The various sports behold here in this piece,
Which for six weeks were seen upon the ice;
Upon the Thames the great variety
Of plays and booths is here brought to your eye.
Here coaches, as in Cheapside, run on wheels,
Here men (out-tipling of the fishes) reels:
Instead of waves that us’d to beat the shore,
Here bulls they bait, till loudly they do roar;
Here boats do slide, where boats were wont to row,
Where ships did sail, the sailors do them tow;
And passengers in boats the river crost,
For the same price as ’twas before the frost.
There is the printing booth of wonderous fame,
Because that each man there did print his name;
And sure, in former ages, ne’re was found,
A press to print, where men so oft were drown’d.
In blanket booths, that sit at no ground rent,
Much coin in beef and brandy there is spent.
The Dutchmen here in nimble cutting scates,
To please the crowd do shew their tricks and feats;
The rabble here in chariots run around,
Coffee, and tea, and mum, doth here abound,
The tinkers here doth march at sound of kettle,
And all men know that they are men of mettle:
Here roasted was an ox before the court,
Which to much folks afforded meat and sport;
At nine-pins here they play, as in Moorfields,
This place the pass-time us of foot-ball yields:
The common hunt here makes another show,
As he to hunt an hare is wont to go;
But though no woods are here or hares so fleet.
Yet men do often foxes catch and meet;
Into a hole here one by chance doth fall,
At which the watermen began to bawl,
What, will you rob our cellar of its drink?
When he, alas! poor man, no harm did think.
Here men well mounted do on horses ride
Here they do throw at cocks as at Shrovetide;
A chariot here so cunningly was made,
That it did move itself without the aid
Of horse or rope, by virtue of a spring
That Vulcan did contrive, who wrought therein.
The rocks at nine-holes here do flock together
As they are wont to do in summer weather.
Three ha’perth for a penny, here they cry,
Of gingerbread, come, who will of it buy?
This is the booth where men did money take,
For crape and ribbons that they there did make;
But in six hours, this great and rary show
Of booths and pastimes all away did go.
Printed in the year 1684.
[Sidenote: 1683-4]
In the parish register of Holy-rood Church, Southampton, is the following
record of this winter’s remarkable frost:
“1683-4 This yeare was a great Frost, which began before Christmasse, soe
that yᵉ 3rd and 4th dayes of this month February yᵉ River of Southampton
was frossen all over and covered with ice from Calshott Castle to
Redbridge and Tho: Martaine maʳ of a vessell went upon yᵉ ice from Berry
near Marchwood to Milbrook-point. And yᵉ river at Ichen Ferry was so
frossen over that severall persons went from Beauvois-hill to Bittern
Farme, forwards and backwards.”
The following curious extract is from the Parochial Register at Ubley,
near Wrington: “In the yeare 1683 was a mighty great frost, the like was
not seene in England for many ages. It came upon a very deep snow, which
fell imediately after Christmas, and it continued untill a Lady-day. The
ground was not open nor the snow cleane gone off the earth in thirteene
weeks. Somm of the snow remained at mindipe till midsummer. It was soe
deepe and driven with the winde a gainst the hedges and stiles, that the
next morning after it fell men could not goe to their grounds to serve
their cattell without great danger of being buried, for it was above head
and shoulders in many places--sum it did burie--did betooken the burieing
of many more which came to pass before the end of the yeare; but in few
days the frost came soe fearce, that people did goe upon the top of it
over wals and stiles as on levell ground, not seeing hardly where they
was, and many men was forced to keep their cattell untill the last, in
the same ground that they was in at first, because they could not drive
them to any other place, and did hew the ice every day for water, by
reason of the sharpness of the frost and the deepness of the snow. Som
that was travelling on mindipe did travell till they could travell no
longer, and then lye down and dye, but mortality did prevaill most among
them that could travell worst, the sharpness of the season tooke off the
most parte of them that was aged and of them that was under infermities,
the people did die so fast, that it was the greatest parte of their work
(which was appointed to doe that worke) to burie the dead; it being a
day’s work for two men, or two days’ work for one man, to make a grave.
It was almost as hard a work to hew a grave out, in the earth, as in the
rock, the frost was a foot and halfe and two foot deepe in the dry earth,
and where there was moister and watter did runn, the ice was a yard and
fower foot thick, in soe much that ye people did keepe market on the
River at London; ‘God doth scatter his ice like morsels, man cannot abide
his cold.’--Psalme, 147, 17.”
The following are particulars of the chief publications issued in
connection with this frost:--
A large copper-plate, entitled “A Map of the River Thames, merrily call’d
Blanket Fair, as it was frozen in the memorable year 1683-4, describing
the booths, footpaths, coaches, sledges, bull-baiting, and other remarks
upon that famous river.” Dedicated to Sir Henry Hulse, Knt., and Lord
Mayor, by James Moxon, the engraver.
“A wonderfull Fair, or a Fair of Wonders; being new and true illustration
and description of the several things acted and done on the river of
Thames in the time of the terrible frost, which began about the beginning
of Dec., 1683, and continued till Feb. 4, and held on with such violence,
that men and beasts, coaches and sledges, went common thereon. There was
also a street of booths from the Temple to Southwark, where was sold all
sorts of goods; likewise bull-baiting and an ox roasted whole, and many
other things, as the map and description do plainly show.” Engraved and
printed on a sheet, 1684.
