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The Scourging Angel: The Black Death in the British Isles
Nothing experienced in human history, before or since, eclipses the terror, tragedy and scale of the Black Death, the disease which killed millions of people in Medieval Europe. The Scourging Angel tells the story of Britain immediately before, during and after this catastrophe. Against a backdrop of empty homes, half-built cathedrals and pestilence-saturated cities, we see communities gripped by unimaginable fear, shock and paranoia. By the time it completed its pestilential journey through the British Isles in 1350, the Black Death had left half the population dead. Despite the startling toll of life, physical devastation and sheer human chaos it inflicted, Britain showed an impressive resilience. Amid disaster many found opportunity, and the story of the Black Death is ultimately one of survival.
738 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 30, 2024
reading this post covid is crazy, nothing ever changes, except we dont know how to burn down churches anymore or behead tax collectors which is a real shame
January 19, 2020
Gives great details about the economic, social, and even architectural effects of the Black Death, but spends too much time on minutiae about which county was hit by the plague in which month.
November 30, 2015
Its good but it either needs a different title or a good editor. Yes it looks at the impact of the Black Death but really only at its first visit in 1350. But in addition it covers medicine - not unreasonable, taxation - slightly more tangential, the English Church including cathedral building - ditto, Ireland - not only the plague's impact but a lot about English activities and attitudes, Wars with Scotland etc etc. So actually it is better described as a history of the British isles in the 14th C. There could have been better use of statistics to show the impact of of the plague and more general possibly less narrative coverage of its impact on culture.
That said it is a rigorously researched book well document and referenced so ideal for any one wanting an introduction to that period of history
That said it is a rigorously researched book well document and referenced so ideal for any one wanting an introduction to that period of history
January 15, 2011
Interesting read following the progress of the great death as it raged through England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. No ground breaking new research by the author but it has pulled together from other sources and books the most recent and interesting information currently available. It is written in an articulate, accessible and literate way which is a pleasure to read.
May 10, 2024
Perhaps for those like me who have always been interested in English and British History but not in any way have been educated in History, the Black Death is one of those many important episodes that i knew of but didn't know too much about. Once again Simon Schama's History of Britain on the BBC in the early 21stCE gave me more information and this book, even more.
Dealing with the spread of time between the first outbreak of what wasn't then called The Black Death to the aftermath of the so-called Peasant's Revolt during which time this plague returns at least five times, over roughly forty years. Each return of the plague, where it lands on previously uninfected territory is brutally efficient at killing, around but maybe more than 50% of the population die and in a short space of time. But where it lands on previously infected territory it seems to have been less virulent. In my region of England the books suggests the population didn't grow back to levels before the plague for nearly 250 years. It's made clear that the plague isn't the only reason for this however.
There is some personal testimony but understandably not much from what one might call "the common people". Churchmen, Administrators and Poets are our voices but they express helplessness, loss and grief in plenty. I found the detailed description of the procedure behind a funeral of this period and why it would not have been followed in all cases at the height of the pandemic very poignant.
Surviving records show broadly how many each year die and surviving church the number of priests of which in the pre-Reformation British Isles there were many different kinds die.
Those able and willing do what seems to have been the standard response to plagues throughout the ages, namely try and get out of the way and hunker down until it passes. At least one particular Bishop continues to minister to his Diocese for as long as he can, though he seems to have been an outlier if not a complete exception. The Royal Family seem to have hidden away and mostly survived.
The contemporary causes and solutions to the plague are considered. As one might expect in a deeply deeply Christian society, a judgement against sinners and penitence are both considered though i noted with a little smile that the orders of Flagellants who seem to have been very popular on the European mainland got very short shrift indeed once they crossed the channel.
From a personal level i was very pleased to see that two of the neighbouring villages to me had people fined what would have been huge sums for breaking post-plague rules trying to bring down post-plague wages. It was interesting to see that where one is referred to as "tiny" and the other as much bigger, today they are the opposite in size.
Finally, having read this for the second time but this time after it seems and we all hope that the heat of the Covid-19 epidemic has passed it was interesting to note that those areas with progressive local governments looking for a solution sometimes found it generally did better but those whose leaders preferred one might say to "let the bodies pile high!" suffered more severely. Indeed history doesn't repeat itself it rhymes.
