GREAT PLAGUE
OF LONDON
G'day folks,
In 1665 and 1666, the last great outbreak of bubonic plague to hit England swept through the capital, London.
The outbreak was much smaller
in scale than the Black Death of the 14th century, but was still
notable for having killed as many as 100,000 people - about a quarter of
the city's population - in eighteen months.
By July 1665 the plague was spreading rapidly in London. Many fled, including the King Charles II,
if they were wealthy enough to afford it. Parliament was moved to
Oxford University from Westminster Palace. Many of the city's businesses
closed. Diarist Samuel Pepys wrote much about life in the city during the plague, and of empty streets.
By September, as many as 7,000 people a week were dying, and many were
thrown into mass graves. The true toll was likely to be much higher,
since the deaths of poor were not recorded.
The University of Cambridge closed down during the outbreak, forcing a young Isaac Newton
to continue his studies from home - during this time he expanded
significantly on his new idea about the laws of gravity, among other
things.
By November the outbreak started to taper off, and the King returned in
February the next year when it was considered to be safe enough.
Disaster would strike London again in 1666, with much of it being
destroyed in the Great Fire of London that September.
Clancy's comment: Mm ... sound familiar?
I'm ...
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