The Village of Eyam
History gives us plenty of examples of individuals sacrificing themselves so that others – even strangers – might live. But whole villages? Such cases of collective selflessness are rare indeed. But they aren’t unheard of, as the case of Eyam shows us. Indeed, according to the history books, this small hamlet in the county of Derbyshire came together and decided to give themselves up so that their neighbors might be spared.
The year was 1665, at the height of the Black Death. The plague was sweeping across large parts of Europe, and northern England was no exception. It’s believed that, in the summer of that year, a bale of damp cloth arrived in Eyam from London. But it wasn’t just cloth that arrived from the capital. Hidden among the material were fleas – and they were carrying the plague. So, when a tailor hung the cloth out to dry, the fleas woke up and set about their work. The tailor was infected, and, like millions of others, soon died of the plague. Over the next few weeks, 42 other villagers died. By the end of the year, many were packing up and getting ready to leave Eyam in a bid to escape the Black Death.
That’s when the village clergyman stepped in. Though William Mompesson had only been in Eyam for a short amount of time, he argued that its residents had a duty to others. He believed the village should quarantine itself so that the plague did not spread to surrounding towns and villages, including to nearby Sheffield. With the help of his predecessor, Mompesson pulled off the impossible: he convinced the villagers to stay put.
The decision had consequences. By the summer of 1666, five or six people were dying every day. In Eyam, the mortality rate became even worse than in London. In all, an estimated 260 villagers – out of a total or around 800 – perished in the space of just a few months. No family was left unaffected. Through their bravery, the people of Eyam succeeded in keeping the plague from spreading, saving thousands of lives. Remarkably, Mompesson survived. He left Eyam soon afterwards, though wherever he went, his flock were wary that he would bring the plague with him.