A truth… a story… a myth… a discovery – What to do with a 1666 London Gazette?

September 28, 2026 by  
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Collectors seek out “rare & early” newspapers for a host of reasons. Some use them as primary source material for research. Others collect them to grasp the contemporary response to an historical event, while others use them to chronical a non-revisionist view of an era. Framing them for display is quite common – whether it be to set a mood, or, as is quite common with museums, to aid in telling the story regarding a display of unique items. Yet another group loves to obtain them to enhance their primary collectible (ex. those who collect early sewing machines finding newspapers with matching advertisements, patents, or early commentary on various stages of development). The possibilities are almost endless.

The topic at hand was recently revived when a collector, who had just purchased a London Gazette dated August 9, 1666 containing a brief report on the week’s mortality bill from the Great Plague (shown below), informed us of his purpose in collecting the newspaper – which we found fascinating… and which eventually led to a discovery.

A Purpose – He purchased to use as inspiration for an event-tethered short story (historical fiction?). If you have a little time, I’m sure he would not mind if you took a gander:  THE KING’S BAKER

A Discovery – After reading his story I decided to dig a little deeper into the 1665-6 London Plague and was drawn in by an article posted by the London Museum titled: THREE MYTHS ABOUT THE GREAT FIRE OF LONDON

A MYTH – I don’t want to give anything away, but suffice to say, I need to go back to a lot of people and correct what I once thought was true. Yikes!

A Truth – For those who like to pine for the past, during the week prior to the above newspaper’s distribution in 1666, 42 people in London alone were known to have died from the bubonic plague. Life was not easy; but death often was.

 

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Filed under: Newspaper Collecting Ideas, Noteworthy Issues, The 1500's - 1700's, The 1600's, The Collectible Community, The Hobby, Unusual, Fun & Bizarre
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