Although everybody in Early Modern Europe suffered the affects of the plague, the poorer classes were worst hit. The early spring of 1665 brought a sudden rise in the death rate in the poorer sections of London. The authorities ignored it. As spring turned into one of the hottest summers in memory, the number of deaths escalated and panic set in. There was no escape for them and as they lived in overcrowded conditions they had to deal with higher chances of contracting the plague. People were dying of the plague all around them and their families were unable to afford a proper burial so bodies were left in great piles, which made living conditions even worse. Poor village folk could not afford to leave town to rural areas and therefore they had to deal with the plague face-to-face, making them more self-reliant during the period. Dealing with the plague became part of their everyday life For example, families would check themselves and each other for symptoms of the plague every night to be safe. The plague symptoms are similar but more severe to that of common influenza we have today along with lumps in the groin, armpit and other sensitive areas. It was a very agonizing death.
Communities and smaller villages dealt with the diseased in a very strict manner. Society was dominated by surveillance. Everybody was watching each other and neighbours turned on their own if they were suspected of contracting the plague. Once this happened, victims and their families were forcibly locked in their houses and made to stay there for forty days and forty nights. A painted red cross on the door and the words, ‘Lord have mercy on us’ distinguished these houses. The local parish and its council carried this out with reasonable efficiency and recorded all deaths. This reiterates my argument that the poor were self –reliant during this time of crisis. Searchers were people who were paid to hunt out dead bodies or possible plague victims who had yet to be found by the authorities. The shouted phrase "bring out your dead" was heard with great frequency in September 1665. The collected bodies were then put on a cart and taken to a mass burial pit. Once again this stresses my point that the poorer classes were reasonably efficient in dealing with the plague.
The nobility left the city for their estates in the country. For example, the Earl of Southhampton, the Duke of Albermale, the Earl of Clarendon, Sir Henry Bennet and even the king, accompanied by his mother, Henrietta Maria. The merchants and the lawyers followed them. The Inns of Court were deserted. Most of the clergy suddenly decided they could best minister to their flocks from far, far away. The College of Surgeons fled to the country, which did not stop several of its members from writing learned papers about the disease they had been at such pains to avoid. The court moved to Hampton Court Palace. According to the Venetian ambassador, Sir John Lawrence, the Lord Mayor even had a glass case made for himself, from which within he supervised business and received visitors.
By June the roads were clogged with people desperate to escape London. Local councils closed inns and lodging houses and market stalls were also banned. The Lord Mayor responded by closing the gates to anyone who did not have a certificate of health. These certificates became a currency more valuable than gold, and a thriving market in forged certificates grew up. The government set up plague hospitals or pest houses for plague victims but these were often overcrowded and inefficient. The Privy Council responded to the risk of plague by imposing controls on shipping with a period of quarantine for vessels coming from ports where plague had been present. By mid July over 1,000 deaths per week were reported in the city. Although we know through science today that rats spread the plague, it was rumoured back then that dogs and cats spread the disease, so the Lord Mayor ordered all the dogs and cats destroyed. It is estimated that 40,000 dogs and 200,000 cats were killed. The real effect of this was that there were fewer natural enemies of the rats who carried the plague fleas, so the germs spread more rapidly. All these factors confirm the ineffectiveness of government.
There was a whole range of pointless cures and solutions to the plague. Mercury was seen as a credible cure that the rich sought after from physicians, however, the poor did not have the same resources and had to be more self-reliant. They tried desperately to protect themselves. They sniffed herbs and nosegays to drive out the bad air. They fasted and prayed and it was even suggested and widely practiced that having sexual intercourse with a prostitute would reduce your chances of contracting the plague. Apothecaries did a brisk trade in preventative potions and religious and magical amulets.
Many groups of people were labelled as the cause or ‘willing spreaders’ of the plague. The growing tension between Protestants and Catholics resulting from the reformation caused both groups to blame each other for spreading the plague. Foreigners in villages were seen as potential spreaders of the plague and sometimes even prosecuted without fair trial by local magistrates. Jews, witches and other people accused of heresy were also often associated with or used as scapegoats for the plague.
The plague was at its worst in September 1665 when the heat of the summer was at its peak. Each parish in London had to produce a week-by-week Bill of Mortality for the authorities. For every parish in London, the biggest weekly killer was plague – no other disease came anywhere near it.
