Inscriptions - East Panel
East Panel - above the door
The language of those days is still easy to understand even if the rules for spelling and punctuation are less so.
The following is a translation of the inscription:
East Panel
This pillar was begun, Sir Richard Ford, knt., being Lord Mayor of London, in the year 1671; carried higher in the Mayoralties of Sir George Waterman, knt., Sir Robert Hanson, knt., Sir William Hooker, knt., Sir Robert Viner, knt., and Sir Joseph Sheldon, knt.; and finished in the Mayoralty of Sir Thomas Davies, in the year of the Lord 1677.
For the historian, entries in the City records three years after the completion of the Monument and its inscriptions clearly show that the column was originally erected simply to perpetuate the memory of the Fire of London, and that the idea of publicly ascribing the calamity to intentional designs of Papists was not formed until after the so-called discovery of the Popish plot, by Titus Oates, in 1678.
In 1680 the Court of Common Council ordered that an inscription, in Latin and English, be fixed on the Monument, signifying that "the City of London was burnt and consumed with fire by the treachery and malice of the Papists in September in the year of Our Lord 1666".
In 1681 two resolutions were passed by the Court of Aldermen as
follows:
23rd June 1681, "The Right Honourable the Lord Mayor is desired by this Court to direct the setting up the inscriptions lately agreed to in Common Councell touching the fireing of this City by the Papists A0 1666 upon the Pillar on Fish streete hill and the house where the fire began in such manner as his Lordship shall thinke convenient."
12th July 1681. "It is now agreed by this Court that the Right Honourable the Lord Maior (who was desired by his Court to cause the additional inscription lately agreed to in Common Councell to be set up on the Pillar at Fish street hill) doe in order therunto cause the inscription allready made on the said Pillar, or such part thereof as his Lordshipp shall thinke convenient to be taken out and anew ingraved the better to make way for the said additionall Inscription."
Soon after the accession of James II the additional inscriptions were obliterated and removed. But the order was reversed on the accession of William ill, in accordance with the following minute:
Court of Common Council, 16th September 1689. "It is unanimously agreede and ordered by this Court that the two severall Inscriptions formerly sett upp by order of this Court in ye Mayoralty of Sr Patience Ward on ye monument, and ye house where ye dredfull fire in 1666 began (which have been since taken downe), be againe sett upp in their former places and that Mr. Chamberlaine and Mr. Comptroller doe se the same done accordingly."
The questionable addition was finally removed from the Monument under an order of the Court of Common Council dated 6th December 1830. At this time, probably, the stone was also removed from the house in Pudding Lane.
This wise decision, besides according with historical facts, removes from the Monument the obloquy expressed in Pope's well-known lines:
"Where London's column pointing at the skies,
Like a tall bully, lifts the head, and lies."
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Last updated:
17 January, 2008