A small copper-plate representation of Frost Fair, with the figure of
Erra Pater in the foreground. At the top, are the words, “Erra Pater’s
Prophesy, or Frost Faire in 1683,” and underneath, the following lines:
“Old Erra Pater, or his rambling ghost,
Prognosticating of this long strong frost,
Some ages past, said yᵗ yᵉ ice-bound Thames,
Shou’d prove a theatre for sports and games;
Her watry green be turn’d into a bare,
For men a citty seem, for booths a faire;
And now the straggling sprite is once more come
To visit mortalls and foretel their doom.
When maids grow modest, yᵉ dissenting crew
Become all loyal, the falsehearted true,
Then you may probably, and not till then,
Expect in England such a frost again.”
_Printed for James Norris, at the King’s Armes, without Temple
Barr._
[Sidenote: 1688-89]
Timbs, in his “Curiosities of London,” records a great frost, lasting
from 20th December to 6th February. Pools were frozen eighteen
inches thick, and the Thames ice was covered with streets of shops,
bull-baiting, shows and tricks; hackney coaches plied on the ice-roads,
and a coach with six horses was driven from Whitehall almost to London
Bridge; yet in two days all the ice disappeared.
[Sidenote: 1709]
The Thames frozen over, and some persons crossed it on the ice. In the
Crowle Pennant is a coarse bill, within a wood-cut border of rural
subjects, bearing the inscription, “Mr. John Heaton, printed on the
Thames at Westminster, January 7th, 1709.” The frost lasted three months.
It is somewhat remarkable to find that there was very little frost this
year in Scotland and Ireland.
[Sidenote: 1715-16]
Thames again frozen over. At the time of this frost an advertisement
appeared as follows: “This is to give notice to gentlemen and others
that pass upon the Thames during this frost, that over against
Whitehall-stairs they may have their names printed, fit to paste in any
book, to hand down the memory of the season to future ages.
You that walk there, and do desyn to tell
Your children’s children what this year befell,
Go print your names, and take a dram within;
For such a year as this, has seldom been.”
The following account of this frost is drawn from _Dawks’s News-Letter_
of January 14th, 1716: “The Thames seems now a solid rock of ice; and
booths for the sale of brandy, wine, ale, and other exhilarating liquors,
have been for some time fixed thereon; but now it is in a manner like a
town: thousands of people cross it, and with wonder view the mountainous
heaps of water, that now lie congealed into ice. On Thursday, a great
cook’s-shop was erected, and gentlemen went as frequently to dine there,
as at any ordinary.”
“Over against Westminster, Whitehall, and Whitefriars, Printing-presses
are kept upon the ice, where many persons have their names printed, to
transmit the wonders of the season to posterity.”
It is further recorded of the Thames that “coaches, waggons, carts, &c.,
were driven on it, and an enthusiastic preacher held forth to a motley
congregation on the mighty waters, with a zeal fiery enough to have
thawed himself through the ice, had it been susceptible to religious
warmth. This, with other pastimes and diversions, attracted the attention
of many of the nobility, and even brought the Prince of Wales, to visit
Frost Fair. On that day, there was an uncommonly high spring-tide, which
overflowed the cellars on the banks of the river, and raised the ice
full fourteen feet, without interrupting the people from their pursuits.
The _Protestant Packet_ of this period, observes that the theatres
were almost deserted. The _News-letter_ of February 15, announces the
dissolution of the ice, and with it the ‘baseless fabric’ on which Momus
had held his temporary reign; the above paper then proclaims the good
fare, and various articles to be seen, and purchased.”
“Thou beauteous River Thames, whose standing tide
Equals the glory of thy flowing pride,
The city, nay the world’s transferr’d to thee
Fin’d as the land, and richer than the sea.
The various metals, Nature can produce,
Or Art improve, for ornament or use,
From the Earth’s deepest bowels brought are made
To shine in thee, and carry on thy trade.
Here Guilledum, fam’d for making silver pass
Through various forms; and Sparks as fam’d for brass,
There’s T⸺ ’tween God and gold who ne’er stood neater,
And trusty Nicholson, who lives by pewter,
Wrote o’er their doors, having affix’d their names,
We under-writ, remov’d are to the Thames.
There miles together for the common good
The Slippery Substance offers dainty food.
Here healing Port-wine, and there Rhenish flows,
Here Bohea Tea, and there Tobacco grows.
In one place you may meet good Cheshire cheese,
Another proffers, whitest Brentford peas:
Here is King George’s picture, there Queen Anne’s,
Now nut-brown ale in cups, and then in canns:
One sells an Oxford dram as good as can be,
Another offers General Peper’s brandy.
See! there’s the Mall, and in that little hut
The best Geneva’s sold, and live to boot,
See there, a sleek Venetian Envoy walks;
See here, an Alderman more proudly stalks.
Behold the French Ambassador, that’s he;
And this the honest Sire, and Captain Leigh.
Here is St. James’s street, yonder the Strand:
In this place Bowyer plies; that’s Lintot’s stand.”