P adjorn Lune 19o. die Janry 1718 .

Order for setting a
watch for preventing
blowing up of Gunpowdr
houses in Tower Division
& for makeing a Rate
for defraying ye expence
thereof,

Whereas Upon reading the humble peticon of severall Inhitants of
Wapping Stepney , St. John Wapping & Aldgate in this County on
behalfe of themselves & many thousand Inhitants in & about the
said parishes exhibited unto this Court settingforth that the
Number of Warehouses & Storehouses for keeping Gunpowder
belonging to private persons in & about the City of London &
Suburbs thereof are of late years very much increased to the
great terror & danger of many thousands of his Maties Subjects
And that in the two Parishes before named there are twenty
or more such Warehouses or Storehouses wherein are Usually
two or three thousand Barrells of Gunpowder at a time each
Barrell comonly containing about one hundred pound
weight or more and that some of the said powder houses
are contiguous to a Warehouse used for melting Tarr and
are always in danger of being blown Up and were lately like
so to have been And that accidents of fire have of late years
been very frequent in & about the City of London and
Suburbs thereof and should any such accident happen to
any of the said powder houses the Petr. were informed that
the rest of the said powder houses will blow up & destroy
many thousand Familys and also destroy or very much
endanger the Tower of London with great part of the City
and severall publick Offices & Offices of Stores belonging to
his Matie. and that the said Inhitants had peticoned the
Right Honorable the House of Comons for redress therein &
a Hill is prepareing in Parliamt. for that purpose But least
any ill disposed person or persons (now the affair is become
publick) should through prejudice goe about to set fire to
those places The Petrs. (in consideracon of the dangers and
fatall Consequences) aforesd humbly prayed that this
Court would be pleased to order the High Constable of
the Tower Division in this County forthwith to cause a
strong Watch to be set in the most convenient places
where the said powder is kept to prevent any Inconveniencies
that may happen by fire the Inhitants adjoyning thereto
being willing to contribute to such Rate as shall be made to
defray the expence thereof whereupon by consent of the said