Eyam - The Plague Village
Perhaps best known for being the site of an outbreak of the bubonic plague in the 1600s. It’s a tragic tale, but also an inspiring story of great courage.
In 1665 a local tailor took delivery of a bundle of cloth from London. The cloth turned out to be full of fleas which, tragically, came from rats that were infected with the plague. Within only a few days the tailor’s assistant had died, and others in the household were very sick.
As more residents died over the following weeks, the community rector, Rev William Mompesson, persuaded the villagers to quarantine themselves off from the rest of the world to prevent the spread of disease to neighbouring areas.
This huge act of sacrifice meant that nobody left or entered the village for the next 14 months. During this time at least 270 of the 350 villagers died of the plague, including Rev Mompesson’s wife.
Eyam - The Plague Village
Perhaps best known for being the site of an outbreak of the bubonic plague in the 1600s. It’s a tragic tale, but also an inspiring story of great courage.
In 1665 a local tailor took delivery of a bundle of cloth from London. The cloth turned out to be full of fleas which, tragically, came from rats that were infected with the plague. Within only a few days the tailor’s assistant had died, and others in the household were very sick.
As more residents died over the following weeks, the community rector, Rev William Mompesson, persuaded the villagers to quarantine themselves off from the rest of the world to prevent the spread of disease to neighbouring areas.
This huge act of sacrifice meant that nobody left or entered the village for the next 14 months. During this time at least 270 of the 350 villagers died of the plague, including Rev Mompesson’s wife.