On this day in 1554, Henry Machyn wrote in his diary:
“The sam day at after-non was a bere-beyten on the Banke syde, and ther the grett blynd bere [whose name was Sackerson] broke losse, and in ronnyng away he chakt a servyng man by the calff of the lege, and bytt a gret pesse away, and after by the hokyll-bone, that with-in iii days after he ded”.
On this day, December 9th, in London history …
“Bere-beyten on the Banke side”
In 1554, Henry Machyn wrote in his diary:
“The sam day at after-non was a bere-beyten on the Banke syde, and ther the grett blynd bere broke losse, and in ronnyng away he chakt a servyng man by the calff of the lege, and bytt a gret pesse away, and after by the hokyll-bone, that with-in iii days after he ded”.
Reversal of Fortune
In 1621, the Fortune Theatre, built by “Good Master” Edward Alleyn in 1600, burnt down.
The site of the theatre is marked by a plaque on Fortune Street.
Both the theatre and Alleyn are commemorated in a stained glass window in the church of St Giles Cripplegate.
Readers interested in further information on the theatre and on the contemporary scene are referred to Julian Bowsher’s excellent recent book entitled “Shakespeare’s London Theatreland” (Museum of London Archaeology, 2012).
“Fire-Time”
In 1666, Samuel Pepys wrote in his diary:
“[T]o my chamber, and there begun to enter into this book my journal for September, which in the fire-time I could not enter here, but in loose papers”.
