This is the story of Eyam, the English village that chose to quarantine itself to save its neighbours. In the late summer of 1665, a parcel reached the village from London. It held a bundle of damp cloth for a tailor's assistant named George Viccars. He hung the cloth in front of a fire to dry. The heat woke plague-infected fleas hidden in the fabric. Soon Viccars had a high fever and painful swellings called buboes. He died on September 7, 1665, the first victim in the village. Then the mistress of the house, Mary Hadfield, lost her young son Edward Cooper, a boy from her first marriage, to the infection. By the end of the month, five more villagers were dead. Fearing for their lives, many residents began to flee the village as the disease took hold.
The Great Plague of Eyam
In 1666 the village of Eyam sealed itself off, losing roughly 260 people so the plague would not reach Sheffield.
A Parcel from London
Frequently Asked Questions
How did the plague first reach the village of Eyam?
In late summer 1665 a bundle of damp cloth arrived from London for a tailor's assistant, George Viccars. He hung it in front of a fire to dry, which revived plague-infected fleas hidden in the fabric. Viccars died on September 7, 1665, as the village's first victim.
How did Eyam get food and medicine while it was in quarantine?
Supplies were left at a boundary stone about a mile from the village. The Earl of Devonshire provided a steady supply of food and medicine. Villagers paid by leaving coins in holes in the stone filled with vinegar, which was believed to kill the seeds of the disease.
Did Eyam's quarantine work, and what did it cost?
The infection did not cross the cordon into the surrounding countryside, and Sheffield stayed largely untouched by the Great Plague. The cost was roughly 260 villagers, somewhere between a third and a half of the population. The quarantine ended in November 1666.
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