Eyam
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Eyam | |
  Eyam shown within Derbyshire |
|
| Population | 926 (2001[1]) |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| District | Derbyshire Dales |
| Shire county | Derbyshire |
| Region | East Midlands |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HOPE VALLEY |
| Postcode district | S32 |
| Dialling code | 01433 |
| Police | Derbyshire |
| Fire | Derbyshire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| European Parliament | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | Derbyshire Dales |
| List of places: UK • England • Derbyshire | |
Eyam (IPA: /iːm/) is a small village in Derbyshire, England. The village is best known for being the "plague village" that chose to isolate itself when the plague was found in the village in August 1665, rather than see the infection travel further north. The village was founded and named by Anglo-saxons, and was mined for lead by the Romans[2]
Contents |
[edit] Plague history
The plague had been brought to the village in a flea-infested bundle of cloth that was delivered to tailor George Vicars from London[3].
Within a week he was dead. After the initial deaths, the townspeople turned to their rector, the Reverend William Mompesson and the Puritan Minister Thomas Stanley. They introduced a number of precautions to slow the spread of the illness from May 1665. These included the arrangement that families were to bury their own dead and the relocation of church services from the parish church of St. Laurence to Cucklett Delph to allow villagers to separate themselves, reducing the risk of infection. Perhaps, the best known decision was to quarantine the entire village to prevent further spread of the disease. The plague raged in the village for 16 months and killed at least 260 villagers: only 83 villagers survived out of a population of 350.
When the first outsiders visited Eyam a year later, they found that fewer than a quarter of the village had survived the plague. Survival appeared random, as many plague survivors had close contact with the bacterium, but never caught the disease. For example, Elizabeth Hancock never became ill, despite burying six children and her husband in eight days (the graves are known as the Riley graves).[3] The unofficial village grave digger also survived, despite handling many infected bodies.
[edit] Places of interest
Eyam can boast various plague related places of interest such as the 'boundary stone', a stone in which money was placed in exchange for food and medicine, and the Riley graves as mentioned above. The only pub to be found in the village is 'The Miners Arms'.
[edit] Eyam's role in genetic research
Some research indicates that the villagers of Eyam may have had some genetic protection from the bubonic plague.[3] A CCR5 gene mutation designated as "delta 32" was found in a statistically significant number, 14%, of direct descendants of the plague survivors. The Delta 32 mutation appears to be very rare. In fact, the levels of Delta 32 found in Eyam were only matched in regions of Europe that had been affected by the plague and in Americans of European origin. It has also been suggested[4] that the Delta 32 mutation, if inherited from both parents, may provide immunity to HIV/AIDS.
More recent research at Scripps Research Institute disputes the hypothesis that the Delta 32 mutation provided protection against the plague, suggesting instead that it is more likely to have arisen as protection against some other disease common at the time, such as smallpox. This new hypothesis is still being tested. [5]
[edit] Saxon cross
Eyam churchyard contains a Saxon cross dated to the 7th or 8th centuries. Initially, it was located at the side of a cart track near to Eyam. After the plague it was moved to its present location.[citation needed] It is Grade I listed and a Scheduled Ancient Monument[6]
[edit] Notable residents
- Anna Seward, acclaimed poet (1747 — 1809)[7]
- Richard Furness, the Poet of Eyam (1791 — 1857)
[edit] Treatments in the media
- Year of Wonders (Novel, 2001) by Geraldine Brooks.
- A parcel of patterns (Novel, 1983) by Jill Paton Walsh.
- The Roses of Eyam (Play, first performed 1970, published 1976) by Don Taylor.
- The Judas Strain (Novel, 2007) by James Rollins
- A song about the plague epidemic of 1665 was written by Leeds based rock group iLiKETRAiNS and is featured on their 2007 album Elegies to Lessons Learnt
- Children of Winter (Novel, 1985) by Berlie Doherty.
- Kiss of Death (Novel, 2006) by Malcolm Rose Published by Usborne Publishing.
[edit] See also
- Derby plague of 1665, Great Plague of London (also in 1665)
- Beau, writer of the song "The Roses Of Eyam"
[edit] References
- ^ Parish Headcounts: Eyam CP. Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved on 2007-04-12.
- ^ Living with the plague. Local Legends. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-04-12.
- ^ a b c Mystery of the Black Death. Secrets of the Dead. PBS. Retrieved on 2007-04-12.
- ^ Eyam at derbyshireuk.net Accessed 5 February 2008.
- ^ Genetic Mutation Protects Against both HIV and Plague? Not So, Say Scientists at Scripps Research. The Scripps Research Institute. Retrieved on 2007-04-12.
- ^ Eyam Saxon cross. Images of England. English Heritage. Retrieved on 2006-04-17.
- ^ "Eyam" a poem by Anna Seward accessed June 2007
[edit] External links
