The beginnings of change (AQA GCSE History): Revision Notes

The Great Plague

What was the Great Plague?

The Great Plague struck Britain in 1665, marking the most devastating outbreak of plague since the Black Death had ravaged the country over 300 years earlier in 1348. This catastrophic epidemic would fundamentally change how people understood disease and public health measures, representing both continuity with mediaeval responses and the beginnings of more systematic approaches to controlling disease outbreaks.

The plague returned to Britain as the same bubonic plague that had caused the Black Death. Scientists now know it was caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium, which lived in the digestive systems of fleas. These infected fleas were carried by rats, which thrived in the cramped and unsanitary conditions of 17th-century towns and cities. The disease spread with alarming speed through these urban areas, where poor sanitation and overcrowding created perfect conditions for the plague to take hold.

The devastating impact

The scale of death during the Great Plague was truly horrific. At the epidemic's peak in September 1665, more than 7,000 people died in a single week in London alone. By the time the outbreak had run its course, London had lost approximately 15% of its entire population. Official records show 68,596 deaths, though historians believe the actual death toll was closer to 100,000 people when accounting for unrecorded deaths among the poor and those who fled the city.

A contemporary woodcut from 1665 showed scenes of mass death with the ominous caption "Lord have Mercy on London", illustrating how the plague was still widely viewed as divine punishment. The image revealed that most people continued to believe the disease represented God's wrath upon a sinful population.

Beliefs about the causes

Despite the plague's return after more than 300 years, people's understanding of what caused disease had not advanced significantly since mediaeval times. Several key beliefs dominated popular thinking about the plague's origins:

Religious explanations remained paramount - most people still believed the plague was punishment from God for the sins of the population. This religious interpretation meant that prayer and repentance were considered essential responses to the crisis.

The miasma theory was widely accepted, suggesting that disease spread through "bad air" or foul-smelling vapours. This belief led people to think that unpleasant odours and corrupted air were direct causes of illness.

However, there was one important new observation: for the first time, people began to notice that those living in poorer and dirtier areas of cities were more severely affected by the plague. This observation hinted at environmental factors in disease transmission, though people didn't yet understand the true connection between poor sanitation, rats, fleas, and disease spread.

Attempted treatments

Medical treatments during the Great Plague remained largely unchanged from mediaeval practices, and unfortunately, none of them were effective - some even made patients worse:

Balancing the humours through bloodletting was a common treatment. Doctors believed that illness resulted from an imbalance of the four bodily humours, so they would bleed patients with leeches or by cutting veins. This practice actually weakened patients further when they most needed their strength to fight the infection.

Herbal remedies were used extensively, with people burning herbs in attempts to purify the air and ward off the "bad vapours" they believed caused the plague. Sweet-smelling herbs were thought to counteract the foul miasma.

Vinegar-soaked sponges were held to the nose, based on the belief that strong scents could protect against disease transmission through bad air.

The tragedy was that none of these treatments worked, and bloodletting actually made patients more likely to die by further weakening their already compromised immune systems.

Preventative measures

While treatments remained ineffective, the authorities did implement several preventative measures that showed a more systematic approach to controlling disease spread:

Trade restrictions were imposed immediately - trade with affected towns was stopped to prevent the disease from spreading through commercial contacts. This represented an early understanding that human movement could spread disease.

Quarantine measures were strictly enforced - infected houses were locked up by guards, with entire families confined inside regardless of whether all members were sick. This harsh measure often meant that healthy family members became infected by being trapped with plague victims.

Border controls were established - the border with Scotland was closed to prevent the plague from spreading northward, showing that authorities understood the disease could cross political boundaries.

The king published very strict orders about movement of people and animals, treatment of infected houses, and burial of the dead, demonstrating that disease control was now seen as a matter requiring royal intervention and systematic regulation.

The Lord Mayor's Orders

The Lord Mayor of London implemented specific and detailed orders designed to control the plague's spread throughout the city in 1665. These orders represented some of the most comprehensive public health measures seen up to that time:

Animal control measures required people to kill stray cats and dogs, based on the mistaken belief that these animals spread the disease. Ironically, this measure likely made the plague worse by reducing the number of natural predators that could have controlled the rat population.

Burial regulations mandated that plague graves must be at least six feet deep and prohibited public gatherings around burial sites. This showed an understanding that dead bodies might pose a health risk and that crowds could facilitate disease transmission.

House surveillance involved searchers identifying houses where people had died of plague and two watchmen supervising each infected house to ensure no one entered or left. This created a comprehensive system of monitoring and control.

The Lord Mayor noted that although deaths continued to rise, the situation would have been even worse without these measures. This represented an early recognition that public health interventions, even if imperfect, could help limit the spread of disease.

Primary source evidence

A contemporary woodcut from 1665 provides valuable insight into how people experienced and understood the Great Plague. The image, titled "Lord have Mercy on London", depicted scenes of mass death and suffering throughout the city. This source reveals that most people still interpreted the plague as divine punishment, showing the continued dominance of religious explanations for disease even as more systematic public health measures were being implemented.

Timeline of the Great Plague

• 1665: The Great Plague returns to Britain, with the worst outbreak since the Black Death
• September 1665: Peak of the epidemic - over 7,000 deaths per week in London
• 1665: Implementation of the Lord Mayor's Orders in London
• 1665: Border with Scotland closed, trade restrictions imposed
• End of 1665: Official death toll reaches 68,596 in London (actual toll likely around 100,000)

Historical significance

The Great Plague of 1665 represents both continuity and change in how Britain dealt with epidemic disease. While beliefs about causes remained largely mediaeval (divine punishment, miasma theory), the response showed increasing government intervention and more systematic public health measures. The plague also highlighted the connection between poverty, poor living conditions, and disease, an observation that would become increasingly important in later public health developments.

Comparing the Great Plague to the Black Death reveals how little medical understanding had advanced over 300 years, but also shows the beginnings of more organised, state-led responses to public health crises.