During the Great Plague of 1665 the area of

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, fell victim to the bubonic plague

epidemic An epidemic (from Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of patients among a given population within an area in a short period of time. Epidemics of infectious ...

, with many deaths. Some areas of Derby still carry names that record the 1665 visitation such as Blagreaves Lane which was Black Graves Lane, while Dead Man's Lane speaks for itself. It has been claimed by some historians that bodies were buried standing upright at St. Peter's Church, Derby, but this legend has been refuted by experts. Trade was carried out at a Market Stone on Ashbourne Road which leads into the Town Centre. During the epidemic, trade almost ceased and the population faced possible starvation, as well as a cruel death by infection with the plague. Market stones took many forms, here we see the stone placed at Friar Gate (formerly Nuns Green) at the northern road into Derby (England). This was a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

headless

cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...

, and also called the "Vinegar Stone" because money was deposited in a trough of

vinegar Vinegar is an aqueous solution of acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains 5–8% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting simple sugars to eth ...

in the top of the stone in the belief that the vinegar would disinfect the coins and prevent the spread of the plague from happening. Eyam Museum in the village of

Eyam Eyam () is an English village and civil parish in the Derbyshire Dales that lies within the Peak District National Park. There is evidence of early occupation by Ancient Britons on the surrounding moors and lead was mined in the area by the R ...

in the

Peak District The Peak District is an upland area in England at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire, it extends into Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire. It includes the Dark Peak, where moorla ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

, has a special emphasis on the Plague as it struck Eyam.

References

1665 in England Second plague pandemic History of Derby Health in Derby 1665 natural disasters Health disasters in the United Kingdom 17th-century health disasters 17th century in Derbyshire {{epidemic-stub Disease outbreaks in England

See also

References