Death's Master-Peece: OR, A true Relation of that great and sudden Fire in Towerstreet, London; which came by the fiering of Gunpowder, on Friday the 4th. of January, 1649.

[depiction of a (child's?) skeleton]

⟨Jan. 18⟩ Printed for Francis Grove, 1649.

Death's Master-Peece: OR, A true Relation of that great and sudden Fire in Tower-street, London, &c.

IN Tower-street London, on Fri­day the 4th of January, 1649. about 8 of the clock at night hapued a lamentable & fear­ful Fire in a Ship-chandlers house by Gun-powder, as followeth; the said Chandler Robert Porter had in his house 27 barrels of Pow­der, 20 of them was brought down into his shop, which he had sold to the Master of a Ship, and to be sent on board the next day, 7 of them was remaining in his Warehouse above stairs; by [Page 2]casualty and negligence fire came to those in the shop, by what means cannot be known, be­cause none in the house was left alive to report, and did blow up suddenly many houses, and shatter and deface many more.

The Houses that were blown up towards the street were five fair houses; Namely,

  • 1. The house of Mr. Water Wormewell Vintner, at the sign of the Rose in Towerstreet, over against Barkin Church, London.
  • 2. The house of Mr. Robert Porter, Ship­chandler, in whose house the fire did begin.
  • 3. The house of Mris. Shaw a Midwife of good esteem and quality.
  • 4. The house of Mr. Bradley a Shooemaker latey come to dwell there.
  • 5. The house of Mr. Charles Compton a Merch. And Mr. Woods house a Merch, utterly defac'd.

The houses backward from the street in an Alley called Priests Alley which was quite blowne up were these. The houses of

  • Mathew Neeve
  • James Gizard
  • Nicholas Mabb
  • James Roberts
  • Mary Fillett
  • John Barsto
  • William Higley
  • Mris. Harrison a Mi­nisters Widdow
  • Edward Tapp
  • John Lasher

The Houses that were scattered and part beaten downe, so that the Inhabitants could not keep possession, or dwell in the said hou­ses, but were forced to seek other habitations; were, The houses of

  • John Norcott
  • Iohn Cox
  • Iohn Sadler
  • Widdow Boole
  • William Stone
  • Robert Garrett
  • Evan Davis
  • Iohn Lewis
  • Arthur Tipper
  • Thomas Pinfold
  • Mr. Higgins
  • Abraham Durance
  • Widdow Pitts
  • VViddow Madox
  • VViddow Foster
  • George Gunnis
  • Henry Warden
  • VViddow Povill
  • VViddow Brookes
  • VViddow Carter
  • Francis Hunt
  • Richard Jackson
  • John Courtesse
  • Michael Baskaby
  • Richard Emry
  • Henry Price.

All these out of Possession.

Besides these houses which were made alto­gether not inhabitable, there were at least an hundred more much shattered shaken and de­faced, the tiles blowne off, the glasse windowes broken and much hurt done to them, even as farre as into the Tower of London, also the windowes of the Parish Church was wholly all broken and blowne out, thus much for the hurt done by this unhappy accident to the houses there abouts.

Now concerning the persons that were slaine, according to a just and true relation, were as followeth.

1. In Mr. Wormewells house, were 16. severall companies, consisting of Gentlemen, Mer­chants, Tradesmen and diverse of very good quality, of whom diverse were slaine, and many wounded; but an exact account cannot be given of them but in the generall, among the whole number; but of his owne family were slaine, (the master of the house himself being abroad about businesse) his wife, an apprentice, found dead together, also a maid servant.

2. In Mr. Robert Porters house was slaine himselfe, his wife, his apprentice, his maid ser­vant, and a kinswoman.

[Page 5] 3. In Mris. Shawes house was slain her Sonne in law Mr. Dunne, who was going into bed, and was blowne out of the house into the Church yard in his shirt, taken up alive, but died quickly after, three of her Grand-children, and her maid.

4. In the house of Mr. Bradley the Shoo­maker, was slaine, his wife and a servant.

5. In the house of Mr. Compton praised be God, none

In the severall houses which were burnt in Priests-alley, there is missing 24. of the Inhabi­tants, which is conceived to be all destroyed and burnt, of whom there is only found some parts of their bodies, and of others bare bones, and other quite consumed, so that no other account can be given of them, but that they buried what parts of the bodies and bones they found among the rubbish.

So the number buried that were not so much disfigured by the fire, but they were known, some buried at Barkin-Church, and others carried home to their owne places of abode, were 43. and 24. which were so missing and found out by peece meal, amounts to three score and seven, which is the number that is yet knowne certainly to be kild by this unhappy accident, which were all [Page 6]found betwixt Friday the 4th. of January, and Wednesday the 17th.

The fire after the blow was given did much increase, for the space of two houres, till helpe came, and by the endeavour and labour of those that came to helpe, and by the use of the En­gines for quenching of fire which did great ser­vice, it were well overcome by morning.

Now as concerning the losses that came by the fire, it was so great that it is not to be knowne, considering the losse by houses hous­hold goods, Money, Jewells, Plate, Merchandize, wares of all sorts, is thought to be the greatest that hath happened in London this many yeares, and judged to be threescore thousand pounds.

FINIS.

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