The devastation of the black death in 1348 had seemed like a once-in-history catastrophe—surely London would never face anything so horrific again. Yet on September 26, 1665, the Great Plague of London proved that assumption tragically wrong, claiming 68,596 lives across the city. Many researchers contend that the true toll actually surpassed 100,000. Communities in areas bordering London suffered the consequences as well.
The peak of the Great Plague
The epidemic reached its terrifying crescendo during the week of 19-26 September 1665, when as many as 7,165 people perished from the Great Plague. London's poorest residents, lacking any means to escape, found themselves trapped inside their own homes—each one branded with a cross symbol and sealed shut for 40 days. Ship travel was completely prohibited. The cumulative effect of these measures left London looking like a ghost town during daylight hours. Domesticated animals, including dogs and cats, were systematically destroyed, and anyone caught keeping them faced punishment accordingly.
How the Great Plague came into London
Many Londoners believed the Great Plague was a consequence of the civil war and the religious rifts that had divided the city's population. Others pointed to celestial causes, blaming the alignment of the planets and a comet that had appeared in December 1664. Medical practitioners studied how the disease spread and developed herbal remedies in an effort to fight it. Meanwhile, Londoners who were skeptical about researchers' sentiments turned instead to charms and amulets as their preferred line of defense.
Those struck by the plague experienced a grim constellation of symptoms: fever, painful swellings in the groin, neck and armpits, vomiting, bloody coughs and muscle cramps. Without relief, these symptoms could intensify and ultimately prove fatal. However, those who were asymptomatic in the first few days managed to survive.