Fire From Heaven: Life in an English Town in the Seventeenth Century

by David Underdown

Two hundred years before Hardy disguised it as Casterbridge, Dorchester was a typical English county town, of middling size and unremarkable achievements. But on 6 August 1613 much of it was destroyed in a great conflagration, which its inhabitants regarded as a 'fire from heaven', the catalyst for the events described in this book. Over the next twenty years, a time of increasing political and religious turmoil all over Europe, Dorchester became the most religiously radical town in the kingdom. The tolerant, paternalist Elizabethan town oligarchy was quickly replaced by a group of men who had a vision of a godly community in which power was to be exercised according to religious commitment rather than wealth or rank. One of this book's most remarkable achievements is the re-creation, with an intimacy unique for an English community so distant from our own, of the lives of those who do not make it into history books. We glimpse the ordinary men and women of the town drinking and swearing, fornicating and repenting, triumphing over their neighbours or languishing in prison, striving to live up to the new ideals of their community or rejecting them with bitter anger and mocking laughter. In it subtle exploration of human motives and aspirations, in its brilliant and detailed reconstruction, this book shows how much of the past we can recover when in the hands of a master historian.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, British Literature, 17th Century, College

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Haydn Wheeler]

David Underdown and Fire from Heaven sees David writing at his absolute best. I loved this book in the way it flowed with individual stories. I have spent many an hour in Dorchester doing my own research into the English Civil Wars of the 17th Century. This book sets the visual and tone as one living there through the wars and reads like a novel. From now on I will be seeing this Dorset town with David's words in my thoughts. Wonderful writing.

[Beth]

It was really interesting. I learned a lot from it about the period in general and the different perspectives on religion and society then, as well as about this town in particular.

[Dave Annal]

A fantastic example of how to write history through the lives of ordinary people rather than focusing on ‘the great and the good’.

[Dave]

Most books on the Puritans treat them as heroes or villains. Underdown does a good job of showing their strengths and weaknesses. And because they were an intense and devoted people, their strengths and weaknesses will show in stark relief.

On the good side, for example, they were very charitable, and did a lot for poor relief in regard to hospitals, education, job training, etc.

On the bad (among other things) their notion of being quiet, sober, and productive led some to be fined seemingly for the offense of being too loud in general.

Where the book falls short is trying to find a way to link their strengths and weaknesses. The book also does not explore how the Puritans compare to other Christian societies, communities, movements, etc. To be fair, the author does not claim to do this, but I would like to find a book that attempted it.

[Lesley Lodge]

This is a fascinating piece of history: 1613: much of Dorchester burns down. The residents see this as a sign from God and actually change their ways for the better, becoming much more helpful to each other and setting up what are essentially forward thinking welfare and education frameworks. The fire itself is described with as much historical accuracy as was possible from the surviving records but the event is also brought to life It was daytime and most people were out harvesting and so the flames took hold. There were desperate attempts (with very limited water) to extinguish it.

I found the second half of the book a little repetitive and it takes us several decades on. Be warned, there is also an cruel execution of a priest graphically described. I recommend this book if you're interested in the period and in the thinking that became background to the English Civil War.

[Joe Doak]

David Underdown ends his historical analysis of 17th century Dorchester by stating, “The sources are not perfect, but I hope that this book has shown that it is possible to reconstruct some of the life of a seventeenth century community even in less than ideal circumstances.”

I would agree with him. He has painted a relatively detailed and well-researched ‘story’ that gets under the skin of a ‘godly project’ to ‘cleanse’ the town during one of the most traumatic and dynamic periods of English history. There are weaknesses (e.g. repetition of information and underdeveloped description of main characters) but overall the book provides a fascinating study of the actors and forces that shaped the political, religious, cultural, economic and moral trajectory of a rather untypical part of the country before, during and after the English Revolution.

[Ruth]

A close-up look at a small English town before, during, and after the Civil War---did it change anything? How much did national politics and armed strife really matter to the average English villager? I found this book a fascinating look at history "from below," even though I have to wonder if the Civil War really left so little lasting traces.

[Chris]

Interesting overview on Dorchester puritanism. The book has relatively little to do with the fire, despite what the title might suggest. Paints a fairly detailed picture of just about everyone mentioned in the existing sources from the town, which is both good but occasionally seems a bit much. Pretty balanced, considering how controversial the puritans were.

[Arjun Mishra]

There are some very points to take away from this, but it is a very boring and dragging read. The social history is excellent and interesting; the experience of reading it is rather painful.

[Michael]

British History part 1

[Michelle Chamberlin]

The book had some interesting parts but a lot of it was very repetitive. I also feel that it contained to many names in some parts to where it got confusing

[Sharon]

Great micro history and examination of the Puritan influence on Dorchester, England.