The Great Fire of Hungerford took place in 1566.

This major event in Hungerford was totally unknown to local historians until it was discovered by Norman Hidden in the early 1980s. We  are again indebted to him for his careful and painstaking research.

In summary, whilst researching 14th century records of Hungerford, Norman Hidden came across a set of 28 Latin poems written by Daniel Rogers. They had been acquired by an American millionaire, who had then donated them to an American museum.

One of the set was called "Urbes", and included the text "Hungerforda igne sed immodico pene perusta est", translated as "Hungerford was almost totally destroyed by a vast conflagration".

The poem was not dated, but further detailed research unearthed various local records referring to properties "decayed by fire", or "one void plot of ground late burned", or "a decayed piece of ground late burned". Norman was eventually able to pin the date to 1566. A court case of 1569 required the leaseholder "to build, make-up, and re-edify certain burnt and decayed houses and tenements". A postscript to an earlier 1566 draft had added "there is six of the tenements belonging to these chantries burnt".

The great fire started in (or near) Queen's mill in modern Bridge Street, and spread south on both sides of the street as far as modern Three Swans Hotel.

A law case in 1570 involved the town miller. A young man named John Yowle was employed by the widow of the mill owner and then, to put the story in the words of his court defence he "took to wife the said Joan" [that is, the widow] "and so became possessed of the mills and, being so possessed, by misfortune and the negligence of his neighbours the said mills were burned and utterly consumed with fire".

Drawing of c1598 showing fire-hooks
and buckets in use

Plan showing properties known to have been destroyed in the
Great Fire of 1566
(by John Brooks)