A suruay of London. Contayning the originall, antiquity, increase, moderne estate, and description of that citie, written in the yeare 1598. by John Stow
This month’s featured text is John Stow's A suruay of London. Contayning the originall, antiquity, increase, moderne estate, and description of that citie, written in the yeare 1598. John Stow (1525–1605) was a tailor by trade, but also had a great interest in the history of England in general as well as his native city of London. In 1560, Stow came under the patronage of Matthew Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury and founder of the Society of Antiquaries. Stow joined the society and became a great collector of books and manuscripts, especially those dealing with England's "antiquities" including divinity, astrology, poetry, and history. In 1561, he published his first book, The workes of Geffrey Chaucer, newly printed, with divers addicions whiche were never in printe before. Later books followed such as A Summarie of Englyshe Chronicles (1565), Annales, or a Gensrale Chronicle of England from Brute until the present yeare of Christ 1580 (1580), and A Suruay of London (1598). However, Stow also gained some powerful enemies including both Richard Grafton (a rival publisher whom Stow referred to disparagingly in his 1567 edition of A Summarie of Englyshe Chronicles) and certain members of the Church of England. Stow's home was searched in 1568 and charges were again brought against him in 1570 because of his suspected Catholic leanings. Stow's literary contributions never brought him financial gain; he died in poverty in 1605 and is buried in the church of St. Andrew Undershaft in London.

The Survay of London is one of the best sources for study of early modern London because it is an incredibly detailed, street by street, description of the buildings, smells, history, folklore, and personal memories of sixteenth century London. Not only does this work give scholars of the period a glimpse into the daily life of sixteenth century Londoners, but it also reflects broader changes going on during this period of London's history. The city had undergone significant change during Stow's lifetime and would soon grow even more during the seventeenth century. Different populations fragmented into different sections of the city and much of the city's ancient character and parishes was beginning to diminish because of great growth in the area outside the original boundaries of the city of London. Stow, through his reminiscences helps modern readers understand the changing mentalities and attitudes that the people of London, and, to an extent, all of England felt during this transitional time in early modern English history. In all, John Stow's Survay of London provides perhaps the best and certainly the most detailed "snapshot" of life in the city during the sixteenth century and of the changing beliefs of its people.

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