I was born in England in a small Derbyshire town not far from a place called Eyam. It’s a beautiful area and I’ve always respected Eyam’s history, but now the world is gripped by a pandemic I applaud the forward thinking of its 17th century inhabitants.
In 1665 the villagers isolated themselves so outsiders wouldn’t catch bubonic plague, transported from London in flea-infested cloth. Tragically, over a period of 14 months most residents perished, and during that time the church recorded 273 deaths. When the last victim expired, only 83 villagers had survived.
In earlier days, this area would have thrummed to the sound of horse-drawn carts. Today the sound is of coaches arriving. Visitors wander down Eyam’s main street experiencing its beauty – and the full horror of the 17th century plague. Every picturesque cottage displays a plaque bearing information about the occupants who died during the 1660s, and yet every house is still inhabited. The occupants are living proof that life continues, no matter what.
Survival among those affected appeared random, and many who remained alive had close contact with the dead but never caught the disease. One woman was uninfected despite burying her husband and six children in eight days, and the village gravedigger survived handling infected corpses. We can only guess at the terror in which these people lived, and in many cases died.
Before the Covid-19 ‘plague’ we had a UK Easter wedding to attend. The nuptials have since been delayed twice, and as I write today the couple are hoping to have their celebration at Easter in 2021. We wait to see if we’ll be allowed to join them, but at this moment overseas travel appears unlikely. Along with gifts, I’d intended to give the bride the ‘horseshoe for luck’ I was given at my own wedding, but if we survive these times, we’ll be the luckiest of people without need of any charm.
Everyone says we’ll never take a warm embrace, kiss on the cheek or handshake for granted again. We say how we miss life as it was before this pandemic, and we’ll never again underestimate what we have. But it’s hard to appreciate how much we once missed something when we have it back! Those Eyam villagers isolated themselves to keep outsiders safe and bequeathed an example relevant today. Security, love, and family – perhaps that’s all we need. But will we remember to remember?
Burnside Writers Group 