Great Plague

Last great epidemic of the bubonic plague (also known as the Black Death) in England in May 1665 and a second time in the summer of 1665.

Course of the Plague

Probably from China where the Plague emerged, it quickly spread to Europe where it arrived in London and then spread to a hugely over-populated town called St. Giles-in-the-Field. Charles II and his court moved from London to Oxford. Rich people followed him in their flight out of the city whereas poor people were forbidden to move out. They were forced to stay in their houses and eventually died there. Other European countries built so-called pest houses, i.e. hospitals to gather the victims together.

By June, the Lord Mayor closed the gates out of London and only those were granted way to leave London who had a health certificate. Samuel Pepys decided to stay in London and wrote down the observations on the flight and empty streets in his diaries which give a precise overview of what has happened at that time and also allow a glimpse into the emotional lives of those who had to stay in London (Pepys was afraid of dying, at the same time he started many sexual affairs).

The Plague spread all around England with York being affected very badly. But also a small town called Eyam in Derbyshire, about 80 % of the population died after a basket of laundry infected with the lethal fleas was deposited in the town by a traveller passing by. But thanks to the courageous local rector William Mompesson who could convince the citizens of Eyam to stay and not to spread the disease around, Derbyshire was spared by the Great Plague (historic.uk).

Cause of the Great Plague

There were several theories on how the Great Plague developed. Some people believed that the peoples’ symptoms were inflicted by inhaling poisonous air (so-called miasmas), others blamed livestock for the disease and others again said it was God’s work to punish peoples’ sins. However, the real cause was a bacillus called Yersinia pestis transported by fleas. Supported by hot weather and bad hygienic conditions, the bacillus spread very quickly. Recent research by historican Vanessa Harding has put the transmission of the plague by rats in doubt (Harding).

Victims

By May 1665, 43 people have died, in June over 6,000 people lost their lives and in July the number of fatalities rose up to over 17,000 reaching its peak just one month later with over 31,000 casualties with an overall loss of 15 % of the population. In addition to that 40,000 dogs and 200,000 cats died in the course of the Black Death.

Literature on the Great Plague

Bell, Walter George. The Great Plague in London in 1665. London: John Lane, The Bodley Head, 1924.

Defoe, Daniel. Journal of the Plague Year (1722).

Nursery Rhyme: Ring a Ring o' Roses, first published in: Kate Greenaway. Mother Goose. 1881.

Films

Secrets of the Great Plague (2006), directed by Tom Pollock

Sources

Harding, Vanessa, "1665: London't Last Great Plague", Lecture at Gresham College, 30 September 2015: [1]link title.

<http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/England-History/GreatPlague.htm>