Walton's discourse The Compleat Angler.

• 10 March – John Benbow, admiral (died 1702 in Jamaica)
• 2 April – Prince George of Denmark, consort of Anne, Queen of Great Britain (died 1708)
• 5 July – Thomas Pitt, Governor of Madras (died 1726){{cite web |title=Thomas Pitt {{!}} British merchant |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Pitt |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=20 September 2021 |language=en}}
• 9 August – John Oldham, poet (died 1683)
• 14 August – Christopher Monck, 2nd Duke of Albemarle, statesman (died 1688)
• 3 September – Roger North, lawyer and biographer (died 1734)

• 21 January – John Digby, 1st Earl of Bristol, diplomat (born 1580)
• 25 March – Nicholas Martyn, politician (born 1593)
• 26 May – Robert Filmer, political theorist (born 1588)
• 22 October – Thomas de Critz, painter (born 1607)
• December – John Taylor, "The Water Poet" (born 1578)

{{Reflist}}

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Category:Years of the 17th century in England