Most students of history in the UK will have heard of the Peak District’s quiet village of Eyam as an isolated case of the plague in the 17th century.
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Eyam (pronounced 'eem') is well known because of its association with the bubonic plague. The local Vicar, Rev Mompesson, organised the quarantine of the entire village of Eyam in 1666. Food and other essentials were left at a well (Mompesson's well) in order to avoid spreading the plague. Payment was left in a container of vinegar so that the plague was not passed outside the village via the coins. You can walk, cycle or drive up to the well by taking the road out of the village, past the main car park (public toilets here).The plague was thought to have been carried from London to Derbyshire by infected fleas in bales of cloth. The nearby limestone crag of Cucklett Delf was host to church services during the time of the plague - holding public meetings in the open air was one way to try to minimise the spread of the disease which killed 350 villagers in the two year quarantine.
The church dates back to the 13th century and has many points of interest ranging from a plague victims book, Mompesson’s chair, wall paintings and Jacobean wood carvings. Oh, and a sundial and Saxon Cross!
If you carry on along the road from the church you will find the village green, complete with stocks, just opposite Eyam Hall. |
Several walks and mountain bike routes pass through Eyam. The centre of the village is nicely paved and is a pleasant place to sit for a while before moving on.
Click here for more pictures of Eyam. |