Dealing with the spread of time between the first outbreak of what wasn't then called The Black Death to the aftermath of the so-called Peasant's Revolt during which time this plague returns at least five times, over roughly forty years. Each return of the plague, where it lands on previously uninfected territory is brutally efficient at killing, around but maybe more than 50% of the population die and in a short space of time. But where it lands on previously infected territory it seems to have been less virulent. In my region of England the books suggests the population didn't grow back to levels before the plague for nearly 250 years. It's made clear that the plague isn't the only reason for this however.
There is some personal testimony but understandably not much from what one might call "the common people". Churchmen, Administrators and Poets are our voices but they express helplessness, loss and grief in plenty. I found the detailed description of the procedure behind a funeral of this period and why it would not have been followed in all cases at the height of the pandemic very poignant.
Surviving records show broadly how many each year die and surviving church the number of priests of which in the pre-Reformation British Isles there were many different kinds die.
Those able and willing do what seems to have been the standard response to plagues throughout the ages, namely try and get out of the way and hunker down until it passes. At least one particular Bishop continues to minister to his Diocese for as long as he can, though he seems to have been an outlier if not a complete exception. The Royal Family seem to have hidden away and mostly survived.
The contemporary causes and solutions to the plague are considered. As one might expect in a deeply deeply Christian society, a judgement against sinners and penitence are both considered though i noted with a little smile that the orders of Flagellants who seem to have been very popular on the European mainland got very short shrift indeed once they crossed the channel.
From a personal level i was very pleased to see that two of the neighbouring villages to me had people fined what would have been huge sums for breaking post-plague rules trying to bring down post-plague wages. It was interesting to see that where one is referred to as "tiny" and the other as much bigger, today they are the opposite in size.
Finally, having read this for the second time but this time after it seems and we all hope that the heat of the Covid-19 epidemic has passed it was interesting to note that those areas with progressive local governments looking for a solution sometimes found it generally did better but those whose leaders preferred one might say to "let the bodies pile high!" suffered more severely. Indeed history doesn't repeat itself it rhymes.
March 7, 2024
I gave this book quite a low rating because I do think someone so clever (Gummer got a starred double first at Cambridge) should have done a better job. All the information is here. But too much detail and not enough thought about how to structure and present it in an interesting, accessible, engaging way. There is too much information that feels rather pointless, such as when the plague first arrived at different areas in Britain, while themes that have more resonance are passed over too quickly. Gummer shows off his own fine grasp of the economic flaws of the feudal economy by making it harder for the novice reader to understand the complex jumble of words he puts on the page. However, there are occasional gems. On page 15 Gummer identifies 'the irrepressible desire of the individual to improve his life' as a huge driver of change, so that: 'far from being static and immobile, feudal England was in fact vital and dynamic.' He returns to this theme in the final paragraphs of the book when he writes: 'the greatest power of pestilence and mass mortality is not their own but the reaction they provoke in the hearts of those who remain behind - the will to survive, the instinct to increase, and- for many - the desire to seek something better.' It is a pity all the many pages between this interesting start and fine conclusion were so dull, tangentially relevant and wordy.
February 15, 2023
Whilst the topic is fascinating, and the book intermittently gripping, this is not for the casual reader, unless one is prepared to be very patient. Firstly I question the structure, which is strictly chronological. This is understandable but would have been better if it had been thematic - e.g. if the sections on Ireland had been together- so the various stories included in the text would have hung together more. Secondly, the chapters were too long - 65 pages for one. Thirdly, whilst there may be someone out there who makes feudalism and the villein's obligations interesting - this is not it. But it absolutely does deliver in providing details on the Black Death's progress, and the early sections about it's advance across the country and the dawning realisation among communities about what was to come is effectively written and terrible to imagine.
August 14, 2024
A really dense but detailed history, that starts to drag quite heavily in its latter stages. Gummer’s main issue is that it’s a very “how and where” history, but little else. That being said it’s so excellently researched that the little colour there is, is genuinely interesting stuff. Whilst I’m not a fan of overly lyrical prose in history, Gummer really could do with a bit of verve and excitement, instead of a very chronological, by the book description of when the plague hit where.
When the author branches out and discusses how the plague affected things like England’s war with France and relations with the pope, it’s very insightful.
“In some places, like much of East Anglia, rural populations did not recover their pre plague numbers until the nineteenth century”
When the author branches out and discusses how the plague affected things like England’s war with France and relations with the pope, it’s very insightful.
“In some places, like much of East Anglia, rural populations did not recover their pre plague numbers until the nineteenth century”
September 8, 2017
Although dealing with a specific topic, this book of over 400 pages and small print was immensely informative about the history of ordinary people in Britain in the fourteenth century. It was worth the effort of reading it, and I would say it is not for the faint-hearted. The episodes of the Black Death must have been appalling to face and cope with, as if Armageddon had arrived. Detailed discussions about the social, economic and political effects are well-done, very thought-provoking and thorough. You need time and patience!
