Discover the chilling sacrifice of Eyam, the plague village that self-isolated in 1665. Explore the Eyam Museum and walking trails to the Riley Graves.
Discovering the Eyam Plague Village and Eyam Museum
At the border of the Derbyshire villages of Eyam and Stoney Middleton lies a weathered old stone. Inside it are six holes, just large enough to fit coins inside.
Back in 1665, that’s just what would have been put there. The villagers of Eyam would leave money in the stone, dipped in vinegar, to pay for goods brought from the outside world.
This wasn’t just a quirky local Peak District custom, however – it was an act of noble sacrifice. Centuries before coronavirus reared its ugly head, Eyam was pioneering the concept of self-isolation.
The plague in Eyam
The plague that swept through Britain in 1665 and 1666 killed around 70,000 people – and that’s a conservative estimate. The guilty party can be seen on the weather vane on the top of the Eyam Museum – the black rat.
Coming over on ships, the rats brought plague-carrying fleas to the country, and the disease quickly spread. The Eyam Museum tells the tale of the outbreak, but focuses on the story of the small village that decided to shut itself off to save others.
Inside the museum is a waxwork of tailor’s assistant George Viccars, drying cloth by the fireplace. Viccars was the first plague victim in Eyam, and the disease almost certainly arrived in the village on the cloth he was handling.
He was the first of 260 in the village to die. Given around 650 to 750 people lived there, this is an extraordinary number. The plague spread quickly, and in the spring of 1666, the villagers gathered to make three important decisions.
Life-Saving decisions at Cucklet Delph
They chose to meet in the open air, at Cucklet Delph, a natural rock amphitheatre. It’s a short walk from the grand, gritstone Eyam Hall, but good walking boots are recommended just to deal with the mud.
The first decision, under rector William Mompesson, was that all church services would now be held in the Delph. This would stop the plague being transmitted through close proximity in the village church.
The second hard choice was to abandon organised funerals and burials. Family members would have to dispose of bodies as quickly and safely as possible.
The third decision was the most remarkable. The villagers decided to self-quarantine. No-one was allowed into the village, and no-one was allowed out. Food from neighbouring villages would be left in a trough on the hillside, now known as Mompesson’s Well.
Heartbreaking stories from Eyam
The Eyam Museum explains how, over the summer of 1666, all hell broke loose. One woman – Jane Hawksworth – lost 26 members of her family. All nine members of the Thorpe household died. Other families didn’t fare much better.
Individual stories are heartbreaking. There’s one tale of a girl who’d secretly meet her fiancé from a neighbouring village in secret, always standing far enough away to not pass any infection on. One day, she simply didn’t show up, and the poor guy didn’t find out she was dead until weeks later. He never married.
There’s also the tale of a man who would bury the last remaining members of the families that died out entirely. Initially, he went back to steal from the family houses, but then his wife died. He took this as a punishment from God, and from then on carried out his grim, dangerous job without expecting reward or payment.
The Riley Graves and Eyam Church
The most tragic tale is unveiled in a field to the east of the village, though. Contained within a dry stone wall are six headstones known as the Riley Graves. Elizabeth Hancock had to bury her six children and her husband here, after dragging their bodies through the village. They died within eight days of each other. Elizabeth, consumed by grief, escaped the village.
The last stop is the Eyam Church, where stained glass windows tell Eyam’s story. In the graveyard, there is the bulky, stout tomb of Catherine Mompesson, wife of William. The man who led the village in its extraordinary sacrifice had his own personal price to pay.
Visiting Eyam today
No-one’s going to go to Eyam to cheer themselves up, but plenty remains from the village’s darkest hour. Alongside the Eyam Museum and church are the Plague Cottages, where many of the worst affected families lived.
For those who want to keep themselves healthy, walks to Cucklet Delph, Mompesson’s Well, the Riley Graves and the boundary stones are the best way to explore modern-day Eyam.
Details
Eyam is in the Hope Valley, around 13 miles north-west of Chesterfield. Entrance to the Eyam Museum costs £5.
More East Midlands travel
Other East Midlands travel stories on Planet Whitley include:
- 9 reasons to visit Nottingham.
- Planning a visit to the Cromford Mills in Derbyshire.
- A practical guide to visiting Ashby-de-la-Zouch Castle.
- Belvoir Castle visitor guide.
- The 6 best things to do in Loughborough.
