Winslow, like all small towns, was subject to regular fires. 5 houses were burned down in 1697. There were two seroius fires in 1748. The following fire (Oxford Journal, 26 Aug 1775) started at the rear of 22 High Street and spread as far as Greyhound Lane:

On Monday the 14th of August instant, about three o’clock in the afternoon, a fire broke out in the Brew-house of Mr. Tho. Footman, the Three Pigeons, in Winslow, Bucks, occasioned by his Servant leaving the Brew-house a few minutes, to fetch a Gentleman’s horse out of the stable. – It happened, that during the Servant’s absence, the furze, with which he was brewing, set fire to the Building, and in less than an hour burnt down the same, together with two Dwelling-houses and several Out-buildings, Barns, and Stables, in which were great quantites of coal, wood, and timber; several other buildings were likewise greatly damaged, but the wind being very still, a stop was put to the fire about eight o’clock at night. – A Butcher’s dog, tied up in the shop, was burnt to death, several goods were consumed, and a Maid-servant jumped out of a chamber window, by which means her life was saved, otherwise she must have perished in the flames.

There were two fire engines in 1781, when they were used to fight a massive fire at Great Horwood. This piece by John Harris, of Arapahoe, Nebraska, and formerly of Great Horwood, was printed in the Buckingham Advertiser, 3 May 1902:

It appears that Winslow, even at that date, possessed a couple of fire engines, but these were cumbersome machines, with solid wooden wheels, and when required at any distance from Winslow had to be conveyed to the spot on a waggon.  Yet they seem to have done some good service at this fire, and received such a shaking that the petition below was made to the Sun Fire Office for aid to purchase a new fire engine, with what result is not known, except that a new one was obtained about the year 1800, which continued in use for full seventy years, most of which time, with its buckets and fire drags, it found a safe shelter within the walls of the Parish Church; but now, alas! We believe, that it is ignobly stowed away in some barn or hovel at Padbury:-
“Petition to the Sun Fire Office,
“to the Acting Members of the Sun Fire Office, London.”
  “We, whose names are hereto subscribed, Inhabitants of the town of Winslow, in the County of Bucks, beg leave to represent to you that the whole or the greatest part of the Housekeepers here, in number about 150, have insured their property in the Sun Fire Office, without any connection with other Insurance Offices,- That two Fire Engines and 50 buckets with divers other Implements for extinguishing and stopping Fires, have been constantly kept in our parish of Winslow, not only for the benefit of Winslow, but for the benefit also of the many adjacent villages.
  “That at the late Fire at Great Horwood, when sixty-two dwelling houses were burnt down, the Winslow Engines, buckets and implements were instantly sent to their assistance, and there received great damage, insomuch that the least Engine will want more reparation than the Artifices in this County can judiciously restore, and the whole or most of the buckets are irreparably torn to pieces.  Therefore we most humbly request that the Members of the Sun Fire Office will exchange our smallest Engine for a new one, and send us a new set of buckets of our usual number, as above-mentioned, with half a dozen fire caps, and they will thereby confer the greatest obligation not only on the Inhabitants of Winslow, but also on the many adjacent villages - which request we hope and trust, the Members of the Sun Fire Office will in this particular case not think unreasonably.  Dated at Winslow the 28th day of August 1781.”

This extract from Jackson's Oxford Journal of 1833 records a fire in Church Walk; George Cross lived in part of what is now Churchwalk House:

Friday afternoon a fire broke out between 3 and 4 o'clock in the chimney of a cottage in the occupation of John Walker, adjoining the churchyard, Winslow, which speedily communicated itself to the house, and to six adjacent houses, the whole of which were thatched. Great alarm was excited in the town, as the buildings are densely situated in the neighbourhood, and, for a long time, the premises of Mr. Cross, maltster, and Mr. S. Dudley, auctioneer, were in great danger; all the inhabitants exerted themselves with the most praiseworthy promptitude, and there being fortunately little wind, the fire was got under about 10, its destruction having been confined to the houses above-mentioned. By this calamity seven families, including 30 individuals, have been bereft of their homes.

Bucks Herald, 20 April 1833
LOSSES BY FIRE
We have always great satisfaction in publishing the successful deeds of the charitable and benevolent. The subscription at Winslow for the relief of the distressed sufferers from the late fire, when seven cottages were very quickly destroyed, has been attended with great success and the grateful acknowledgement of the real sufferers have been sincerely expressed.  Although in the above instance the inhabitants showed great promptitude and exposed themselves to considerable personal danger; yet, it is generally admitted that had it not been for the wise and timely measure of intersecting or removing some adjoining premises, the destructive element would soon have commenced its power with some thatched malt and flour Warehouses, and which must have inevitably been productive of very serious and painful losses.  This dreaded result, however, was most fortunately prevented by the systematic operation of a few individuals, the practical and valuable deduction thus produced has not been lost sight of; for the inhabitants of Winslow have been induced to form a committee of management to act on any future occurrence of fire, the several departments have been filled by the signatures of the principal inhabitants; the aptitude of each individual being the guide to his proper station, the following are the different departments in the arrangements:-

First. The Superintendent of the working of the fire engine.
Second. Supply of water.
Third. Removal of property.
Fourth. The protection of the same.
Fifth. Intersection or removal of premises.
Sixth. The supply of refreshment.

