Sir Thomas Bloodworth (sometimes spelled Bludworth) (1620-1682) was Lord Mayor of London from October 1665 to October 1666. 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. Events September 6 - English emigrants on the Mayflower depart from Plymouth, England for the future New England and arrive at the end of the year. ... Events March 11 – Chelsea hospital for soldiers is founded in England May 6 - Louis XIV of France moves his court to Versailles. ... Michael Berry Savory. ... Events March 4 - Start of the Second Anglo-Dutch War. ... Events September 2 - Great Fire of London: A large fire breaks out in London in the house of Charles IIs baker on Pudding Lane near London Bridge. ... London, as it appeared from Bankside, Southwark, During the Great Fire — Derived from a Print of the Period by Visscher The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the City of London from September 2 to September 5, 1666, and resulted more or less in the...

Prior to his time as mayor, Bloodworth was a wealthy merchant and a member of the mercantile guild the Company of Vintners, holding the post of Master of the Company for a time. Aside from an apprenticeship, however, he was primarily a timber merchant, as the Company did not require participation in the wine industry for membership. A guild is an association of people of the same trade or pursuits, formed to protect mutual interests and maintain standards of morality or conduct. ... The Worshipful Company of Vintners is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. ...

In the early hours of September 2, 1666, a fire broke out in the house of Thomas Farriner, 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. September 2 is the 245th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (246th in leap years). ... Events September 2 - Great Fire of London: A large fire breaks out in London in the house of Charles IIs baker on Pudding Lane near London Bridge. ... Firefighter with an axe A firefighter, sometimes still called a fireman though women have increasingly joined firefighting units, is a person who is trained and equipped to put out fires, rescue people and in some areas provide emergency medical services. ...

When Bloodworth arrived, he refused to allow the demolition to take place. Possibly, this was due to fear of complaints from the owners of the buildings which would be destroyed that such actions were unnecessary. He expressed a lack of concern that the fire would become dangerous, saying that "a woman might piss it out," before returning to his home and going back to sleep. Over the next three days, the fire would destroy more than 75 percent of the city.

He would maintain for the rest of his life that the scope of the fire was not his fault.