What Are Plague Stones?

This Mousehole plague stone in Cornwall was used when the area was contaminated by Bubonic Plague.

Plague stones were common throughout England, not just Cornwall.

During the height of the deadly plague, also known as the Black Death, stone boulders were filled with vinegar and placed at or near parish boundaries.

Vinegar was used as a disinfectant in the hope that the community could buy food and other goods without fear of contagion.

Residents placed coins in the vinegar-filled hollows to pay outsiders for goods or food left by the stone, believing that might halt the spread of the deadly disease.

Centuries before our modern understanding of disease control and transmission, people commonly believed that he plague was passed through bad smells.

Dousing the coins in water or strong-smelling vinegar would remove the odor and prevent passing the infection.

Often neglected, their historical function almost entirely forgotten, many of these stones still stand across England.

Another fine example that we recommend you see is the Hob Stone and Plague Stone in York, located about a mile from York’s walls, near the racecourse.

Plague notices

At times of plague, it was common to mark the doors of victims of the disease with a large painted cross, either in red or black paint. In later times, large printed crosses were often affixed to doors.

Friends and relatives still visited the infected, however, but they wisely kept their distance.

According to Wikipedia, the Lord Mayor of London stated in his regulations: "That every house visited [by the disease] be marked with a red cross of a foot long in the middle of the door.

”Evident to be seen, and with these usual printed words, that is to say, "Lord, have mercy upon us," to be set close over the same cross, there to continue until lawful opening of the same house."

Bubonic Plague (known as the Black Death)

The Black Death, also known as the Bubonic Plague, was a devastating pandemic that swept through Europe in the 14th century, including England.

The outbreak is believed to have originated in Central Asia and spread westward along trade routes, reaching the Crimea and then Europe in the mid-14th century.

In England, the Black Death arrived in 1348 and quickly spread throughout the country.

The disease was caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, which was transmitted through fleas that infested rats.

The symptoms of the plague included fever, chills, weakness, and the appearance of painful, swollen lymph nodes called buboes.

The impact of the Black Death on England was profound.

The population was significantly reduced as a result of the high mortality rate. It's estimated that between 25% and 50% of the population perished during the epidemic.

The sudden and widespread death had social, economic, and cultural consequences.

The labor shortage that resulted from the population decline led to increased wages for surviving workers, challenging the traditional feudal system.

The Black Death had a lasting impact on the psyche of the people and influenced art, literature, and religious beliefs.

The catastrophic nature of the plague also contributed to a sense of mortality and a preoccupation with death in medieval culture.

Over time, England, like the rest of Europe, gradually recovered from the immediate effects of the Black Death.

However, the event left an indelible mark on the history and development of the country, shaping its societal structures and influencing its trajectory in the years that followed.

The plague's great population reduction brought cheaper land prices; more food for the average peasant; and a relatively large increase in per capita income among the peasantry, if not immediately, in the coming century.

Since the plague left vast areas of farmland untended, they were made available for pasture and put more meat on the market.

Medicine

Although the Black Death highlighted the shortcomings of medical science in the Middle Ages, it also led to positive changes in the field of medicine.

As described by David Herlihy in The Black Death and the Transformation of the West, more emphasis was placed on "anatomical investigations" after the Black Death.

The way that individuals studied the human body notably changed and became a process that dealt more directly with the human body in varied states of sickness and health.

Furthermore, the importance of surgeons became more evident.

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