1603 London plague
| 1603 London plague | |
|---|---|
 King James I's coronation ceremony was postponed until July 18 because of plague. | |
| Disease | Plague |
| Bacteria strain | Yersinia Pestis |
| Location | London, England |
| Date | 1603 - 1604 |
Deaths | 33,374+ [1] |
London experienced its first plague epidemic of the 17th Century in 1603 during the transition from the Tudor to the Stuart period. Disease struck the city just after the funeral of Queen Elizabeth I of England, killing at least 30,578 Londoners during this outbreak. [2] The plague affected both poor parishes[3] and wealthier areas of the city, but began first in the impoverished suburbs just outside London's walls.
London in 1603
Migration from rural areas and London's high birth rates[4] helped the population recover from the 1592–1593 plague, with an average of 6000 christenings a year leading up to 1603.[5] The death of Queen Elizabeth I in March and the ascension of King James immediately triggered large amounts of travel to London. Mourners and merchants alike flooded the city to both remember the Queen and sell tobacco, wine, and other merchandise to the throngs of travelers.[4] Patchy sanitation by city authorities and an abundance of organic litter in the impoverished neighborhoods fueled a large rat population within city walls, where one third of London lived. Two thirds of London's population resided in the crowded, unsanitary, and poorly-governed parishes known as "Liberties"[6] which surrounded the walls and extended into the countryside.[6] Like every London plague since 1563, the 1603 epidemic began in the Liberties.[4]
Plague in London
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London's outer parish of Stepney was the first to record cases of bubonic plague shortly after the funeral of Queen Elizabeth.[7] The first plague of Stuart England disrupted the coronation of James I, which contemporaries found foreboding for the new king's reign.[8] The disease crept west towards London, and on 1 May deaths were being recorded just outside the city's northern walls in St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate.[9]
Plague spread quickly but stealthily through the large rat populations that lived off the filth. Local physician Thomas Lodge wrote in his Treatise of the Plague that "For where the infestation most rageth, povertie reigns among the Commons..."[10] Orders to shutter theaters were given on ______ and remained in place for nearly a year.[11]
By summer the plague had begun to interfere more with daily life. The Trinity law sessions were suspended on June 23 and by July 10 most people were avoiding St Paul's Cathedral.[4]
650 of 674 deaths during September in Stepney parish were from plague.[1] The plague was particularly lethal to younger people in St. Botolph's, with the parish recording 979 deaths of individuals between one and 24 years-old.[9]
As during the Elizabethan years, London's theaters were closed to slow the spread of plague. Public attitudes towards theatergoing and actors soured as these venues became associated with the epidemic.[11] The closures disrupted the careers of playwrights like William Shakespeare and Thomas Dekker, the latter of whom felt inspired by the turbulence to write The Wonderfull Yeare.
The plague was particularly dangerous to physicians because of their close contact with patients. On the 30 November 1603 the royal physician William Gilbert, who provided medical services for both Queen Elizabeth and King James, died of bubonic plague. [12]
Aftermath
London's government became more aware of the link between the city's recurring plague outbreaks and the filth that blighted the city.[13] While plague could and did strike any class, poor populations where dirty conditions prevailed had obviously suffered greater losses than the cleaner areas of the city. When news of London's plague subsiding reached the countryside, opportunistic traders quickly moved from rural areas to London to fill in the void left by those who'd deceased or fled. London's status as England's economic powerhouse continued despite semi-generational plague epidemics like 1603.[5] The 1603 epidemic even influenced the King James Bible as King James, like many of his contemporaries, interpreted the disease to be a weapon of God's anger: "Behold, with a great plague with the Lord smite... a great catastrophe that could strike a city." [14]
Plague remained endemic in London with outbreaks of varying virulence returning in the years that followed. London's Bills of Mortality for the middle of the decade show 900 plague deaths in 1604, 400 in 1605, and a spike to 2000 plague deaths in 1606. [15]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Creighton, Charles (1891). A History of Epidemics in Britain: From A.D. 664 to the extinction of plague. Cambridge University Press. pp. 478–479. Retrieved 15 July 2019. Search this book on
- ↑ Mogg, Edward (1838). Mogg's New Picture of London; or, Stranger's Guide to the British Metropolis, etc. London: A. Spottiswood. p. 5. Search this book on
- ↑ Kohn, George C. (2007). Encyclopedia of Plague and Pestilence: From Ancient Times to the Present. Infobase Publishing. p. 232. ISBN 978-1-4381-2923-5. Search this book on
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Traill, Henry Duff; Mann, James Saumarez (1902). Social England: 1509-1603. Cassell, limited. pp. 764–766. Search this book on
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Birch, Thomas (1759). A Collection of the Yearly Bills of Mortality, from 1657 to 1758 Inclusive: Together with Several Other Bills of an Earlier Date. London: A. Millar. p. 90. Search this book on
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Creighton, Charles (1891). A History of Epidemics in Britain: From A.D. 664 to the extinction of plague. Cambridge University Press. pp. 474–477. Retrieved 15 July 2019. Search this book on
- ↑ Traill D.C.L, H.D.; Mann M.A, J.S., eds. (1903). Social England, A Record of the Progress of the People in Religion, Laws, Learning, Arts, Industry, Commerce, Science, Literature and Manners, from the Earliest Times to the Present Day. 3. London: Cassel and Company Limited. pp. 206–207. Retrieved 1 July 2019. Search this book on
- ↑ The Stuarts: A Bloody Reign, Part 1 (Video). 2018. 8:08-8:15 minutes in.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Hollingsworth, Mary; Hollingsworth, T. D. (March 1971). Plague Mortality Rates by Age and Sex in the Parish of St. Botolph's without Bishopsgate, London, 1603. Population Studies (Report). 25. Taylor & Francis, Ltd. von behalf of Population Investigation Committee. pp. 131–142.
- ↑ Lodge, Thomas (1853). A Deference of Poetry, Music, and Stage Plays. London: The Shakespear Society. Search this book on
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Totaro, Rebecca; Gilman, Ernest B. (2010-09-13). Representing the Plague in Early Modern England. New York: Routledge. p. 55. ISBN 978-1-136-96324-7. Search this book on
- ↑ "BBC - History - Historic Figures: William Gilbert (1544 - 1603)". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-07-05.
- ↑ Fritze, Ronald H.; Robison, William B.; Robison, William; ROBISON, WM B. (1996). Historical Dictionary of Stuart England, 1603-1689. London: Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 206. ISBN 978-0-313-28391-8. Search this book on
- ↑ Porter, Stephen. "Disease and the City 17th Century: Plague". Gresham College. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
- ↑ Rees, Abraham (1819). The Cyclopædia, Or, Universal Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Literature. London: A. Strahan. p. 492. Search this book on
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