Eyam

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Map sources for Eyam at grid reference SK220764

Eyam Hall.

7th century Anglo-Saxon Cross.

Eyam (pronounced "Eem") is a small village in Derbyshire, England. The village is best known for being the "plague village" that chose to isolate itself when the Black Death was found in the village in August 1665, rather than see the infection travel further north.^[1]

1 Plague history
2 Eyam's role in genetic research
3 Saxon cross
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Plague history

The plague had been brought to the village in a flea-infested bundle of cloth that was delivered to the tailor from London.^[2] After the initial deaths, the panicked townspeople turned to their rector, William Mompesson. He persuaded them to quarantine the entire village to prevent the disease from spreading further. The plague raged in the village for 16 months and killed at least 260 villagers.

When the first outsiders visited Eyam a year later, they found less than half the town had survived the plague. Survival appeared random, as many plague survivors had close contact with the bacterium but never caught the disease. For example, Elizabeth Hancock never became ill, despite burying six children and her husband in eight days.^[2] The village gravedigger handled hundreds of plague-ravaged corpses, but ultimately survived.

The novels Year of Wonders (2001) by Geraldine Brooks and A parcel of patterns (1983) by Jill Paton Walsh are fictional accounts of the plague in Eyam.

[edit] Eyam's role in genetic research

Some research indicates that the villagers of Eyam may have had some genetic protection from the bubonic plague.^[2] A CCR5 gene mutation designated as "delta 32" was found in a statistically significant number, 14%, of direct descendants of the plague survivors. The Delta 32 mutation appears to be very rare. In fact, the levels of Delta 32 found in Eyam were only matched in regions of Europe that had been affected by the plague and in Americans of European origin. It has also been suggested^[2] that the Delta 32 mutation, if inherited from both parents, may provide immunity to HIV/AIDS.

More recent research at Scripps Research Institute disputes the hypothesis that the Delta 32 mutation provided protection against the plague, suggesting instead that it is more likely to have arisen as protection against some other disease common at the time, such as smallpox. This new hypothesis is still being tested. ^[3]

[edit] Saxon cross

Eyam churchyard contains a Saxon cross dated to the 7th or 8th centuries.[1] [2] Initially, it was located at the side of a cart track near to Eyam. After the plague it was moved to its present location. It is Grade I listed and a Scheduled Ancient Monument^[4]