UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE The Parish Exposed: London Parish Life and the Great Fire of London A Dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History by Stephen Arthur Teske March 2015 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Thomas Cogswell, Chairperson Dr. Randolph Head Dr. Jonathan Eacott Copyright by Stephen Arthur Teske 2015 The Dissertation of Stephen Arthur Teske is approved: __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ Committee Chairperson University of California, Riverside ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Throughout the process of writing this dissertation I have often been asked how I cope with the solitude of academic research. Reflecting on the process now, as it nears its end, it is abundantly clear how much writing a dissertation is a team sport. None of this could have been accomplished without Dr. Thomas Cogswell, who patiently guided me through this process from start to finish. If the reader finds any part of this dissertation engaging, it is almost certainly the result of Tom’s ear for a good story, and his never-ending drive to see that story completely extracted from the source material. I owe Dr. Randolph Head a significant debt, not only for his support of this project, but also for modeling the kind of diligence and rigor that makes academic research possible. I must thank Dr. Malcolm Baker for helping me to see structure and space as primary sources, and to Dr. Kristoffer Neville, for teaching me to engage with these sources. I cannot forget to thank Professor Jonathan Eacott who provided some much need last minute support for this project. Thanks are also due to Dr. Robert Ingram who has grown from a no-nonsense advisor into a wonderful friend. I am indebted to both the University of California, Riverside’s History Department, and to its Graduate Division, for their generous financial and administrative support. In particular, I would like to thank Susan Komura, Iselda Salgado, and Deisy Escobedo, whose help brought order to an otherwise chaotic experience. Perhaps the most exciting part of working on a dissertation is the opportunity reach beyond the walls of one’s home institution, and explore the scholarly world. The staff at the Huntington Library, especially Dr. Steve Hindle, provided support for this project when it was needed most. Furthermore, Sue Hodson and Mary Robertson helped me overcome iv a deep anxiety about the complexities of archival research, and the hours spent in their Paleography Seminar are among my happiest memories. The Huntington Library, through their Linacre College, Oxford University Exchange Fellowship, allowed me to undertake research abroad – and more importantly, introduced me to Dr. Paul Slack, who was a fantastic guide to an academic world like no other. The staff at the London Metropolitan Archives were remarkably welcoming and helpful, as were the archivists at the Guildhall Library – even as their archives were flooding. Despite the excitement of academic travel my most significant debts are owed to people closer to home. The graduate student community at the University of California, Riverside is one of the most dynamic and welcoming academic communities I have ever come across. I need to thank specifically Leanna McLaughlin, Jordan Downs, Jillian Azevedo, Daniel Razzari, and Patrick O’Neill, for fostering a sense of comradery both in the classroom and, more importantly, outside of it. I must also thank Jens Andersen, Ian Fiedler, and Matt Ream for reminding me – across continents and oceans – how important non-academic revelry can be. Thanks are due to my Mom and Dad, to whom this dissertation is dedicated, for always patiently and generously allowing me to pursue even my most unusual interests. Lastly, thank you to Anna Dodge. Thank you for tolerating six years apart while I pursued this degree. Thank you for reading so much academic prose when you were busy with your own graduate work. Thank you for welcoming nearly five-hundred thousand Londoners into your life and managing them with a deftness that would make Sir Christopher Wren envious. Thank you for this and so much more. v DEDICATION To Mom and Dad, For all of their support and encouragement. vi ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION The Parish Exposed: London Parish Life and the Great Fire of London by Stephen Arthur Teske Doctor of Philosophy, Graduate Program in History University of California, Riverside, March, 2015 Dr. Thomas Cogswell, Chairperson This dissertation examines the reconstruction of the fifty-one parish churches in the city of London after the Great Fire of 1666. It is not primarily focused on the architectural elements of the rebuilt churches or the role played by Sir Christopher Wren, Surveyor of the King's Works, in their reconstruction. Instead this dissertation explores the reconstruction of London's parish churches as an effort by neighborhood communities to recover after an unprecedented disaster. The parish church was not simply a physical manifestation of local identity or a focus for neighborhood pride. These churches transcended their most basic function as a site for religious worship - they served as the central location for myriad political, economic and social functions essential to a parish community. Given the centrality of a church to nearly every aspect of life in a city parish, it is unsurprising how aggressively London's parishes attempted to direct the reconstruction of their churches and the reconstitution of their parish communities – through both legal and extra-legal means. This struggle to preserve these centuries-old urban communities was particularity important for those parishes whose churches were eliminated after the fire – a loss that could leave these now homeless parishes at the mercy of less than vii accommodating neighbors. Ultimately this dissertation will reveal how active most Londoners were in the recovery of the city after the Great Fire, as well as how central the parish community was to the early modern English, even in a city as diverse, dynamic, and multifaceted as Restoration London. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. iv Dedication .......................................................................................................................... vi Abstract ............................................................................................................................. vii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... ix List of Abbreviations......................................................................................................... xii List of Figures .................................................................................................................. xiii Part I: Before the Fire ..........................................................................................................1 Introduction: .........................................................................................................................2 Chapter 1: Our Goodly Metropolis ...................................................................................12 I. The Suburbs of Hell ...............................................................................................13 II. An Assembly of Rational Creatures .......................................................................18 III. The Beauty of Holiness ..........................................................................................21 A. Parish Churches ...............................................................................................25 B. Parish Communities and Forms of Worship ....................................................28 C. Saint Paul’s Cathedral ......................................................................................30 IV. Conclusion .............................................................................................................32 Chapter 2: Ringing the Bells Backwards ..........................................................................33 I. Saturday, September 1- Before the Fire .................................................................33 II. Sunday, September 2 - A Local Fire .....................................................................34 III. Monday, September 3 - An Unbound Conflagration .............................................43 IV. Tuesday, September 4 - The Miserable Sight of Paul’s Church ............................49 V. Wednesday, September 5 - A City of Ashes ...........................................................55 Part II: After the Fire ..........................................................................................................66 Chapter 3: Regulation, Uniformity and Gracefulness .......................................................67 I. Discreet, Intelligent Persons ..................................................................................76 A. The Rebuilding Commissioners .......................................................................78 1. The Lord Mayors of London .....................................................................78 2. Gilbert Sheldon, Archbishop of Canterbury ..............................................80