A Source-Book of English Social History

by M. E. Monckton Jones

CAUSES OF THE FIRE OF LONDON

(Stow, I, p. 227)

“Natural causes which might occasion such a general ruin.”

1. The Time of the Night when it first began, viz., between One and Two of the Clock after Midnight, when all were in a dead Sleep.

2. It was Saturday Night, when many of the most eminent Citizens, Merchants and others, were retired into the Country, and none but servants left to look to their City Houses.

3. It was in the Long Vacation ... when many wealthy Citizens and Tradesmen are wont to be in the Country at Fairs, and getting in of Debts, and making up Accounts with their Chapmen.

4. The closeness of the Building and Narrowness of the Streets, in the Places where it began [i.e., Pudding Lane] did much to facilitate the Progress of the Fire; by hindring of the Engines to be brought to play upon the Houses on Fire.

5. The Matter of which the Houses, all thereabouts, were; viz. Timber, and those very old.

6. The Dryness of the preceding Season; there having been a great Drought even to that very Day, and all the Time that the Fire continued, which had so dried the Timber, that it was never more apt to take Fire.

7. The Nature of the Wares and Commodities stowed and vended in those Parts, were the most Combustible of any other sold in the whole City: as Oyl, Pitch, Tar, Cordage, Hemp, Flax, Rosin, Wax, Butter, Cheese, Wine, Brandy, Sugar, etc.

8. An Easterly Wind (which is the dryest of all others)—had blown for several Days together before; and at that Time very strongly.

9. The unexpected failing of the Water thereabouts at that Time; For the Engine at the North End of Tower Bridge, called the Thames Water Tower (which supplied all that part of the City with Thames Water) was out of Order, and in a few Hours was itself burnt down, so that the Water Pipes, which conveyed the Water from thence through the Streets were soon empty.

10. Lastly: An unusual Negligence at first, and a confidence of easily quenching it, and of its stopping at several probable places afterwards; turned at length to a Confusion, Consternation and Despair; People choosing rather by Flight to save their Goods, than by a vigorous Opposition to save their own Houses and the whole City.

To all which Reasons must not be passed over the general Suspicion that most then had of Incendiaries, laying combustible Stuff in many Places, having observed divers distant Houses to be on Fire together. And many were then taken up on Suspicion.

THE REBUILDING OF THE CITY

(Ibid., p. 231)

Notwithstanding the extraordinary Losses by the forementioned Fire, the devouring Pestilence in this City the Year preceding, and the chargeable War with the Dutch at that Time depending yet by ... the Diligence and Activity of the Lord Maior, Aldermen, and Commoners of the said City (who were almost the only Losers by that fatal Accident) was in the Space of Four or Five Years well nigh rebuilded.

RULES AND DIRECTIONS TO BE OBSERVED IN THE REBUILDING

2. That there shall be only four Sorts of Buildings and no more; and that all manner of Houses so to be Erected shall be of one of those four Sorts of Building and no other.

The first and least sort of Houses, fronting By-streets or Lanes.

The second Sort of Houses, fronting Streets or Lanes of Note.

The third Sort of Houses, fronting high and principal Streets.

The fourth and last of Mansion Houses for Merchants, Citizens or other Persons of extraordinary Quality; not fronting either of those former Ways. And the Roofs of each of the first three Sorts of Houses shall be uniform.

3. That all the Outsides of all Buildings in and about the said City be henceforth made of Brick or Stone, or of Brick and Stone together.

5. That the Houses of the least sort of Building, fronting By-streets or Lanes, shall be of two Stories high.... The first Storey Nine Foot high from the Floor to the Ceiling; and the second Storey Nine Foot. That all Walls in Front and Rear (so high as the first Storey) be of the full Thickness of two Bricks at length; and upwards to the Garrets of the thickness of one Brick and a half; and the Walls at the Eves of the Garrets not to be less than one Brick.

9. And for the greater Grace and Uniformity of the Buildings in the high and principal Streets, it is Enacted, That all Houses hereafter to be erected in any of them shall have Balconies Four Foot broad with Rails and Bars of Iron, equally distant from the Ground....

10. That no Builder ... be permitted to lay his first Floor over the Cellar, more than 13 inches above the Street, or less than Six, with one circular Step to lead up thereto to be placed without the Building. And that no Trap Doors or Open Grates be in any wise suffered to be made into any such Cellar or Warehouse without the Foundations of the Front; but that all Lights to be made into any of them be henceforth made upright, and not otherwise. And that no Bulks, Jetties, Windows, Ports, Seats or anything of like Sort, shall be made or erected, in any Streets, Lanes, or By-lanes, to extend beyond the ancient Foundation of Houses ... it shall be lawful for the Inhabitants, to suffer their Stall-boards when their Shop Windows are set open to turn over Eleven Inches, and no more from the Foundation of their Houses into the Streets, for the better conveniency of their Shop Windows.

