1563 London plague
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| Date | June 1563 - January 1564 [1] |
|---|---|
| Location | London, Kingdom of England |
| Type | Outbreak, part of the ongoing Black Death since the 14th Century |
| Cause | Yersinia Pestis |
| Deaths | >20100 |
In 1563 London experienced its worst episode of plague during the 16th Century. At least 20,136 people in London and surrounding parishes died of plague during this outbreak, [2] making it London's deadliest outbreak of plague in the 16th Century. Around 24% of London's population perished,[3] but the plague affected London's insanitary parishes and neighborhoods the most.[4]
London in 1563
In 1563 the City of London was overcrowded, unsanitary, and poorly-policed. Queen Elizabeth reigned in her 5th year and the government struggled to govern a rapidly increasing population. Although sanitation was a constant problem, the city had gone over a dozen years without an epidemic and many contemporary Londoners were unconcerned about plague. That changed in 1563 when the disease suddenly erupted in Derby, Leicester, and London [5] with such virulence that it spread to English troops garrisoned at Havre, weakening them and causing a surrender to French forces. [6]
The Plague in London
The first cases of plague began to appear in June. According to records kept by John Stow at Lambeth Library, weekly bills of mortality for 1563 show the first 17 recorded plague deaths for the week ending June 12. Cases began to steadily increase over the next few weeks, killing 44 Londoners for the week ending July 3 and before sharply increasing to hundreds of deaths per week. By the end of August nearly 1000 Londoners per week were dying, [1] and London began to experience widespread panic.
Tudor physician William Bullien records the contemporary testimony of a beggar: "I met with wagons, cartes, and horses full loden with young barnes, for fear of the black Pestilence..."[6]The urban neighborhoods within London's walls were among the hardest hit by the epidemic of 1563.[7] with the worst afflicted areas being S. Poulkar's parish, Fleet Ditch's Turnagain lane, and Seacoal lane. [6]The areas around Fleet river were notorious for being overcrowded and unsanitary, and plague spread wildly in these localities.
Strict countermeasures were also taken at the local level to combat the accelerating epidemic. Churchwardens and curates were instructed to tell parishioners staying with those sick with plague not to come to church for several weeks after they die or recover. Government orders were given to kill and bury all stray cats and dogs "for the avoidance of plague," and special officers were appointed for carrying this out. [8]
Many people still believed that plague was caused by inhaling corrupt airs known as "miasmas." In another well-intentioned but likely ineffective effort to cleanse London orders were given by Queen Elizabeth's Council on 9 July that all householders at seven in the evening should make bonfires in the street to consume the corrupt air. [8]
A prominent London physician named Dr. Geyes, known for invoking Galen and being cited by the government for it, died on 23 July from plague. [6] Another physician, Dr John Jones, contracted plague after staying in the house of a sick person but survived the illness. Dr. Jones promotes the theory of contagion in his Dyall of Auges, writing that "I myself was infected by reason that unawares I lodges with one who had it running from him." [6] As London's death toll soared, fear of the plague became palpable in the Royal Court. On August 21, Lord Burleigh drafted Queen Elizabeth's order for the removal of Lady Katherine Grey and the Earl of Hertford from the Tower, out of "great fear that [the plague] may enter into our said Tower." [9] Elizabeth and the Royal Council decided to avoid the City of London entirely. Elizabeth's moved the Royal Court to Windsor Castle and erected a gallows in the town square threatening to hang anyone who followed them from London. She prudently also banned the transportation of goods into Windsor from London, as she too had a fear of contagion.
Fall Peak and Winter Decline
An average of 1449 people were dying weekly between 27 August and 1 October, peaking at 1828 plague deaths in London for the week ending October 1[1] Queen Elizabeth's government gave new orders on 30 September that all houses with infected individuals should have their doors and windows boarded up and that no person inside shall make contact with persons outside for 40 days. [8] This may have had an immediate effect, with plague deaths the next week dropping over 30% to 1262 for the week ending 8 October.
It is normal during plague outbreaks for the disease to subside or break in a community during the winter months, as rats and their fleas retreat from snow and their resources become thin. By 2 December deaths had fallen to 178 per week and the Common Council released an order that none of the houses where plague patients had been can be rented out.[8]
References
- ^ a b c Creighton, Charles (1891). A History of Epidemics in Britain. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 305.
- ^ John, John (1823). The Progresses and Public Processions of Queen Elizabeth, Among which are Interspersed Other Solemnities, Public Expenditures, and Remarkable Events During the Reign of that Illustrious Princess. John Nichols, F.S.S Lond. Edina. & Perth. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
- ^ "London Plagues 1348-1665" (PDF). www.museumoflondon.org.uk. Museum of London. 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
- ^ Kohn, George (ed.). Encyclopedia of Plague and Pestilence: From Ancient Times to the Present (3 ed.). InfoBase Publishing. p. 229. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
- ^ Creighton, Charles (1891). A History of Epidemics in Britain. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 309.
- ^ a b c d e Creighton, Charles (1891). A History of Epidemics in Britain. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. pp. 306–307.
- ^ Cummins, Neil; Kelly, Morgan; Ó Gráda, Cormac. "Living standards and plague in London, 1560–1665" (PDF). The London School of Economics and Political Science. pp. 11–17. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
- ^ a b c d Creighton, Charles (1891). A History of Epidemics in Britain. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. pp. 315–317.
- ^ Francis, John (1895). Notes and Queries: A Medium of Intercommunication for Literary Men, General Readers, Etc. Bream's Building, Chancery Lane, London: John C. Francis. p. 342.
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