November 27, 1810 was a most unpleasant day for one Mrs. Tottenham of 54 Berners Street in London, England. It began in the morning when a chimney sweep arrived to clean out the flues, which was somewhat strange given Mrs. Tottenham hadn’t ordered the services of a sweep. Things grew more concerning when several more sweeps arrived, followed by a procession of coal, piano, and couch deliveries, as well as shoemakers, priests, gardeners, dentists and a seemingly endless supply of callers. They had all been beckoned to the home by letters, ostensibly sent by Mrs. Tottenham herself.
According to some contemporary accounts the street was literally clogged with people both attempting to reach the front door of 54 Berners Street, and those gleefully enjoying observing the chaos. In the interest of preserving the public order in a city that had never seen such traffic before, the police shut down access to the street and turned away any further callers. This was, of course, after the Lord Mayor had come to visit, also lured by a letter from Mrs. Tottenham, and had been rebuffed as she had not actually requested his presence. She had, in fact, requested none of the services or goods delivered to her doorstep that day, and had, for a reason that remains unknown to this day, found herself the victim of a large and elaborate prank.
It began with a bet. According to accounts, Samuel Beazley bet his friend Theodore Hook, a young and popularly-known writer, the sum of one guinea that he could not turn any house in London into a famous address within a week. Hook, again according to accounts that perhaps vary in their authenticity and reliability, took up the bet and penned over 4,000 letters summoning the various services, visitors, and deliveries to the chosen address. Some say that Hook and Beazley even rented out the house across the street in order to best observe the bedlam they were creating.
The story has been told time and time again, and while we can be certain that somebody did prank poor Mrs. Tottenham on that day in 1810, or 1809 by some accounts, many of the details are hazy. As the story has been relayed over the years, new details have surfaced that certainly didn’t come from contemporary accounts. The idea that it was a bet between the two young men wasn’t part of the record until nearly 30 years following the occurrence, and Hook didn’t even admit to perpetrating the hoax until he published his autobiography much later in life. Some of the details, like penning over 4,000 letters in a single week, seem to be a little far fetched for reality. These exaggerations and additions likely aren’t the result of malice, but rather instead by a story changing slightly every time it is a told, a well known human phenomenon. In attempts to make this already interesting tale even more engaging, writers have embellished here and there, layering it with fascinating and unbelievable details. We are left with a story that, while the details shouldn’t be trusted, is at least founded in a kernel of truth.