Plague at Eyam, a script for young adults published by the Association of Science Education, 2010. [73] I have to say, this book really surpassed expectations. Set in Eyam, Derbyshire, in 1666, the story revolves around the village that decided to quarantine itself after fleas carrying bubonic plague were brought in on a bale of cloth from London. This is true - the village really did seal itself off for over a year, with 260 dying out of a population of 7 or 800 in that time. I really liked that the book was based around this historical event. A lot of the minor characters were people who really lived and died in that time which also appealed to my little inner history geek! And of course, the theme of self-isolation speaks to us all during these Covid times. Eyam has its own Parish Council with a wide range of powers at community level. [5] At district level, Eyam has representation on Derbyshire Dales District Council [6] and this, in turn, is represented on Derbyshire County Council. [7] At parliamentary level, the village lies within the constituency of Derbyshire Dales. Ok, so I’ll do a little overview of what happened and what makes Eyam such a special place to visit.

Jacques, Alan. " Harry the Umpire (Harry Bagshaw, 1859–1927)". UK & Ireland Genealogy. Archived from the original on 10 October 2008. Cottage of the Hawksworth family, early victims of the 1665-1666 plague in Eyam. Picture by Dave Pope. Wikimedia Commons. Public Domain.As the coronavirus crisis shows little sign of relenting, many countries are cutting themselves off from the rest of the world to help stop the infection’s spread. Isabel has to tread such a careful path between practicing midwifery and avoiding attention and this is done so well. Let all who tread the green fields of Eyam remember, with feelings of awe and veneration, that beneath their feet repose the ashes of those moral heroes, who with a sublime, heroic and unparalleled resolution gave up their lives, yea doomed themselves to pestilential death to save the surrounding country. Their self sacrifice is unequalled in the annals of the world.”

The plague ran its course over 14 months and no one was allowed in or out of the village during this time. Over 14 months, over a third of the population died; 260 villagers out of a population of 750. However, the self-imposed quarantine successfully contain the spread of disease. Mompesson’s well on the village boundary, used to exchange money for food and medicine with other villages.Ring of White Roses, a one-act light opera by Les Emmans, librettist Pat Mugridge, 1984; published Plays & Musicals, 2004. [76] The villagers of Eyam were ground zero for an outbreak of bubonic plague that had apparently been introduced to the remote village from flea infested bolts of cloth brought into the town. Best guess estimates of the population in 1665 set it around 380 villagers. By the fall of 1666, only about 120 were left. While people all over London and other places in England were hurriedly leaving the areas of plague infection, the villagers of Eyam, under the strong guidance of their pastor Michael Mompellion, decided to stay put, self-quarantine themselves and ride out the storm. They saw it as a test of their faith and trust toward God, and felt that they would be blessed beyond all measure once the plague left them. I particularly liked that despite the patriarchal society they lived in, the women in the story all come into their own - Isabel, the local midwife and Mae's champion, is an especially engaging character, facing her own family challenges, but ready to do battle for her late friends only surviving daughter. Rating: 5 stars (I'd give it 10 stars if Goodreads had that designation, but since 5 stars means it was amazing, then 5 stars it is) This is what inspired me to introduce the character called Maggie Hoggs, who loses all her children too. She is full of grief and anger, and when she sees the Tebbutt children she wants to harm them because they ‘escaped’, and all her children died.