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PLAGUE VISITATIONS

Updated:  21 January 2011 

Plymouth was visited by the plague in 1579.  It was blamed on some cotton-wool landed from a Smyrna ship and upwards of 600 people fell victim.  So general was the fear of it spreading that the annual Mayor-choosing ceremony was held in the open air at Cattedown.

The plague hit Plymouth once again in 1581 and continued for several months.

In 1626 the plague hit Plymouth for a third time and was this time blamed on some negligence in the fumigation of some cotton.  It raged with incredible fury and some 2,000 people fell victim.

Given that even in 1819 the streets of the Town were described as 'in general ill-constructed, narrow, irregular, and some of the bye ones filthy' it is probably not very surprising that the plague was able to spread so widely.

Sources:

[1]

 

©  Brian Moseley, Plymouth, UK

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