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from Part V - Social Structures and Social Life
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 April 2023
When Defoe was born in 1660, London was a rapidly growing, crowded, congested, noisome capital. Its footprint was irrevocably altered by two events: the resurgence of plague in 1664 and the Great Fire in 1666, which destroyed most of the City in the traditional square mile. Already cosmopolitan, London had been diversified by successive waves of European migrants often fleeing religious persecution (Jews and Huguenots) as well as migrants from Africa (freed and enslaved). The nature of urban work also changed during Defoe’s lifetime, as the number of boys put to apprentice dwindled and the number of girls increased, particularly in the trades associated with textiles and fashion. The crown’s restoration in 1660 added two theatres to the capital’s already vibrant public culture, and the proliferation of coffee and chocolate houses significantly increased the number of places Londoners of the time could acquire and discuss news.
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