LONDON NIGHT-WATCHES

(Stow, ibid., p. 256)

Besides the standing Watches, all in bright Harness, in every Ward and Street in this City and Suburbs, there was also a marching Watch, that passed through the principal Streets thereof, to wit, from the Little Conduit by Paul’s Gate through West Cheap, by the Stocks, through Cornhill (etc., etc.), to Aldgate and up Grasse Church Street into Cornhill, and through into West Cheap again, and so broke up. The whole Way (measured) ... 3200 Taylors Yards of Assize. For the Furniture whereof with Lights, there were appointed 700 Cressets, 500 of them being formed by the Companies, the other 200 by the Chamber of London. Besides the which Lights, every Constable in London, in number more than 240 had his Cresset ... and every Cresset had two Men, one to bear or hold it, another to bear a Bag with Light, and to serve it: so that the Poor Men pertaining to the Cressets taking Wages, besides that everyone had a Strawen Hat, with a Badge painted, and his Breakfast, amounted in number to almost 2000. The Marching Watch contained in number about 2000 Men; part of them being old Soldiers, of skill to be Captains, etc., ... Drummers, Demi-launces on great Horses, Gunners with hand Guns, ... Archers in Coats of white Fustian, signed on the Breast and Back with the Arms of the City, their Bows bent in their Hands, with Sheafs of Arrows by their Sides, Pikemen in bright Corselets, ... Bellmen in Almain Rivets, and Aprons of Mail in great Number.

There were also divers Pageants, Morris Dancers, Constables, the one half of which was 120, on St. John’s Eve, the other half on St. Peter’s Eve, in bright Harness, some over Gilt, and every one a Jornet of Scarlet thereupon, and a Chain of Gold, his Hench Men following him, his Minstrels before him, and his Cornet Light passing by him: the Waits of the City, the Maior’s Officers, for his Guard before him, all in a Livery of Worsted or Sea Jackets, party-coloured; the Maior himself, well mounted on Horseback, the Sword Bearer before him in fair Armour, well mounted also; the Maior’s Foot Men, and the like Torch Bearers about him; Hench Men twain, upon great Stirring Horses following him.

WRESTLING AT SKINNER’S WELL

(Ibid., p. 257)

In the Month of August, about the Feast of S. Bartholomew the Apostle, before the Lord Maior, Aldermen and Sheriffs of London, placed in a large Tent near unto Clerkenwell, of old time were divers Days spent in the Pastime of Wrestling; where the Officers of the City, namely the Sheriffs, Sergeants and Yeomen, the Porters of the King’s Beam, or Weigh House (now no such Men) and other of the City, were challengers of all Men in the Suburbs, to wrestle for Games appointed. And on other Days, before the said Maior, Aldermen and Sheriffs, in Finsbury Field to shoot the Standard, broad Arrow and flight, for Games. But now of late Years, the wrestling is only practised on Bartholomew Day in the Afternoon, and the Shooting some three or four Days after, in one Afternoon and no more.

What should I speak of the ancient, daily Exercises in the long bow by Citizens of this City, now almost cleanly left off and forsaken? I overpass it. For by the Means of closing in of Common Grounds, our Archers for want of room to shoot Abroad, creep into Bowling Alleys, and ordinary Dicing Houses, near Home; where they have room enough to hazard their Money at unlawful Games, where I leave them to take their pleasures.

This was one of the great Uses of Publick Houses in former Time, namely for Game and Exercise rather than for drinking excessively....

Now a Days the Recreations of the Citizens, besides Drinking, are Cockfighting, Bowling greens, Tables, Cards, Dice, Billiard Tables, Musick Entertainments, Dancing, Masks, Balls, Stage Plays, Club Meetings in Evenings, Riding out on Horseback, Hunting with My Lord Maior’s Pack of Dogs, when the Common Hunt goes out; the Citizens having Privilege by their Charter to hunt in Middlesex, Hertfordshire, in the Chilterns, and in Kent as far as Gray Water.

The more common sort divert themselves at Football; Wrestling, Cudgels, Ninepins, Shovelboard, Cricket, Stowball, Ringing of Bells, Quoits, pitching the Bar, Bull and Bear baiting, throwing at Cocks.