It is too evident that, had this system been in action on the late occasion, and the duties of the fourth department been properly executed, the subscription alluded to would have been totally unnecessary; - surely this measure if well conducted must prove satisfactory and beneficial to all parties, and [be] worthy of adoption in other parishes.

At a general vestry held on 21 June 1838, it was decided to ask the Poor Law Commissioners to hand over the balance of money from the sale of the "parish cottages", "to such purposes as may be deemed most beneficial to the parish" (CBS, PR237/8/1). See the corresponence with the Poor Law Commission about this. £75 5s 6d was "to be applied towards the expence of erecting a cage and engine house." On 19 Sep 1838 it was decided that "the place where the pond called Pillows' ditch was filled up would be an eligible site" and "that Mr Lowndes offer of a sufficient piece of ground there for that purpose be accepted." On 6 June 1839 they agreed to purchase the ground. George Mayne was to draw up a plan for the cage and engine house, and the application to the Poor Law Commissioners would be deferred. They adopted the plan on 20 June. On 27 June a special vestry agreed "to the erection of a cage and engine house and room over the same", to give the contract for building it to George Mayne for £162 15s, and for the Guardians of the Winslow Union to meet the costs, applying to the Commissioners for a sum of £150. Various bills for work were paid by the Guardians on 1 March 1841.

According to a letter from T.P. Willis to the Parish Council in 1895, William Selby Lowndes executed a grant on the 24th October 1840 to D.T. Willis, George Cowley, Samuel Burnham Dudley & Alfred Barton in trust for the Parish of Winslow “the scite of a prison or cage and an engine house erected thereon”.

The engine house can be seen in the photo on the right. On the "cage", see Lock-up. It's possible that it was the small building to the right, behind the lamp-post. It lost its function in 1854 when what became the Police Station was built.

There was a fire engine in action by July 1838, when the churchwardens' accounts record that it was used at a fire in North Marston.

Note by Ed Grimsdale: A.J.Clear makes clear that the existing fire engine remained in place and active until 1870. Reading between the lines of this pompous piece from the Bucks Herald, one fears that thieves and looters added to the suffering of those who lost their homes  in the 1833 fire.

However, a Vestry held in Nov 1864 set up a committee to raise funds so "that a Fire Engine be provided for the Parish and neighbourhood". Again in 1869 the Vestry decided "That a Committee be appointed to solicit contributions for providing a suitable Fire Engine", and the "cage" was apparently being rented out for storage.

The water supply remained a bone of contention for the next century (see Parish Council).

Buckingham Advertiser, 23 April 1859

TO THE INHABITANTS OF WINSLOW

  A few plain words to intelligent persons, upon a subject which concerns all the Inhabitants of WINSLOW.  The subject is WATER;- there is not a sufficient supply of Water.  This is an admitted fact; it is an evil felt by almost every householder in the town.  Can this evil be remedied?  How?  Not by deepening the Well in the Market Square.  It is true.  Water may be found at greater depth; but will not the deepening of this one Well affect more or less every Well in the town?  But supposing the evil should be remedied as regards a sufficient supply for ordinary consumption, where would water be found in case of fire?  Suppose a fire should break out in the dead of night in the Market Square, or any part of the town, where could Water be found to extinguish the flames?  Every Well would be dry in less than an hour.  This is the evil, - where is the remedy?  The town may, and ought to be, supplied with pure Water; the thing is practicable.  There is plenty of Water in Little Horwood Brook.  All the apparatus is in working order for sending to every house in the town the needful supply.
  My plan is this, - first to enter into an agreement with the Railway Company to supply the town; the owners of property to guarantee a certain per centage on the outlay, - or, a company might be formed, with limited liabilities; - or, a small rate might be levied yearly to meet the expenditure; - or, the Gas Works might have it in their own hands.  There are no difficulties in the way which might not be overcome.  First, there is a sufficient supply in Horwood Brook: second, the engine at the Tank House is sufficiently powerful to send a proper supply into the town; third, there is sufficient fall from the Police Station to reach Dr. Lovell’s [Winslow Hall].  My plan would be, to lay down pipes from the Tank to some where about the Police Station, there to form a reservoir; then to bring the pipes down the Buckingham Road, up Sheep Street, and to Mr. Willis’s new house [Western House, Horn Street].
  The thing is before you.  It is worth your consideration.  I feel confident it can be done.  It is needless to enter further into details.  Call a meeting, and let it be thoroughly considered.  The outlay, I think, would not exceed £400, which sum I have no doubt might be collected at once.  If the outlay were met by subscription, the annual rental for a supply from the Railway Company would be small matter indeed.

