Eyam Plague Cottage: ‘The Plague Village’
Eyam Plague Cottage, located in the village of Eyam in Derbyshire, is a significant historical site due to its connection to the bubonic plague outbreak in 1665-1666.
Eyam is known as "the plague village" because of its remarkable and selfless response to the outbreak.
This small village imposed a self-quarantine, restricting all movement in and out for 14 months - and their efforts successfully contained the disease, preventing it from spreading further.
However, the deadly disease still claimed 260 lives of the 800 people in the village.
The first of these deaths occurred in the plague cottages in Eyam (now a Grade 2 listed building).
The Plague decimated the population, killing an estimated 30-50% of England's inhabitants within two years.
Entire villages were wiped out, and cities like London saw tens of thousands of deaths.
The high mortality rate led to a severe labor shortage, disrupting agriculture and leading to economic turmoil.
Fields went untilled, and livestock perished unattended, causing food shortages and inflation.
The plague is thought to have entered England through the port of Melcombe Regis in Dorset, brought by infected sailors and merchants.
From there, it spread rapidly across the country, reaching London by the winter of 1348 and then extending to the Midlands, the north, and eventually all corners of the kingdom.
The history of the plague in the village of Eyam began in 1665 when a flea-infested bundle of cloth arrived from London for Alexander Hadfield, the local tailor.
Within a week, his assistant George Viccars, noticing the damp bundle, had opened it.
Shortly after, he died, and more members of the household began to perish.
As the disease spread, the villagers sought leadership from their rector, Reverend William Mompesson, and the ejected Puritan minister Thomas Stanley.
In May 1666, they implemented several measures to slow the illness's spread.
These precautions included families burying their own dead and relocating church services to the natural amphitheater of Cucklett Delph, allowing villagers to maintain distance and reduce infection risk.
The most notable decision was to quarantine the entire village to prevent the disease from spreading further.
Surrounding merchants delivered supplies to designated rocks, where villagers left payment in vinegar-filled holes to disinfect the money.
The plague persisted for 14 months.
One account states that it killed at least 260 villagers, leaving only 83 survivors from a population of 350.
This figure is contested, with alternative numbers suggesting 430 survivors from around 800 inhabitants. The church in Eyam records 273 plague victims.
Survival among the affected seemed random, as many who had close contact with the diseased remained uninfected.
For example, Elizabeth Hancock survived despite burying six children and her husband within eight days.
Their graves are known as the Riley graves after their farm.
Similarly, Marshall Howe, the unofficial village gravedigger, survived despite handling many infected bodies.
Startling research into Eyam
In December 2000, researchers from the National Cancer Institute in Maryland, USA, embarked on a fascinating genetic study of Eyam.
The researchers selected 100 residents whose families could be traced back to this turbulent time, aiming to uncover a genetic anomaly that had persisted through generations.
Their findings were startling…
A significant number of Eyam villagers carried a genetic mutation known as "CCR5-Delta 32" or simply "Delta 32".
This mutation, they discovered, confers immunity to bubonic plague, the same disease that had ravaged Eyam centuries earlier.
The logic behind this genetic advantage is grim but straightforward: during the plague outbreak, individuals without the Delta 32 mutation were highly vulnerable to the disease and likely perished.
Those who survived, however, carried the mutation and passed it down to their descendants.
Over 300 years later, the village still exhibits a higher prevalence of this protective mutation than the average population.
The implications of this discovery reverberated beyond Eyam's historical significance.
The Delta 32 mutation gained newfound attention because it not only provides immunity to bubonic plague but also, if inherited from both parents, confers resistance to HIV/AIDS.
This dual protective effect against two deadly diseases sparked immense scientific interest and raised questions about the broader implications of genetic adaptations in human populations.
The village's genetic makeup serves as a poignant reminder of the lasting impacts of historical events on human biology and underscores the ongoing relevance of genetic research in understanding and combating infectious diseases.
Today, Eyam is home to numerous sites linked to its plague history - one notable location is the Boundary Stone, situated in the fields between Eyam and Stoney Middleton.
During the plague, money, often soaked in vinegar believed to kill the infection, was placed there in exchange for food and medicine.
This stone is one of several 'plague stones' marking the boundaries that neither villagers nor outsiders were to cross.
Another significant site is the Riley graves, an isolated area now overseen by the National Trust.
The village's industrial heritage is reflected in the name of its sole pub, the Miner's Arms. Originally built in 1630 and known as The Kings Arms, it predates the plague.
Across from the church is the Mechanics' Institute, founded in 1824. The current building, featuring a pillared portico, dates from 1859 and was expanded in 1894.
In the churchyard, Catherine Mompesson's tabletop grave is adorned with a wreath every Plague Sunday, honouring her loyalty in staying with her husband during the plague while her family left.
The church's burial register also notes "Anna the traveller," who purportedly lived to 136 years old and was buried on December 30, 1663.
A more recent interment is Harry Bagshaw, a cricketer for Derbyshire and later a respected umpire.
His headstone features a carved hand pointing upwards, and beneath the inscription, a set of stumps with a bat and flying bails, marking where a ball struck the wicket.
Eyam Hypothesis
The "Eyam Hypothesis" is a medical theory named after the village's contribution to containing the spread of the plague through self-isolation.
Key principles of the hypothesis include:
Community Cooperation: The willingness of an entire community to adhere to public health directives, even at great personal cost, is crucial for controlling outbreaks.
Effective Leadership: Strong, credible leadership is essential in guiding and maintaining public compliance with quarantine measures.
Localised Containment: Early and localised intervention can prevent the spread of disease to broader areas, minimising overall impact.
Sacrificial Ethics: Ethical considerations around the sacrifice of the few for the greater good play a significant role in public health decisions.
The Eyam Hypothesis has contemporary relevance, particularly in the context of emerging infectious diseases like COVID-19, Ebola, and other pandemics.
Learning more at Eyam Museum
If you’d like to learn more, we’d highly reckoned a visit to Eyam Museum, located in the heart of the village.
The museum not only tells the Plague Story, but also relates the earlier development of the village, and its recovery after the Plague, as a centre for farming, mining, and, at various times, for the manufacture of shoes and silk products.
As the village continues to change, and remains a vital and beautiful place, so too the Museum tells the changing story of Eyam and its people.
In so doing it sets the scene for a visit to the village, where you can still see where it all started.
They’re open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am-4pm, with last entry at 3.15pm. They also welcome donations.
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