Thomas Bloodworth

Sir Thomas Bloodworth (sometimes spelled Bludworth) (baptized 13 February 1620 – 12 May 1682) was an English merchant and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1679. He was Lord Mayor of London from October 1665 to October 1666 and his inaction during the early stages of the Great Fire of London was widely criticized as one of the causes for the great extent of the damage to the city.

Bloodworth was the son of Edward Blidward, yeoman of Heanor, Derbyshire and was baptised on 13 February 1620. In 1635, he was apprenticed to a London vintner and became a member of the mercantile guild the Company of Vintners. He became a successful seller of turkeys, though was primarily a timber merchant. He was a member of the committee of the East India Company (E.I.C.) from 1651 to 1661 and one of the Court Assistants for the Levant Company from 1652 to 1665. In 1658 he was elected an alderman of the City of London for Dowgate ward. In 1660 he was elected Member of Parliament for Southwark in the Convention Parliament. He was knighted on 16 May 1660. He was a Colonel of the Orange Regiment in 1660 and a colonel of the yellow Regiment from 1660 to 1682. In 1661, he was re-elected MP for Southwark for the Cavalier Parliament. He became an alderman for Portsoken ward in 1662 and was a member of the committee of the E.I.C. from 1662 to 1663. In 1663 he served as one of the two sheriffs of London. He was alderman of Aldersgate from 1663 to 1682 and was on the committee E.I.C again from 1664 to 1665. In 1665 he was Master of the Vintners Company.

Bloodworth became Lord Mayor of London in November 1665. In the early hours of 2 September 1666, a fire broke out in the house of Thomas Farriner (sometimes spelled Farynor), a baker. The methods of firefighting at the time included the use of long sticks with hooks on the end, which were used to pull down buildings adjacent to those burning. This was meant to contain the fire by not giving it any material to spread to. However, this was also destruction of property and was considered a serious matter, so the mayor was summoned to permit it to take place.

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