The Great Fire of London transformed the capital in September 1666, destroying thousands of homes and numerous churches. Now, a collection of parish records featuring more than 300,000 individuals offers an opportunity to investigate the London families who lived through this extraordinary period.
Released by TheGenealogist to coincide with the 360th anniversary of the Great Fire, the collection includes registers from historic City of London parishes, including churches affected by the disaster.
Some of these buildings were later rebuilt under the direction of Sir Christopher Wren, while others disappeared as parishes were combined during the reconstruction of the City.
Alongside the parish registers, TheGenealogist has added historical publications that provide valuable context for London family history.
These include The Old Churches of London, the Diary and Correspondence of Samuel Pepys and all six volumes of Old and New London.
Pepys's famous eyewitness account provides an especially vivid picture of the fire and the destruction it caused.
For family historians, the records can help identify people who lived, married, worshipped and were buried in London's parishes over more than three centuries.
Used together, the parish registers and historical books provide a fascinating way to investigate London ancestors and the changing streets and communities in which they lived.