"How near were we to Ruine": the effects in England of the earthquake of 8th September 1692

This paper attempts to Illustrate some of the advantages and disadvantages of using contemporary evidence in the study of historical seismicity. The event considered here is doubly significant-it was a large event by British standards, as well as arguably the best documented earthquake to have occurred before the mid-eighteenth century. At a time when an interdisciplinary approach to historical seismicity is still in its infancy this paper identifies those areas where the available sources can assist in the evaluation of early macroseismic data.