August 3, 2025
An enjoyable read on how the British Isles were affected by the Great pestilences of the mid fourteenth century. The author does a good job of introducing the basics of medieval life in England, and explains how various institutions and people reacted to the Great Death.
Requires more than one reading to truly understand the more nuanced events going on alongside the pestilences but nonetheless an educational book!
Requires more than one reading to truly understand the more nuanced events going on alongside the pestilences but nonetheless an educational book!
January 4, 2021
Really interesting, utterly grim.
December 12, 2021
A pretty great book for a political history of the mid fourteenth century... But not really substantially about the plague!!! Not a bad book but not what it says on the tin
April 30, 2022
I liked it well enough, I probably should not have tried to read it in 2022! Very detailed, VERY depressing.
May 23, 2022
So dull! Yet so fascinating. I can’t comprehend the amount of research that goes into writing a book like this. Puts a new perspective on current pandemic.
October 6, 2024
3.5 stars. A lot of repetition as we travelled the land in 1348/49.
May 4, 2019
Read my other book reviews at booksibled.wordpress.com
Every now and then I like to add a non-fiction book to my reading list. Partially because I like to learn but also because I think it informs my reading, writing and reviewing. But as this is non-fiction the review will be a fairly short.
The Scourging Angel was fantastic. It follows the first influx of plague into the British Isles as it sweeps the nation in an informed and simple way. I found it really helpful that Benedict Gummer begins his history with a chapter placing the events in context with commentary of the ongoing war with the French and insight into the lives of the working classes who were most affected by the plague.
The chapters are sorted so they can follow the plague from France, where it killed King Edward’s daughter Joan as she headed to her wedding to Peter of Castile, to the south of England. It then splits the British Isles into segments: the south; the midlands; the north; wales; Ireland; and Scotland. This allows a fluidity while not over-running the reading with a mass of places, dates and people, allowing a few select stories to illustrate the state of the area before and during the plague.
Finally the book gives an overview of the after effects of the Black Death, from monetary worries to architecture and the advancement of English literature as well as the smaller waves of plague that returned again and again.
I really enjoyed the stories of average men and women informed by the archives and books Gummer dutifully lists in his enormous bibliography. (Don’t let the size of the book scare you, as with any good historical text, a lot of it is notes!) Particularly the stories of William Ramsey, the young mason from Norwich who worked his way up to Kings Mason and ‘William the One Day Priest’ a monk from Essex who, when running low on funds, turned to robbing a woman of her purse on the roadside.
Unlike many retellings of the Black Death this book managed to discredit the many elements of misinformation that surround the time and the pestilence itself while not turning to dry recitation of fact after fact.
It’s certainly not a light summer read for lazy days by the pool but if you’re interested in the time and the effects of the plague then this is a fantastic book to start with.
Every now and then I like to add a non-fiction book to my reading list. Partially because I like to learn but also because I think it informs my reading, writing and reviewing. But as this is non-fiction the review will be a fairly short.
The Scourging Angel was fantastic. It follows the first influx of plague into the British Isles as it sweeps the nation in an informed and simple way. I found it really helpful that Benedict Gummer begins his history with a chapter placing the events in context with commentary of the ongoing war with the French and insight into the lives of the working classes who were most affected by the plague.
The chapters are sorted so they can follow the plague from France, where it killed King Edward’s daughter Joan as she headed to her wedding to Peter of Castile, to the south of England. It then splits the British Isles into segments: the south; the midlands; the north; wales; Ireland; and Scotland. This allows a fluidity while not over-running the reading with a mass of places, dates and people, allowing a few select stories to illustrate the state of the area before and during the plague.
Finally the book gives an overview of the after effects of the Black Death, from monetary worries to architecture and the advancement of English literature as well as the smaller waves of plague that returned again and again.
I really enjoyed the stories of average men and women informed by the archives and books Gummer dutifully lists in his enormous bibliography. (Don’t let the size of the book scare you, as with any good historical text, a lot of it is notes!) Particularly the stories of William Ramsey, the young mason from Norwich who worked his way up to Kings Mason and ‘William the One Day Priest’ a monk from Essex who, when running low on funds, turned to robbing a woman of her purse on the roadside.
