07/09/2026
Before COVID-19, another deadly plague changed the lives of ordinary people.
On 7 September 1665, George Viccars became the first recorded victim of the plague in Eyam, Derbyshire. The disease had arrived from London, likely through a parcel of cloth carrying infected fleas.
As the deaths continued, the people of Eyam made an extraordinary sacrifice: they chose to quarantine their entire village, knowing it could cost them their own lives, to protect the communities beyond their borders.
A small village. A terrible choice. An incredible act of self-sacrifice.
Eyam — remembering those who stayed so others could live. 🕊️
