Eyam the Plague Village

t's hard to imagine that the quiet village of Eyam, off the A623 in Derbyshire, could have such a fascinating, yet tragic story to tell. But .... at the end of August 1665 bubonic plague arrived at the house of the village tailor George Vicars, via a parcel of cloth from London. The cloth was damp and was hung out in front of the fire to dry, thus releasing the plague infested fleas. On 7th September 1665, George Vicars, the first plague victim, died of a raging fever. As the plague took hold and decimated the villagers it was decided to hold the church services outdoors at nearby Cucklett Delf and, on the advice of rector William Mompesson and the previous incumbent Thomas Stanley, villagers stayed within the confines of the village to minimize the spread of the disease. Cucklett Delf was also the secret meeting place of sweethearts Emmott Sydall, from Eyam, and Rowland Torre, who was from a neighbouring village. They would call to each other across the rocks, until Emmott Sydall herself became a victim of the plague. Six of the eight Sydall family died, and their neighbours lost nine family members.

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Travel & Events

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• Eyamm
• plague
• village
• Destination
• Travel
• Log
• Adventure

[MRMOONPIG7]

Thumbs up year 12 english

[SexyAsEll]

0:27 Yayyyyy Stockport :-) xoxo

[neonpuss1]

Nice vidwo - some lovely images - music seemed a bt too upbeat though for my liking.

[WhatIsComing]

Whilst there did you have an irrational fear of catching the plague? I've been, but I was too young to remember it. Great video, you got some really nice shots.

[nealthedude]

Thanks for posting. I visited Eyam several years ago and it's a beautiful village.

There was a play made by the BBC about the plague there called "The roses of Eyam". I was searching to see if it was available on DVD but unfortunatley it's not been released.

[rcroadtrain]

Wonderful little town. I would love to go there one day. Thank you for posting.