The Plague in Loughborough

Loughborough during a plague – “The Plague continueth”

As we are currently living through the pandemic of coronavirus I thought it might be fun to revisit what we know about Loughborough and how it survived during earlier pandemics.

Our earliest reference to the town dealing with plague is from the Will of Geffrey Salesbury of Loughborow which mentions a visitation of the plague in 1515 and the will was intriguingly witnessed by “ Sir Thomas Lech p’rych prest off Loughbrow and no moo ffer off the plage off pest” (Sir Thomas Leech, parish priest of Loughborough and no more for fear of the plague of pests)

In 1551 the Parish Register records a possible visitation of the sweating sickness :

1551 June – the Swatt called new acquyntance all’ Stoup knave and know they master began the xxiiijth of ths monthe, 1551: Robert Kirken .i. 27,28. Richard Harryman 2, Eliz Andrewe 3, John Crackson 4, John Dedieke 5, Ketheryn Jenkinson, 29. George Nashe, Johan Moone, Ellen fowler, John Reedes, 30. Andrew Wilocke, Allice Ffisher; all bur. Within ffoure dyes”

In Julij 1551, The Sweatte or new acq’ntnce. 1. Will’m Smithe 2. John Dale, Ellyn neydah’m, Wyll’m Gulton 3. Marye Brownfield, Ellyn aslyne, Edmund Aslyne. All theis buried w’thin Three dayes”

The Sweat, or sweating sickness was quite different to the more widely heard of Black Death. It usually meant that someone sweated to death within 24 hours. Historians don’t quite know what the disease was but it seemed to disappear as quickly as it arrived. There was a national outbreak in 1551 which it appears Loughborough was caught up in. You can read more here; https://www.historytoday.com/dreaded-sweat-other-medieval-epidemic

The Parish Registers from June 1558 to June 1559 are headed “A plague begun” “A plague” and “the Plague continueth”

In 1559 the June entry reads despairingly “295 buried in one yeare. Noote That ffrom Midsomer in Ao. 1558 until Midsomer in Ao. 1559. Ther was Buried ffourteyn score an ffifteyne: 295 of akll Sorttes of Deiseases & sickness”

This was certainly a major outbreak as the usual annual burial figure for Loughborough was about 50. Leicester had a minor outbreak during the same year but it was not on the same scale as that suffered by Loughborough. The Leicester Archdeaconry provides some evidence as to the unhealthy situation in the county at the time as it has 420 Wills being recorded in 1558, with 180 in 1559 and a more normal figure of 86 in 1560 . (additional info from Plague in Leicester 1558-1665 by Jonathan E.O Wilshire )

In 1564 the Parish register notes a further outbreak of plague in Leicester caused the assizes to be kept and held at Loughborough with 7 people being executed and buried on the 14th day of July. The assizes were essentially a law court or court of justice, hence why several people were executed following it being moved to the town. On this occasion there is no record of the Plague reaching Loughborough. Although the heroism of the people of Eyam in Derbyshire is well-known, by the 1500s, towns and villages throughout the land were taking common-sense precautions to prevent the spread of the disease. In Leicestershre, markets were cancelled and as can be seen above, the assizes moved to surrounding towns. Hurdles could also be erected around infected houses, watchmen would be employed to ensure that rules of isolation were obeyed, and special 'pest' houses were set up.

1593-4 shows another large plague outbreak in Leicester and yet there do not seem to be corresponding entries in Loughborough, perhaps showing how well the two places kept their distance from one another.

In 1603 there was another minor outbreak. It appears many were ill but most recovered, The parish register records 38 died February –April 1603 for example.

In 1609-10 the plague returned with a vengeance and the Parish register noted “ there was a terrible visitation of the Plague, when 452 persons died of it (366 were directly attributed to plague) , and many of the inhabitants camped outside the town at a place called Cabbin Lees to void the infection”. This place is probably where Cabin Leas is now, in the area of B&Q within the town. The plague this time was nationwide and for long afterwards 1609 was referred to as “The Sickness Time”.

Further information about the state of Loughborough at this time is given in the Lay Subsidy Roll, 7 James 1 (134 -290) which states “Loughborowe verie sore visited with the plague and the whole towne much impoverished;” It appears from this that they decided not to collect a Subsidy from the inhabitants that year as a result.

The rector John Browne also wrote a letter to the Mayor of Leicester dates 23rd July 1610 mentioning the plague in Leicester and asking that all intercourse between Loughborough and Leicester should cease (Leics Corp Records, Hall Papers, IV. 13) This does of course draw parallels with the local lockdown Leicester has had this year after the rest of the country were released.

At the top of the page for 1609 to February 1610 the words “a plague” have been written and then a “p” is prefixed to every entry where the person died of this illness.

The Poole family in particular seemed to be tragically afflicted :

1609 August 24, A plague began on the 24th day.p. Elizabeth Poole, wife of John Poole, buried the 24th day. A plague, a plague, a plague”

1609, 10 January 9. Thoma Poole, sonne of John Poole as born the 15th day of August last, And not baptised until the 9th day of January after vidlt this daye: because the mother of it was bur. Of the plague the xxiiijth day of august, the first that dyed of the plague this yearere: Soe that he was xx weeks ould before he was baptised.

There was another minor outbreak of plague in Loughborough in April May and September of 1617. This may have been across the county as evidenced again by a sharp rise in Wills being drawn up (217) but Leicester itself remained clear. Another minor outbreak occurred in March and April of 1621.

We jump forward then to 1630 before there was another outbreak. The register reads:

1630-1, March. The plague began ye 14 day of this moneth. P. Heugh Langly was bur. The xiiij. Day.

In 1631 a total of 135 people died of the plague . Leicester Corporation Accounts record £13 being spent to “keep Loughborough people forth of the town” “Item, paiyed to the inhabitants of Loughborough by the appointment of a common hall towards theire releife in the tyme of the visitation, Xli,” (Chamberlain account 1631) On 20th April 1631 the rector of Loughborough had written to Leicester and to dispel rumours of plague in the town. They advised that there had been only eleven deaths in 7 weeks across 3 houses but Leicester was evidently unconvinced since it set a watch to prevent inhabitants of Loughborough from entering “eyther to the market or otherwise”

Things evidently worsened in Loughborough and Leicester was right to act as it did. Loughborough sadly recorded a further 90 deaths between August and November and on 12th November Leicester sent £10 for the towns relief.

We jump forward again then to 1645 when the register records “1645 August . A plague began the second day”

It should be noted that 1665 is generally given as the date of the Great Plague of London and yet it does not seem to have affected Loughborough. A case perhaps of Londoncentric news having little impact once you branch out into the rest of the country. There is no doubt that Loughborough suffered badly as a result of the plague and clearly successive waves of it. There appears to have been a higher mortality rate across the county in general than in Leicester itself, possibly because sanitation was better in the city than in the more rural areas. While we take precautions to survive the current pandemic it is somewhat reassuring to note that we are only treading where our ancestors have gone before.