BHO
  1. British History Online (no series)
  2. Analytical Index to the Series of Records Known as the Remembrancia 1579-1664
  3. Fires

Fires

Pages 142-143

Analytical Index to the Series of Records Known as the Remembrancia 1579-1664. Originally published by EJ Francis, London, 1878.

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Citation:

Fires.

VIII. 202. Letter from the Lords of the Council to the Lord Mayor and Court of Aldermen, with respect to the late fire near Arundel House, at which the good use of the engines for spouting water (fn. 1) manifestly appeared, though there were none brought until it was late, because there were no engines in the parishes near thereabout; recommending that a frequent provision should be made of them, so that they might be near and ready at hand on all occasions, and that the great parishes should provide themselves with engines, and the lesser ones should join together in providing them; and conveying their thanks to Mr. Sheriff Atkins, (fn. 2) who did good service in person at the fire.
10th March, 1637.

IX. 39. Letter from Sir William Morrice to the Lord Mayor and Common Council, informing them that His Majesty had seen and considered some propositions for relieving all people that might suffer from accidental fires, and for setting a constant provision for the poor in all Cities and Corporations. He intended to bring the same before Parliament, and had appointed certain persons to attend the Common Council to consult and advise with them upon the subject. If they approved, they should commend the same to Parliament.
22nd February, 1661.

Footnotes

  • 1. These were probably large hand-syringes: no reference to any engines, properly so called, appears for some years afterwards. About the year, 1657, Hautsch invented a machine at Nuremberg, which was capable of raising a stream of water, an inch in diameter, to a height of nearly eighty feet. Vanderheide invented, in 1672, flexible hose. By an Act of Common Council, passed November 15th, 1667, it was enacted that the City should be divided into four quarters, and that each quarter should have 800 leathern buckets, fifty ladders, and two hand-squirts of brass for each parish; and that each ward should provide a bellman to walk through its precincts from ten at night till five in the morning, to give an alarm in case of fire.
  • 2. Mercer, elected Sheriff, 24th June, 1637; chosen Alderman of Farringdon Within, September 13th, 1638; removed to Lime Street, June 16th, 1642; removed to Bridge, May 11th, 1658; Lord Mayor in 1644; was one of the Commissioners appointed by the House of Commons for the trial of King Charles the First; President of Christ's Hospital, 1660. He was an Alderman of the City of Norwich (vide "Sheriffs," Letter viii. 195), and served the office of Sheriff of that City in 1627. He also represented it in Parliament, 1639–40. Upon his being chosen Sheriff of London he requested to be discharged from his Aldermanship at Norwich, which was complied with.