The Great Plague in London in 1665

by Walter George Bell

The Great Plague of 1665 was a last and terrible visitation before plague finally burned itself out in north-western Europe. A direct descendant of the Black Death, in London alone it killed more than 100,000 people - perhaps a quarter of the entire population. Its horrors have been etched on our minds by the writings of Daniel Defoe and Samuel Pepys, yet it is hard for us to imagine the sheer scale of the tragedy. Grass grew on deserted main streets while in the poorest quarters the 'dead-carts' rolled; men wielding hooked poles scooped hundreds of bodies from houses and gutters, heaping them into plague pits; people disfigured by hideous buboes fell dead in the street or were thrown, dying, over parish boundaries to avoid escalating burial costs; whole families - the living, the dying and the dead - were sealed in their homes for 40 days, at the mercy of rapacious searchers employed to root out victims of the disease.As in most disasters, there were those who behaved with shocking brutality - like the ghoulish cart driver who would take up a dead child by the leg and cry "Faggots - five for sixpence!" Others marked themselves out with enormous courage and compassion. London's Lord Mayor, Sir John Lawrence, remained at his post when almost all who could afford to had fled the city, and Dr Nathaniel Hodges tended patients throughout the epidemic - never himself catching the plague.Walter Bell's astonishingly detailed account has never been equalled. This new, re-edited edition of his book allows his scholarship and imaginative sympathy to shine through for a new generation of readers.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, London, British Literature, 17th Century, European History

374 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1924

About the author

1867-1942

Reviews

[Richard Cubitt]

Obviously not a cheerful read, but an excellent account of the plague that beset London and numerous other counties in the UK in 1665-66. Well supported with ample notes and appendices - the most interesting of which I found to be the map of London in 1665, and the post-mortem examination of a plague victim. Primary sources from witnesses are included, notably the diary entries of Samuel Pepys and John Allins' letters.

Most appalling seems to be the general idiocy of the governments measures to combat the contagion. Even by the limited knowledge of the time, their actions killed so many that need not have perished. After 110,000 deaths (including those of the religious denominations that were excluded from the inaccurate Bills of Mortality, due to their non-conformation with Protestantism), did the government in the Parliament of Oxford finally think about adjusting their policies. The bill, known as the Privy Council's Rules and Orders, introduced in May 1666, contained significant and intelligent amendments to current law, but was then thrown out by the Lords because they did not want pest-houses (a kind of hastily constructed hospital) situated too close to their homes. Consequently, absolutely nothing was done. Of this Bell writes: 'The Historian is staggered and speechless.'

He goes on to say 'The acts of almost all public bodies in the crisis of the plague are open to just censure. The Parliament at Oxford, the absent government, the profligate court, pleasure-seeking and careless while tens of thousands [of the poor] died - how difficult it is to avoid contempt for them!'

However, what struck me the most about this account was Bell's compassion for the dead. Repeatedly, he also seeks out those who did good and commends them, hoping their names will be remembered as a result of his text. Highly recommended.

[Amanda Witt]

A reprint of the 1927 First Edition, this is an exact account of the plague in 1665. I chose to read it during the Covid 19 pandemic and found some similaries:

The plague altered the whole course of the city's life. It was quick to extinguish much of the daily activities, made everyone suspicious of intimate friends as though they were strangers, and suspicion of the very air they breathed, lest it bore infection.
The dread was universal.

[Relstuart]

The black death invaded Europe during the middle ages. But it didn't just roll through and then disappear from the scene. Several hundred years later the plague returned to England in 1665 (Remember to avoid that year if you get a chance to go back in time). Mr. Bell talks about Defoe's book on the subject and how it is actually a work of fiction. He uses the death rolls that have been preserved to get an idea about what parts of the city the plague struck and how badly. He estimates about 100,000 people died in London and surrounding areas. The plague eventually died out and then inexplicably has never really returned. No one really knows why. Even if a modern person was bitten by a flea carrying the plague by the time you figured out you needed to the hospital there is a good chance you would not make it.

Overall a bit dry but educational.

[Walt]

Painfully academic. The research is far above what is necessary for informative purposes. The writing is dry; and the chapters long.

[Sophy H]

Ok so I'm DNF'ing this one.

For a book on the plague, one of the most interesting and terrifying things to have hit London in the 17th century (apart from the huuuuge fire obvs!!), this was dry as a bone!

Walter has the knack of scrutinising minutiae right down to the last crossed T and dotted I, which makes the reading insufferable!

I got a few details out of the reading, such as the gentry and the higher ranking professions fucking off to the countryside at the first sign of trouble, leaving the poor plebs to suffer alone.

The insistence on looking at records, written records, lists of parish records, records bloody records made this so boring! The trajectory of the plague never "came alive" as it were.

After I hit yet another page of tables and parish lists, I had to jump ship like a plague infested rat!

1 miserable star. Eugh!

[Errol Cavan]

Although one of the older accounts, first published in 1924 but revised in 1951, it remains the standard work on the subject and is far superior to more recent efforts. Bell, who was not an academic historian, devoted an enormous amount of energy to compiling facts and figures about the strange and terrible scourge.

Unlike some other reviewers I did not find this a dry read, but an exhilarating one. Unlike some modern writers Bell does not fall into the trap of resorting to the twin traps of 'imaginative history' and banal cliche. This excellent book stands as a reminder to the contemporary reader to explore beyond the most recently published work on the subject. Many of the best works of history are not the latest, and most of the latest depend heavily on past masters

[Mike Glaser]

Interesting book, especially in these times. It also shows what a real epidemic costs in terms of human lives as opposed to what we are going through now. People put great faith in government edicts back then and then watched as they had a negative impact. Some very good lessons to be learned here.

[Matthew Welker]

Well written and detailed book about the Great Plague of London in 1665. Really makes Covid look like more of a nice walk in the park. Worth a read for some perspective.

[Victor Sonkin]

It is very detailed and clearly thoroughly researched. On the other hand, a lay reader would need much more background information about the times and the Stuart Restoration, among other things.

[Katie Joyce]

So interesting so I enjoyed it, although (despite being an edited version to remove repetition) there was some repetition left.

[Philip Cook]

A truly informative narrative of one of the greatest tragedies in the history of Britain. Bell gives the names of the heroes and the cowards of the time. The great Albemarle, the only member of the Court to remain in London throughout as did Lawrence the mayor. While the contemptible Charles II and his mistresses and sycophants caroused in Oxford a thousand people a day died just sixty miles away. He describes the disease and its consequences the plague pits, bodies lying in the street, the dead carts. An horrendous insight into the "poore's plague", so named because not one of the nobles died of it.

[Adrian]

Good history. Bell reveals through mortuary rolls that there was a lot of fudging of who died of plague. Parish counsels knew it was a disaster if they reported plague so they covered it up. Some repetition by Bell. He makes the point that families being shut up together increased deaths several times. Hard on the royal family. Deservedly so.

[Allison6876]

Read for paper for HIST 3704W

[Jessica George]

Absolutely fantastic, well worth the read! This particular book also includes maps & lists of the dead. I loved this book so much I also baught one of his other works - "The Great Fire of London"