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In
two successive years of the 17th century London suffered two
terrible disasters. In the spring and summer of 1665 an
outbreak of Bubonic Plague spread from parish to parish until
thousands had died and the huge pits dug to receive the bodies were
full. In 1666 the Great Fire of London destroyed much of the
centre of London but also killed off most of the black rats and
fleas that carried the plague bacillus. Bubonic
Plague was known as the Black Death and had been known in England for
centuries. It was a ghastly disease. The victim's skin turned
black in patches and inflamed glands or 'buboes' in the groin
combined with compulsive vomiting, swollen tongue and splitting
headaches made it a horrible, agonizing killer. The
plague started in the East, possibly China, and quickly spread
through Europe. Whole communities were wiped out and corpses
littered the streets as there was no one left to bury them. It
began in London in the poor, overcrowded parish of St.
Giles-in-the-Field. It started slowly at first but by May of
1665, 43 had died. In June 6137 people died, in July 17036 and at its
peak in August, 31159 people died. In all, 15% of the
population perished during that terrible summer. Incubation
took a mere four to six days and when the plague appeared in a
household, the house was sealed, thus condemning the whole family to
death! These houses were distinguished by a painted red cross
on the door and the words, 'Lord have mercy on us'. At night
the corpses were brought out in answer to the cry,' Bring out your
dead', put in a cart and taken away to the plague pits.
One called the Great Pit was at Aldgate in London and another at
Finsbury Fields.
 The
King, Charles II and his
Court left London and fled to Oxford. Those people who could,
sent their families away from London during these months, but the
poor had no recourse but to stay. Samuel
Pepys in his Diary gives a vivid account of the empty streets in
London, as all who could had left in an attempt to flee the
pestilence. It
was believed that holding a posy of flowers to the nose kept away
the plague and to this day judges are still given a nose-gay to
carry on ceremonial occasions as a protection against the plague! A
song about the plague is still sung by children today.
'Ring-a-ring of roses' describes in great detail the symptoms of
the plague, and ends with 'All fall down'. The last word,
'dead', is omitted today. The
plague spread to many parts of England. York
was one city badly affected. The plague victims were buried outside
the city walls and it is said that they have never been disturbed
since then, as a precaution against a resurgence of the dreaded
plague. The grassy embankments below the walls that can be
seen as York is approached, are the sites of these plague pits. A
small village in Derbyshire called Eyam, 6 miles north of Bakewell,
has a story of tragedy and courage that will always be remembered. In
1665 a box of laundry was brought to Eyam by a traveller. The
laundry was found to be infested with fleas, and the epidemic
started! 80% of the people died here and there could have been
a terrible outbreak in Derbyshire had the village not had a
courageous rector called William Mompesson. He persuaded the villagers
not to flee the village and so spread the infection, but to stay
until the plague had run its course. His wife was one of the
many victims and her tomb can be seen in Eyam church. Mompesson
preached in the open air during the time of the plague, on a rock in
a dell, now called Cucklett Church. Every year a
Commemorative Service is held on the last Sunday in August in the dell where
he preached. During their 'siege' the villagers dropped money
for provisions into a
well so as not to spread the infection on the coins.
 In
some towns and villages in England there are still the old market
crosses which have a depression at the foot of the stone
cross. This was filled with vinegar during times of plague as
it was believed that vinegar would kill any germs on the coins and
so contain the disease. The
plague lasted in London until the late Autumn when the colder
weather helped kill off the fleas. Over
the centuries Bubonic Plague has broken out in Europe and the Far
East. In 1900 there were outbreaks of plague in places as far
apart as Portugal and Australia. Influenza
seems to be the modern form of plague. At the end of World War
One an influenza outbreak circled the world during 1918 -
1919. Within a year 20 million people had died world-wide. . ©
E.P.C |