Unlike many retellings of the Black Death this book managed to discredit the many elements of misinformation that surround the time and the pestilence itself while not turning to dry recitation of fact after fact.
It’s certainly not a light summer read for lazy days by the pool but if you’re interested in the time and the effects of the plague then this is a fantastic book to start with.
March 14, 2016
A scholarly, but easy to read, account of the plague that affected the whole of Europe in the mid 14th century and the British Isles from 1348. The author admits in his preface that there is more about the top of society as the common folk and peasantry have left little in the way of written records. However, we get some idea from information contained in manorial court records. He puts the plague in the context of political, ecclesiastical and architectural history which saves the book from being a mere recitation of the numbers of deaths. As someone who lived for a while as a tenant of the Rokeby estate, I was interested to read of Sir Thomas Rokeby's efforts to deal with the effects of plague in Ireland. The author also says in his preface that he will not deal in detail with the epidemiology of the plague, but he sums up the latest scientific thinking in an appendix, showing that the teaching I was given at school that it was caused by black rats/rat fleas is more than likely incorrect for any number of reasons. Since the book was written, plague pits have been uncovered as part of the construction of London's Crossrail. I shall be interested to learn what further light they can shed on this calamitous period of our history.
March 23, 2011
This isn't an entirely comprehensive overview of the plague in Britain - it doesn't cover the later epidemic of the 17th century, for example - preferring to concentrate on the first and most devastating outbreak in the 14th century.
This book's particular strength is in depicting what Britain was like before the plague and how much of an impact the disease had on the population levels, economics, political structure, even on architecture and literature. It's incredibly detailed, tracing the development of plague throughout the country, although records exist in most detail in England, for obvious reasons. But he doesn't ignore Wales, Ireland or Scotland, even though there isn't as much evidence to demonstrate the impact of the plague in these parts.
Gummer particularly suceeds in painting a picture of what life must have been like for those left behind. It's difficult for us now to imagine what it must have been like to live in a country where almost a third of the population died in little more than a year - abandoned villages, empty roads, overgrown fields, livestock roaming and untended.
This book's particular strength is in depicting what Britain was like before the plague and how much of an impact the disease had on the population levels, economics, political structure, even on architecture and literature. It's incredibly detailed, tracing the development of plague throughout the country, although records exist in most detail in England, for obvious reasons. But he doesn't ignore Wales, Ireland or Scotland, even though there isn't as much evidence to demonstrate the impact of the plague in these parts.
Gummer particularly suceeds in painting a picture of what life must have been like for those left behind. It's difficult for us now to imagine what it must have been like to live in a country where almost a third of the population died in little more than a year - abandoned villages, empty roads, overgrown fields, livestock roaming and untended.
November 24, 2013
Taken a time to complete this, not because it is a poor read but other books just got in the way.
A very good account of the impact of the plague as it devastated England in a way that despite loads of Hollywood efforts is still incomprehensible to
anyone living today. The book brings to life the creeping nature of its spread and it's impact on small communities, the social mobility that it heralded and the opportunists taking advantage of this sudden chance to get rich quick if you survived.
Enjoyable and informative.
A very good account of the impact of the plague as it devastated England in a way that despite loads of Hollywood efforts is still incomprehensible to
anyone living today. The book brings to life the creeping nature of its spread and it's impact on small communities, the social mobility that it heralded and the opportunists taking advantage of this sudden chance to get rich quick if you survived.
Enjoyable and informative.
February 4, 2017
Exceptionally well done look at the effect the Great Death had on the Isles, by looking at how it was before, and assessing the effects it had on society during and after it's course. Takes into account the way society (fuedal rule, economic factors, etc) was trending before and how it may have been without the plague, but I feel it underplayed the way climate and weather may have been involved. Recommended despite that caveat.
August 29, 2011
This is a pretty complete account of the Black Death as it swept across the British Isles - what it was, and what it was after.
It does a fair job of revealing the human story and consequences of the plague. But also the resilience of them--how they came back and how the institutions held up. Even to the point where some working conditions improved and entrepreneurship was revitalized.
It does a fair job of revealing the human story and consequences of the plague. But also the resilience of them--how they came back and how the institutions held up. Even to the point where some working conditions improved and entrepreneurship was revitalized.
August 24, 2012
Fascinating and terrifying. As much about what Britain was like in the 14th Century as about the plagues. Lost a star due to massive sections about medieval taxation which I admit to skipping over after a while. But very good - read it!
April 3, 2012
Really enjoyed this, a timely reminder of how lucky we are to live in the modern world.
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