The Plague at Eyam

The Plague arrived in the village of Eyam in September 1665, in a bundle of cloth from London. It was carried by fleas living amongst the cloth bundles. George Vicars, assistant to the tailor who took delivery of the cloth was dead within a week, and others in his family began dying soon after.
The villagers looked to the church officials for leadership. They introduced some measures to prevent the spread of the disease, for example, families had to bury their own dead, and for church services to be held outside.

The most drastic measure taken was to quarantine the whole village to prevent the spread of the disease to surrounding communities. Accounts vary as to the number of Eyam residents who died of plague. There are 273 deaths recorded in Eyam church during the fourteen months the Plague ran its course.

Survival of those affected appears to have been random, as some who survived had been in close contact with others who died. For example, the grave digger, Marshall Howe survived despite handling infected bodies. Elizabeth Hancock was not infected even though she buried her husband and six children in just over a week.

The Hancock family graves on the outskirts of Eyam

 

Visit the museum in Eyam

For the full story of the village and The Plague