The Great Fire Of London Finally Explained

It's one of those "facts" that just gets repeated over and over: More people have died falling off the monument to the Great Fire of London than in the fire itself. Sounds unlikely, right? It is. The Smithsonian reported that in 2014, eight people had died falling from the monument, while the official death toll

It's one of those "facts" that just gets repeated over and over: More people have died falling off the monument to the Great Fire of London than in the fire itself. Sounds unlikely, right? It is. The Smithsonian reported that in 2014, eight people had died falling from the monument, while the official death toll of the Great Fire was just six. That's true, but there's a huge problem with that number. No one was sifting through rubble looking for remains, and when it came to the poor and the lower-class citizens, well, no one really cared enough to look for them, much less count how many had died.

The actual death toll is estimated to be in the hundreds, if not thousands, which makes more sense. So, who were the six? The first was Thomas Farriner's nameless maid.

There was also the elderly Paul Lowell, a watchmaker who lived on Shoe Lane, and whose remains were found in his home. Richard Yrde's body was found in St. Mary Woolnoth, and he died of smoke inhalation. Another anonymous victim — this time, an old woman — was found outside St. Paul's, where she had been consumed by flames. The others were nameless people found inside St. Paul's. 

Then, Londonist says there were indirect deaths, like James Shirley and his wife. They found themselves homeless and died in the cold winter weather that came to the refugee camp they were forced to shelter in.

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