Posted on 09/04/2016 8:28:02 PM PDT by dynachrome
This is the story of a city on knife's edge, riven by religious and political tensions, made vulnerable to disaster by its own neglect and avarice. It is a story of official blunders which turned a minor, commonplace accident into an all-consuming conflagration. It's a story of chaos, mass hysteria, profiteering and racist violence – but it is also a story of some heroism and charity, from royal and commoner alike. It unfolds over 72 hours, beginning at midnight on September 2, 1666, and ending at the climax of the fire's worse day. Of course, in an era without reliable watches, all timings are approximate.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Well, at least it did clean out the rats and caused the plague to lessen. The morbidity and mortality sheets showed people were still dying of plague even though it had mostly “burned” out till the fire hit.
Thanks for posting.
Long read, but worth it!
"According to the chronicler John Stow, it is named after the "pudding" (a medieval word for offal) which would fall from the carts coming down the lane from the butchers in Eastcheap as they headed for the waste barges on the River Thames. In Stow's words, "the Butchers of Eastcheape have their skalding House for Hog there, and their puddings with other filth of Beasts, are voided down that way to their dung boats on the Thames." The original name of the lane was "Offal Pudding Lane".
According to his diary, Samuel Pepys took refuge in "a little alehouse on bankside ... and there watched the fire grow". Historians believe that the alehouse is the Anchor Tavern on Bankside in London. The name Pepys is pronounced "Peeps."
Thanks, very interesting article.
Very interesting.
Bottom line: the fire was started by faggots.
LOL. Clever!
ping
A couple of years ago, I was doing family research and came to find that original descendant who came out of England....was a life-long London resident and left about two months after the fire. He lived up on the north side of the river.
I too have ancestors on my mother’s side who came from England, but haven’t yet pin-pointed the exact area. The Fox and Way families settled in the Long Island area, then moved to Fishkill, Dutchess County, NY.
“...The name Pepys is pronounced “Peeps.”...”
I read all the article and mentally mispronounced Pepys the whole way.
Of course, racist violence. It’s the west, after all!
If you really want to know about the great fire, read the wonderful Samuel Pepys. He was there and saw it all and recorded it all.
My favorite anecdote from Pepys’ diary was when his wife, upset as usual with him, heated a pair of tongs in the bedroom fireplace and while he was asleep attempted to catch his nose between them. Luckily, Sam woke up and fought her off. He had a thing for the ladies.
He stopped writing the diary because he thought he was going blind. He wasn’t so we lost years of his wonderful notations.
...
read last night quite interesting
This is why London now has so many brick buildings.
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