London is pockmarked with hidden plague pits
Like any ancient European metropolis, London has had its fair share of plague outbreaks. The first major pestilence, known to history as the Black Death, came in 1348 with the arrival of some unwanted fleas from the continent (bloody immigrants). It claimed around half of London’s population—some 40,000 people—before finally dissipating in 1350. The city would have to wait 300 years for the next major outbreak. But there were many minor ones in between: around 40 between the Black Death and the Great Plague.
The Great Plague (1665 – 1666) flourished in the putrid conditions of London’s streets. It claimed well over 100,000 lives; some 15% of the city’s population, over the course of a couple of years. But while dead, its victims were far from forgotten, littering the streets or rotting away in houses up and down the capital. The problem the survivors found themselves faced with was what to do with them.
Though church graveyards were the most obvious port of call, it wasn’t long before god’s terrestrial waiting rooms became a little overcrowded. However leaving the bodies out in the open to spread disease wasn’t an option, so London’s residents set about hastily digging out plague pits in which to throw the victims. Dozens of these have been discovered as various construction projects have forced us to scratch beneath the surface of this millennia old city.
What’s more, plague pits are still being discovered. As recently as 2013, an enormous pit was discovered under Farringdon’s Charterhouse Square, just 8 feet (2.5 metres) below the ground. It’s cramped all right: the resting place of up to 50,000 victims of the Black Death. But as macabre as it may be when a new pit is unearthed, London’s residents can rest easy. Scientists assure us that there’s nothing contaminable in the ground.