The Harrowing Eye-Witness Accounts Of The Great Plague | Fire & Fever | Chronicle

Chronicle - Medieval History Documentaries・2 minutes read

The Great Plague of 1665 ravaged London, impacting all social classes and ages, transmitted by rat fleas with high mortality rates. Following the devastating plague, the Great Fire of London in 1666 destroyed thousands of homes and buildings, leading to widespread destruction before finally being controlled.

Insights

  • The Great Plague of 1665 in London affected people of all ages and social classes, leading to a mortality rate of up to 50% in untreated cases due to the unsanitary living conditions and ineffective medical treatments of the time.
  • The Great Fire of London in September 1666, starting in a bakery in Pudding Lane, caused widespread destruction due to the lack of an organized fire brigade, resulting in the destruction of 13,200 houses, 87 churches, and leaving over 100,000 people homeless.

Get key ideas from YouTube videos. It’s free

Recent questions

  • What was the Great Plague of London?

    A devastating epidemic in 1665 affecting all social classes.

  • How did Londoners combat the Great Plague?

    By marking infected houses and mass burials.

  • What caused the Great Fire of London?

    A bakery fire in Pudding Lane in 1666.

  • How did Londoners respond to the Great Fire?

    By blowing up houses to create fire breaks.

  • What were the consequences of the Great Fire of London?

    Destruction of 13,200 houses and displacement of 100,000 people.

Related videos

Summary

00:00

Devastating Great Plague of 1665 in London

  • The Great Plague of 1665 devastated London, with houses filled with corpses awaiting burial and dying individuals in agony.
  • The epidemic spared no one, affecting all ages and social classes.
  • The plague, known as the Great Plague of London, began in December 1664 and intensified in the spring of 1665.
  • London in the 17th century was vastly different from the modern city, with overcrowded, unsanitary living conditions.
  • The disease was transmitted by rat fleas, causing high fevers, enlarged lymph glands, and hemorrhagic rashes.
  • Medical treatments of the time, like bloodletting and noxious potions, were ineffective against the plague.
  • Quack doctors took advantage of the situation, selling useless medicines at high prices.
  • The death toll from the plague was recorded in weekly bills of mortality, with mortality rates reaching 50% in untreated cases.
  • Officials in London attempted to organize responses to the plague, marking infected houses and burying bodies in mass graves.
  • The plague continued to ravage London in 1665, leading to extreme measures like exterminating thousands of dogs and cats to control the spread of the disease.

19:55

London's Great Plague and Fire 1665-1666

  • In 1665, London faced both disease and debauchery during the Great Plague, with corpses stripped of linen winding sheets of decent quality.
  • The nursery rhyme "Ring a Ring o' Roses" likely described the pneumonic plague, spread by droplets from sneezing.
  • The Great Plague of London virtually ended by December 1665, with the number of cases decreasing due to colder weather and other factors.
  • Improved public sanitation, personal hygiene awareness, medical advancements, and the aggressive brown rat chasing out the disease-carrying black rat contributed to the decline of the plague.
  • A recurrence of the plague in Europe in the 19th century and sporadic outbreaks in various parts of the world continued, with the last case in the UK in 1910.
  • By spring 1666, London saw a return to normalcy as people crowded back into the city, with the plague's remnants easily treated by physicians.
  • Approximately 110,000 people died during the 1665 Great Plague, with a new threat emerging from a bakery in Pudding Lane in September 1666, starting the Great Fire of London.
  • The Great Fire of London began in a bakery in Pudding Lane, leading to widespread destruction due to the highly combustible materials and narrow streets of London.
  • The lack of an organized fire brigade in the 17th century meant citizens had to respond to church bells, collect firefighting equipment, and fight the fire themselves.
  • King Charles II and his brother, James Duke of York, were greatly concerned by the fire's spread, with organized action taken more than 24 hours after the fire started on September 2, 1666.

38:35

Great Fire of London: Destruction and Rebirth

  • Flames were set up in various locations in London, crewed by 30 soldiers and 100 ordinary citizens.
  • King Charles rescinded the law forcing people to pay for rebuilding houses for fire breaks.
  • The Lord Mayor, Thomas Bloodworth, struggled to control the fire and was replaced by the Duke of York on September 3rd.
  • The Duke of York coordinated firefighting efforts with the Army and Navy, blowing up houses to create fire breaks.
  • The fire spread rapidly, consuming St. Paul's Cathedral and the Royal Exchange by Tuesday, September 4th.
  • The fire was finally controlled on Wednesday, September 5th, when the wind changed direction, saving the rich houses at The Strand.
  • The Great Fire of London destroyed 13,200 houses, 87 churches, 6 chapels, 3 city gates, and 4 stone bridges, leaving over 100,000 people homeless.
Channel avatarChannel avatarChannel avatarChannel avatarChannel avatar

Try it yourself — It’s free.