A FELLOW TOWNSMAN.

• See Formation of the Winslow Fire Brigade, 1869

Before the development of fire insurance, bad fires led to nationwide appeals on behalf of the victims This is written at the end of the parish register volume which finished in 1715:

Winslow
Mem(orandum) (tha)t on Septemb(e)r 17^th 1653, was collected & payd in to ye High Constable of this hundred John Adams junior for ye reliefe of ye Inhabitants of Malborough [sic] impoverished by an extraordinary Fire, w(hi)ch undid many hundred Familyes the sume of 2^li – 1^s – 1^d as appears by ye acquittance suffixt

Ita testam(ur)
John Pownell Minist(er) ibid
Richard Hodgkins )
Henry Wiatt        )              Church
John Miller          )              Wardens

The London Metropolitan Archive holds the records of both the Sun and Royal Exchange Insurance companies, both of which insured tradesmen in Buckinghamshire and Worcestershire in the 18th century. The policies of the Sun Insurance Co. survive for the period 1710-1863 (Ms 11936-7: 1262 volumes) and those of the Royal Exchange Insurance Co. cover the periods 1753-9 and 1773-1883 (Ms 7252-5: 173 volumes).

Arthur Clear: A Thousand Years of Winslow Life (1888), p.18 on fire engines

By a petition sent to the Sun Fire Office in August, 1781, it would appear that even at that day Winslow possessed a couple of Fire Engines, but these were cumbersome machines with solid wooden wheels, and when required at any distance had to be conveyed to the spot in a wagon, yet they seem to have done some good service in their day. About the year 1800, a new Engine was obtained which continued in use for full seventy years, most of which time, with its fire drags and buckets, it found a safe shelter within the walls of the Parish Church. Of late it would seem to have received rather ignoble treatment, in one of the adjacent villages, but we understand that a quiet nook has been found for it in the Winslow Engine House.

The Sun and Royal Exchange insured domestic commercial and industrial buildings and their contents. The policies were copied into ledgers and include the following information: policy number, name of agent/location of agency; name, status, occupation and address of policy holder; names, occupations and addresses of tenants; location, type, nature of construction and value of property insured; premium; and renewal date.

The policy registers of the Sun and Royal Exchange remain largely unindexed, but there are two periods covered by name and place indexes. There is a card index to personal names in Sun policy registers, 1714-1731 (Ms 17817). It is arranged by county and alphabetically by name of policy holder within each county. It gives the name and occupation of the policy holder or tenant; the location of the property by county, parish or village (and occasionally street or hous). There is a photocopy of the Buckinghamshire entries at the Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies in Aylesbury. The index to Sun and Royal Exchange policy registers for the period 1775-87 (Ms 24172) has been made available in microfiche form and copies given to most English record offices. There is a copy at the Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies in Aylesbury. It has name, place and trade indexes. These cover the whole country, but Buckinghamshire towns are necessarily grouped together in the place index.

The Sun and Royal Exchange policies give an unrivalled picture of Buckinghamshire towns in the 18th century. The vast majority of gentry and tradesmen took out fire insurance, particularly following the disastrous fires at Buckingham and Stony Stratford. In the course of his work on Buckinghamshire towns, Julian Hunt has transcribed hundreds of fire insurance policies.

£150
£60
£50
_____
£200

£180
£120
_____
£300

On the Windmill Alehouse and brewhouse only adjoining in the tenure of Richard Gibbs victualler

(Original too fragile to be served - details from Simmons thesis on mills)

Two cottages only adjoining in Winslow aforesaid thatched in the tenure of Robinson and Windmill

On his now dwelling house and butchers shop adjoining situate at Winslow aforesaid thatched

On her now dwelling house & brewhouse under one roof situate as aforesaid, thatched

Barn and leantoos adjoining and separate

On his house and leantoos adjoining in the tenure of Thomas Ives bellman

House brewhouse and leantoos adjoining called the Swan in the tenure of Thomas Footman victualler

House only adjoining the Swan Alehouse aforesaid in the tenure of William George shopkeeper

House brewhouse and leantoos adjoining separate from the above called the Windmill in the tenure of Thomas Carter victualler

On his household goods in his now dwelling house situate as aforesaid brick and tiled

Two houses only in Cow Street in Winslow aforesaid in the tenure of Charles King  thatched

On his household goods in his now dwelling house only situate as aforesaid brick and tiled

