A Brief Historical Relation of State Affairs from September 1678 to April 1714

Narcissus Luttrell (1657–1732) was a civil servant and book collector, best remembered for the detailed record he kept of the political and diplomatic events of the late seventeenth century. After attending St Johns College, Cambridge, Luttrell was called to the Bar in 1680. He served as Justice of the Peace for Middlesex between 1693 and 1723 and was twice elected to the House of Commons. These volumes, first published in 1857, contain Luttrell's detailed diary. Arranged by month, this work provides a rich and valuable account of events between 1678 and 1714, including the political turmoil that led to the flight of James II and the accession of William and Mary. Volume 5 covers the years 1701–5, describing in detail political and social reactions to the death of William III and the accession of Queen Anne, and the beginning of the War of the Spanish Succession.