FIRE OF LONDON

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 46, 1 September 1928, Page 26

FIRE OF LONDON

UNPUBLISHED LETTER FROM THE BURNT CITY. An original' letter, hitherto unpublished, written on 9th September, 1066, When the ruins of the capital were hardly cold, lias 'come into possessipn of Mr. Walter.Bell, the-historian of the Great Fire of London (states the "Daily Telegraph"). It ■is upon a singlo sheet1 of paper, folded and addressed in the manner of the time, with seal broken. The flames, starting near London Bridge, had burnt through the city from 2nd . September until tho morning; of; Cth September. Thomas Flatman, to whom his brother Bobert sent this letter, was tho Restoration poet:— Deare Brother I reed your Letter and to informo you further concerning our Calamitye know that, I am not able to expresso without Horror the great progresso of the fire since my last; for you may be assured, that foure parts in five of the Citty are .consumed 80 parish Uhurehes burned and all ye Halls except Leaden Hall weh is'yetf standing, your Chamber in the Temple, is downe, but your j bookes are safe, noe house out of the I freedom is,hurt by .fire; ye Royall Exchange was layd wast but his Maty hath ordered the. place for yo merchants to ineete in to bo att Gresham Colledge-in Bishbpps gate streete. The Temple Church and Hall are saved the fire stopped- there: (God haveing blessed the meanes), ye Kings Bench office is consumed,' Mr.'Blands and Mr. Chestermans Chambers ruined all Parsons Court and Tanfield, Court likewise Serj [can] tea Inne 'in ffleet streete and Cliffords. Inne;spoiled,, ye fire went as farre as, ye Tower one way;, neare Bishopps gate streete another to ye Temple another there stayd to ye middle of Shoe Lane,and ffetter Lane and was there stppp'd,,ahd as farre as Hoi-

borne tfridge another way Chaunccry I Lane is untouched by itt, with my kind j love and due respects to all with you I rest :! ';. Toe really loveihg Br. . Bobt. fflatman. from Lambeth marsh 9th September, 1666. .■'::• [Endorsed], .' Ttieis ' .' For his Loveing. Br. Mr. Thomas Flatman. . The fact .that the writer had taken refuge at- Lambeth Marsh, across the rivci-, where at that time only a fewpoor cottages straggling near the waterside had been built, makes it probable that his own homo in London had been burnt out.