The Consequences
By Thursday the fire was successfully extinguished, having ruined 373 acres of the City - from the Tower in the East to Fleet Street and Fetter Lane in the West - and burning around 13,200 houses, 84 churches and 44 company
halls. At least 65,000 people had been made homeless by the fire. At first the homeless camped in the fields outside the walls, but within days had disappeared to surrounding villages or other parts of London. Officially, only four people
died, but John Evelyn referred in his diary to 'the stench that came from some poor creatures' bodies' and the true toll is likely to have been much higher, rising further in the following months. It was also determined that more, like the poor could have been killed during the fire.
Now that the fire was beaten, London's full attention could turn to the question of blame. Madness had raged as ferociously as the flames, as
terrified fingers fell on foreigners. On Sunday a schoolboy, William Taswell, had seen 'the ignorant and deluded mob... [venting] forth their rage against the Roman Catholics and Frenchmen' and his brother saw 'a Frenchman almost dismembered'. The King's Guard battered strangers for speaking deprived English, and all over there was 'a great alarm of French and Dutch being risen', as Pepys reported. The Spanish Ambassador opened his house to all foreigners in fear of their lives - Protestant Dutch as well as Catholic French - as religious bigotry and xenophobia, born in the improvement and raised by the Gunpowder Plot, became known again.
On Thursday, Charles voyaged to Moorfields to deal with the 100,000 people made homeless, one sixth of London's population. He announced that the fire had not been started by foreign powers or rebellious, but had been an act of God. Few were won over. A person to take blame for the fire was needed: the more foreign, the better. They did not have to wait long.
halls. At least 65,000 people had been made homeless by the fire. At first the homeless camped in the fields outside the walls, but within days had disappeared to surrounding villages or other parts of London. Officially, only four people
died, but John Evelyn referred in his diary to 'the stench that came from some poor creatures' bodies' and the true toll is likely to have been much higher, rising further in the following months. It was also determined that more, like the poor could have been killed during the fire.
Now that the fire was beaten, London's full attention could turn to the question of blame. Madness had raged as ferociously as the flames, as
terrified fingers fell on foreigners. On Sunday a schoolboy, William Taswell, had seen 'the ignorant and deluded mob... [venting] forth their rage against the Roman Catholics and Frenchmen' and his brother saw 'a Frenchman almost dismembered'. The King's Guard battered strangers for speaking deprived English, and all over there was 'a great alarm of French and Dutch being risen', as Pepys reported. The Spanish Ambassador opened his house to all foreigners in fear of their lives - Protestant Dutch as well as Catholic French - as religious bigotry and xenophobia, born in the improvement and raised by the Gunpowder Plot, became known again.
On Thursday, Charles voyaged to Moorfields to deal with the 100,000 people made homeless, one sixth of London's population. He announced that the fire had not been started by foreign powers or rebellious, but had been an act of God. Few were won over. A person to take blame for the fire was needed: the more foreign, the better. They did not have to wait long.