Though the Great Fire of London is acknowledged to have been started accidentally the programme details the thoughts at the time that it had been begun on purpose by Dutch saboteurs - England had recently been at war with the Dutch. Dutch nationals and other foreign residents in London were beaten up by mobs and needed to be rescued by the watch. Hubert,a young Frenchman,actually admitted to causing the blaze and was hung and only afterwards was it discovered that he could not possibly have done so. Wealthy European Londoners were however generous in contributing to re-building the city after the fire.