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The fires of Lowestoft 1645 and 1717
From History of Lowestoft by E. Gillingwater, 1897
Transcribed by Lisa Eade
[The following pages in this book have suffered some damage. When a character is unreadable, it has been replaced with *. Guessed characters have been enclosed in square brackets.]
Page 31
On the 10th March 1644-5, there happened in this town a great and [ter]rible fire, which consumed
dwelling-houses, fish-houses, and goods, as much [pro]perty as was estimated at £10,297 2s 4d.
The General Account of each man's particular loss, in dwelling-houses, [fish]-houses, goods, wares, etc., which happened the 10th day of March 1644-5, [in] a lamentable fire at Lowestoft, in the county of Suffolk, as it was surveyed [an]d viewed, and given into the committee appointed for the same, at Lowestoft, [the] 25th day of April, 1645; namely:-
John Arnold, dwelling house £143, goods £40 - total £183.
Thomas **iter, dwelling-houses £43 10s; goods £15 8s. 4d. - total £58 18s. 4d.
[W]illiam Greenwood, dwelling-house £590.
Thomas Webb, dwelling-house £*44; fish-houses £450; goods £77 3s. - £1071 3s.
Thomas Arnold, dwelling-house £167 10s.; fish-house £81; goods £127 3s. - total £375 13s.
Thomas [M]ighells, dwelling-house £353; fish-office £21 - total £374.
Mr. Rivit, dwelling-house £269; fish-houses £195; goods £240 - total £704.
Robert Ashby, dwelling-house £308 10s.; goods £250 - total £558 10s.
James Smiter, dwelling-house £102.
Nicholas Pattin, dwelling-house £34 10s.; goods £23 - total £57 10s.
Mr. Simonds, dwelling-house £435.
Thomas Barrett, dwelling-house £5.
Oliver Ashby, dwelling-house £27 10s.; goods £6 - total £33 10s.
[S]amuel Fisher, dwelling-house £71 10s.; goods £30 - total £101 10s.
John [F]isher, dwelling-house £215.
Robert Ferney, dwelling-house £91 10s.; goods [£]14 - £150 10. (sic)
Richard Rooke, goods £6.
Robert Bits dwelling-house £162; goods £370 - total £532.
Mr. Abertson, dwelling-house £200; fish-house £163 - total £363.
Thomas Harvey, dwelling-house £383; fish-house £108; goods [£]40 - total £531.
Mr. Smith, fish house £230; goods £100 - total £330.
[J]ames Munds, fish-house £145; goods £113 10s. - total £258 10s.
Josiah Wilde, fish-house £400; goods £280 - total £680.
John Barker fish-house £25; goods £85 - total £110.
James Wilde, fish-house, £120; goods £40 - total £160.
Robert Brissingham, fish-house £94.
John Brissingham, fish-house £10.
[M]r. Allen, fish-house £140; goods £40 - total £180.
Thomas Guler, fish-house [£]5.
Robert Tooley, fish-house £146; goods £8 8s. - total £154 8s.
Mr, Reeve, fish-house £102.
Thomas Fulwood, fish-house £240; goods £32 - total £272.
Robert Coe, fish-house £156; goods £49 - total £205.
John Page, fish-house £54; goods £12 - total £66.
William Cauliam, fish-house £210; goods £15 - total £225.
John Muese, sen., goods £100.
John Meuse, jun., goods £50.
William Muese, goods £150.
Thomas Muese, goods £20.
Henry Geury, goods £35.
Henry Ward, jun., goods £97.
William Underwood, goods £80.
[J]o[h]n Dennis, goods £55.
James Mendham, goods £2.
Richard Mighells, goods £190.
Michael Bently, goods £112.
George Woodgate, goods £200.
Daniel Sterry, goods £2.
Stephen Trip, goods £5.
John Je[r/n]henson, goods £7.
The totals are - dwelling-houses, £4145 10s.; fishhouses, £3085; goods £3066 [1]2s. 4d. - grand total, £10,297 2s. 4d.
Page 32
And on the 12th of November, 1717, about four in the morning, anot[her] sudden and terrible fire broke out in this town, in the fishhouses belonging [to] the co-heirs of Captain Josiah Mighels, then in the occupation of Jose[ph] Smithson, which in a short space of time, entirely consumed the said house[s] together with part of those houses belonging to William Mewse, which la[y] to the south, and part of those belonging to Mr. John Barker and Mr. Thom[as] Mighels, on the north. The wind blew pretty fresh at south east, so that t[he] sparks flew over the town, and once actually fired the thatch of a house in t[he] Swan Lane; but men and water being ready for that purpose, it was immediately stopped; and it pleasing God of his mercy both to damp the wind and [to] bring it more to the southward, the town escaped as a brand plucked out [of] the fire. The damage sustained by the fish houses was estimated at £100[* - part of page totally torn away, so unable to tell whether the missing character is another 0 - or just a full stop....]
Many thanks to Lisa Eade for this transcription. You can contact her here.
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