Tenement and barn adjoining in Granborough in the tenure of Widow Sharpe and Gilkes thatched

Joseph Dudley of Winslow mercer

On his moiety of the following buildings in Winslow aforesaid viz:

The dwelling house offices and stables only adjoining of the Bell Inn in the tenure of Richard Shelton  brick and plaister tiled and thatched

House washouse stable adjoining in the tenure of Paul Parkins situate at Shipton in the Parish of Winslow thatched

On his house only in Winslow the Sow and Pigs in the tenure of Richard Ingram victualler brick and tiled

Richard Ingram of Winslow victualler

On his household goods in his now dwelling house only the Sow and Pigs in Winslow aforesaid  brick and tiled

Five houses only adjoining in Great Horn Street in Winslow aforesaid in the tenure of himself John Gent mason brick and tiled

House only separate  brick and tiled  in the tenure of Thomas Goughton labourer

On his buildings only situate at Granborough  thatched in the tenure of Robert Mander and Benjamin Gilkes

On his moiety of the dwelling house offices stables only adjoining of
the Bell Inn at Winslow aforesaid in the tenure of Richard Shelton innholder Brick plaister tiled and thatched

On his house in Granborough called Red Lion in the tenure of Holding victualler  thatched

On his now dwelling house brewhouse stable gatehouse and leantoos adjoining situate as aforesaid

Storehouse and malthouse pigsties' leantoos all adjoining to the above a brick wall between and no communication

On her now dwelling house stable and barns adjoining situate at Winslow aforesaid  brick and tiled

On his house, shop, washhouse and fasting house adjoining situate as aforesaid thatched

On his house and leantoos adjoining in Winslow in the tenure of Thomas Ives  thatched

On his now dwelling house and brewhouse and leantoos adjoining the above  thatched

House brewhouse and leantoos adjoining near in the tenure of Thomas Carter victualler  thatched

On his now dwelling house only  the Rose and Crown situate as aforesaid  brick plaister and tiled

£50

On her house stable and barns adjoining in Winslow in the tenure of Thomas Deverell grocer and tallow chandler brick and tiled

On his house only in Winslow aforesaid the Rose and Crown in the tenure of Thomas Warner victualler  brick plaister and tiled

On his now dwelling house and two tenements adjoining
in the tenure of himself Goodman and others situate as aforesaid brick brick pannelled and tiled

On his now dwelling house and stable adjoining situate as aforesaid  brick and tiled

House only at Granborough in the tenure of Charles Gilkes thatched

John Clarke of Winslow carrier

On his household goods in his now dwelling house situate as aforesaid brick and tiled

On his dwelling house barn and stable adjoining situate as aforesaid brick piaister and tiled

On his household goods in his now dwelling house only in Winslow aforesaid  brick pannelled and tiled

On his now dwelling house and four tenements barn and leantoos all
under one roof situate as aforesaid in the tenure of himself Ives George Griffin and Walker

On his now dwelling house brewhouse storehouse gatehouse and leantoos all adjoining situate as aforesaid

On his household goods in his now dwelling house only situate as aforesaid  brick and tiled

Two tenements adjoining at Winslow aforesaid in the tenure of Charles King  thatched

477385

Household goods in his now dwelling house only situate as aforesaid brick and tiled

On his household goods in his now dwelling house situate as aforesaid brick and tiled

Thomas Bignell of Winslow baker

On his household goods in his now dwelling house situate as aforesaid brick and tiled

John Tookey of Winslow surgeon

On his house and offices adjoining situate at Winslow aforesaid in the tenure of John Clarke  private

On his household goods in his now dwelling house only situate as aforesaid brick and tiled

On his buildings and goods as particularly expressed on the back of this policy viz;
On his dwelling house [Winslow Hall], kitchen, brewhouse and offices adjoining, brick tiled and leaded

Three tenements only adjoining in Ship Street in the tenure of Church and others

House and barn only adjoining in the tenure of Henry Cox private. brick and tiled

House gate house woodhouse stable and barns adjoining at Shipen in the tenure of Brandon [Rands Farm]

House and dairy house only adjoining separate in the tenure of Wilson farmer, brick and tiled [Shipton Farm]

Farmhouse only separate in the tenure of Thomas Ingram farmer, brick and tiled [Tuckey Farm]

James Barton of Winslow victualler

On household furniture in his dwelling house brick built and tiled situate near the Market Place in Winslow aforesaid and known by the Kings Head

Utensils and stock at Adstock viz in his two barns stable and offices all adjoining thatched

On his house and two tenements all adjoining situate as
aforesaid in the tenure of himself and James Harnson carpenter and Sarah Southam widow

On his two tenements and offices adjoining situate in Winslow aforesaid in the tenure of Widow French and others