Eyam is a small village in the Derbyshire countryside; most people would not know it. However, it is important in the history of plague and infectious diseases.
In the early 1660s, Eyam was just one of the many villages along the trade routes from London. But in 1665, it rose to prominence. The actions of its 800 inhabitants had a profound impact on the development of plague treatment, marking a significant turning point in the history of infectious diseases.
In 1665-6, England experienced the last major epidemic of the plague. The outbreak was mainly concentrated in London. The authorities took little action as the wealthy, including King Charles II, left the capital for their country estates. This left the poor and uneducated residents of London to face a merciless and terrifying enemy on their own. When the House of Lords finally convened to address the crisis the following year, they decided not to provide relief or aid. Instead, they exempted people of higher social status from isolating infected individuals with their households and also chose not to build plague hospitals near the homes of the nobility. This selfish and callous stance further contributed to the sense of abandonment felt by many of the poor in London.
The movement of affluent individuals, combined with the regular trade routes in England, facilitated the rapid spread of the great plague across the country. Even rural areas, previously considered relatively safe from urban diseases, became vulnerable. Eyam was impacted by the plague in late August 1665 when a shipment of cloth from London, meant for the village tailor Alexander Hadfield, arrived. Upon airing the cloth by the fire, Hadfield’s assistant, George Viccars, discovered it was infested with rat fleas. Viccars unfortunately succumbed to the illness a few days later, and his burial was recorded in the parish registers on September 7th, 1665.
During the 17th Century, widespread beliefs about the plague’s origins were diverse. A prevailing notion was that the plague was a divine punishment for the collective sins of society. To seek redemption, people turned to prayer and repentance. Additionally, many attributed the cause of the plague to miasma, or “bad air.” As a preventive measure, those with means carried pomanders filled with fragrant herbs and spices or carried sweet-smelling flowers. Furthermore, to combat the perceived threat of miasma, individuals often closed windows and doors and resorted to smoking tobacco, particularly in plague-hit areas like London. The disposal of putrid waste in large heaps was also undertaken to mitigate the spread of the disease.
These methods had an indirect impact by clearing the city of waste, driving disease-spreading rats to seek food elsewhere. However, their effectiveness was limited. In contrast, the small village of Eyam took a proactive approach, aiming to decisively prevent the spread of disease.

A three point plan was established and agreed with the villagers. The most important part of this was the setting up of a Cordon Sanitaire or quarantine. This line went around the outskirts of the village and no Eyam resident was allowed to pass it. Signs were erected along the line to warn travellers not to enter. During the time of the quarantine there were almost no attempts to cross the line, even at the peak of the disease in the summer of 1666. Eyam was not a self supporting village. It needed supplies. To this end the village was supplied with food and essentials from surrounding villages. The Earl of Devonshire himself provided supplies that were left at the southern boundary of the village. To pay for these supplies the villagers left money in water troughs that were filled with vinegar. With the limited understanding they did possess, the villagers realised that vinegar helped to kill off the disease.
Other measures taken included the plan to bury all plague victims as quickly as possible and as near to the place they died rather than in the village cemetery. They were correct in their belief that this would reduce the risk of the disease spreading from corpses waiting to be buried. This was combined with the locking up of the church to avoid parishioners being crammed into church pews. They instead moved to open air services to avoid the spread of the disease.
The village of Eyam, while undoubtedly saving the lives of thousands in the surrounding area, paid a high price. Percentage wise they suffered a higher death toll than that of London. 260 Eyam villagers died over the 14 months of the plague out of a total population of 800. 76 families were affected by the plague; many such as the Thorpe family were wiped out completely. However the impact on medical understanding was significant.
Doctors discovered that enforced quarantine zones could effectively limit or prevent the spread of disease. Quarantine zones continue to be utilized in England today to contain the spread of diseases such as foot and mouth. Although it took time for the idea of quarantine to become common practice in hospitals, Florence Nightingale successfully pioneered the use of isolation wards to limit the spread of infectious diseases in hospitals during the Crimean War. This practice remains in use today, as hospitals quickly recognized the necessity of isolation wards to contain the spread of diseases such as the Norovirus.
The events at Eyam initially had little impact on prevailing attitudes. However, Eyam later became a significant case study for scientists, doctors, and the medical community in their work on disease prevention.