The London Gazette

This is a modern reproduction print of The London Gazette newspaper for the period 3-10 September 1666. The only newspaper printed in London at the time of the Great Fire of London was The London Gazette. Unfortunately the printers, near Baynard's Castle, burned down on Monday 3 September, the second day of the fire. An issue was published that morning and contained a short paragraph on the outbreak of the fire, saying 'It continues with great violence'. The next issue came out a week later, which caused all kinds of rumours to spread in its absence, such as foreign invasion, or that thousands of Londoners had been killed. It covered the period from 3 to 10 September and contains information vital to our understanding of the fire and how it was tackled.

The printing press had been temporarily set up in a churchyard, with women hired as distributors. They complained of the stench of plague corpses in the cemetery which made it dangerous to go there. One of the workers, a Mrs Andrews, had lost everything in the fire, save the clothes she was wearing.