England 2.2 Crisis In London: The Great Fire of 1666

Question 1

What made London a fire risk? (RE 2.2)

Answer 1

• Crowded wooden houses.
• Jettying.
• Flammable goods warehouses. (Oils, ropes, alcohol, gunpowder, chemicals).
• Fire and flame cooking.
• Strong westerly wind, dry. (At the time).

Question 2

What was London’s firefighting equipment at the time? (RE 2.2)

Answer 2

• Parish officers maintained equipment stored in Churches.
• Squirts containing about 4 or 5 litres of water were used.
• Leather buckets, ladders, long hooked poles and pickaxes were used also.

Question 3

What were London’s firefighting tactics at the time? (RE 2.2)

Answer 3

• No trained firemen, magistrates pressed people into fighting.
• Two teams lined the street, one passing filled buckets, and one passed the empty buckets back.
• Surrounding buildings were pulled down with hooks to create a somewhat effective firebreak.

Question 4

How did the fire start? (RE 2.2)

Answer 4

• Thomas Farriner’s bakehouse.
• Pudding lane.
• Early morning, Sunday 2nd September.

Question 5

What did people do when the fire started? (RE 2.2)

Answer 5

• People tried to get their possessions out, some on boat.

- People made large profits hiring out barges to transport people.

Question 6

What did people think started the fire? (RE 2.2)

Answer 6

• Arsonist group.
• God.
• French.
• Dutch.

Question 7

What happened to Frenchman Robert Hubert during the fire? (RE 2.2)

Answer 7

• Made a confused confession that he and 23 others started fires.
• Parliament didn’t believe him.
• Hung anyway on the 29th October.

Question 8

What was the financial impact of the fire? (RE 2.2)

Answer 8

• £25,000 worth of cloth burned, £20,000 worth of coal.
• Rents went up, and many lived in shacks.
• Government income fell £200,000 from 1665.

Question 9

How did London begin to recover from the fire? (RE 2.2)

Answer 9

• A fire court was established to settle disputes.
• Tenants and Landlords worked together to rebuild (in exchange for different rent deals).
• The King said rebuilding must wait until new laws passed.

Question 10

What were the fire’s long term impacts on the City? (RE 2.2)

Answer 10

• Wooden buildings were replaced.
• Building designs varied.
• Streets were widened.
• Economic recovery was slow. (By 1673, only 55% of houses built after the fire were occupied).

Question 11

What were the fire’s impacts on firefighting? (RE 2.2)

Answer 11

• City divided into four fire districts.
• Parish officers must maintain buckets, ladders, squirts and shovels.
• Introduction of fire insurance.