On the morning of September 2, 1666, the Great Fire started its sweep through the City of London. Some idea of the effect of the fire on the East India Company headquarters in Leadenhall Street is provided by the petty cash accounts of its Secretary John Stanyan. Large quantities of goods were moved to safety. It was thirsty work judging from the number of entries for the cost of drinks!
September 2, 1666
Given to musketeers who guarded the warehouse door when Mr George Day came to demand his goods, fearing they would be burned in Leadenhall - 5s
September 3, 1666
Given to Red Coats who pressed carts to carry goods from Leadenhall to Blue Warehouse at St Helen’s – 3s 6d
Drink for the porters and for myself and Captain Proud – 2s
Drink for men at the pump and women sweeping the kinnell [gutter?] – 3s
Paid six men pumping all day – 12s
Cartage of 52 bales of cloth from Leadenhall to Blue Warehouse at 12d per bale - £2 12s
September 4, 1666
For six pails - 6s
September 6, 1666
Paid two carmen who carried nine bales to Doctor Clarke’s house at Stepney from Leadenhall at 4s per bale - £1 16s
Paid two men who removed bales from the wall at Leadenhall “for fear it should fly out” and for drink – 5s
September 15, 1666
Paid four men for five nights apiece watching calicoes at Doctor Clarke’s at 2s per night - £2
Paid three men for half a day piling goods at Leadenhall – 3s
September 16, 1666
Paid four men for one night watching at Dr Clarke’s - 6s
September 17, 1666
Paid four men for one night watching at Dr Clarke’s - 6s
Paid four men for one day helping to pile goods and for drink – 8s
September 22, 1666
Paid four men for four nights watching at Dr Clarke’s - £1 12s
Paid cartage of 375 bales and three bundles from Pinners Hall to Leadenhall - £7 16s 6d
Paid eight men for four days helping to load and unload these bales and piling them - £3
Paid one man for four days helping with these goods – 12s
Given for drink – 3s
September 27, 1666
Cartage of 52 bales from Blue Warehouse to Leadenhall at 4d per bale – 17s 4d
Paid five men for four days piling and loading - £2
Given for drink – 2s
September 29, 1666
Paid four men for seven nights watching at Dr Clarke’s - £2
Paid nine men for two days helping to lade and unlade calicoes from Dr Clarke’s - £1 16
Paid to the porters for their dinners because they worked all noon times for three days – 5s 8d
October 2, 1666
Paid nine men for two days helping to load and pile bales from Dr Clarke’s - £1 16s
October 13, 1666
Paid Goodman North for bringing 69 bales and cases from Dr Clarke’s to Leadenhall - £1 9s 6d
Paid Mr Wright for bringing 73 parcels from Dr Clarke’s - £2 16s
Paid Goodman Grigson for bringing 54 parcels from Dr Clarke’s - £1 16s
Paid to servants of Doctor Clarke, Mr Crowther and Captain Proud when bales were fetched away - £1 3s
The accounts then return to their normal pattern of expenditure.
Margaret Makepeace is the lead curator of East India Company Records at the British Library.
This article first appeared on the Untold Lives blog, a publication of the British Library.
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