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state population of London, 1550
120,000
state population of London, 1650
375,000
state the parish where poor people were first to die in the second wave of the plague (1665)
St Giles
September 1665
1000 died
from the plague epidemic
a day
state the number of people that died in the Great Plague of 1665
70,000-100,000
describe the diet of the rich
VARIED
meat - beef, veal, mutton, fish
bread
salad leaves, vegetables, fruits
coffee (VAST INCREASE IN COFFEE SHOPS), hot chocolate
sugar
spices
ale, mead, wine, beer
describe continuity in diet from the Medieval period
poor diet remains unvaried and unbalanced
describe change in diet from the Medieval period
richer classes see an integration of exotic exports
such as spices and coffee
describe how animals affected the urban environment, 1500-1750
Cattles, sheep and geese were herded through the streets to be sold or slaughtered
Horse-drawn carts were pulled through the cramped streets
Stray dogs living in the streets defecated
Stray cats were common, but they caught mice and rats
describe how animals affected people’s health, 1500-1750
Horse-drawn carts could trample or injure people due to the close proximity between the people and horses
Dog defecation often contained parasites, which could be spread to humans
describe how streets affected the urban environment, 1500-1750
Often covered with animal dung
Usually unpaved
Contained a mixture of animals and humans
describe how smoke affected the urban environment, 1500-1750
1500-1750 - people heated their homes and did cooking on open fires
16th century - coal was unpopular due to its foul smell once combusted
17th century - price of coal dropped and it was increasingly used in ovens, forges and furnaces
describe how houses affected the urban environment, 1500-1750
16th century - inhabitants of many towns continued to live in medieval oak-framed houses
17th century - oak-framed houses were gradually replaced by stone/brick houses
Houses in towns were often just one room wide and three storeys tall
Some contained overhanging 'jetties' to provide extra room
Poor families often squashed into cellars and upper storeys
Sharing beds was common
Houses continued to be draughty and damp
describe how streets affected people’s health, 1500-1750
Animal dung could contain harmful pathogens which could be spread to humans
The streets being unpaved meant mud and excrement from the ground often ended up on people's clothes and shoes, subsequently ending up in their homes
describe how smoke affected people’s health, 1500-1750
Smoke released by open fires could cause respiratory diseases due to decreases ventilation
Complete combustion of coal released carbon dioxide and incomplete combustion released carbon monoxide
Carbon dioxide increased risks of respiratory diseases
Carbon monoxide is poisonous and could suffocate people
describe how houses affected people’s health, 1500-1750
Mould causes by the damp conditions in houses could cause severe respiratory diseases
The close proximity of families meant contagious diseases could spread quickly
state 5 reasons why the rich might have been ‘cleaner’ than the poor, 1500-1750
Bathing inside was only possible if you had a bathtub, servants, a reliable water supply and enough firewood
The soap used by the poor to wash clothes (made of leftover animal fat) was not suitable for use on skin - only the rich could afford soap made of olive oil
Water in rivers or streams would often be dirty and many people believed that water could infect them through the pores in their skin
Many poor people were too busy working to have time to take a bath
There was a lack of reliable water sources across many towns
state 4 ways to access water in an early-modern town, 1500-1750
paying for water to be piped to your house
collecting water from a conduit
buying water from a water-seller
having a personal well
state what a ‘scavenger/raker’ is
People who collected household waste to market gardeners outside the towns
state what a water closet was
It was the medieval name for the first flushing toilet
state what a privy/jake was
Privies were holes built over rivers to dispose of excrement
state what a cesspit was
cesspits were holes in the ground
state what a dunghill was
These were dumps where peopled emptied the waste from their cesspits
explain Hugh Middleton’s significance
1609 - Hugh Middleton built a 'New River', which brought spring water 38 miles from the countryside outside London to a reservoir in Islington
This supplied 30,000 houses in Islington
explain Sir John Harrington’s significance
1596 - Sir John Harrington, Elizabeth I's godson, invented the first flushing water closet
explain Samuel Pepys’ significance
Pepys is an example of the problems cesspits caused for neighbours
he is said to have stepped into a 'great heap of turds'
which had leaked into his cellar from his neighbour's cesspit
state Britain’s average life expectancy in 1665
41 years old
what time of year did plague hit in Britain and when was it more likely to spread
mostly began in spring and summer with the warmer weather
it was more likely to spread in the poorest neighbourhoods or towns
state the morality rate of the 1665 plague
1/3 of the population
describe continuity in belief from the medieval period about the causes of plague
people continued to believe the plague was God punishing them for their sins
people continued to believe miasma was a cause of plague, created by God
describe change in belief from the medieval period about the causes of plague
people began to write about the importance of contagion as a spreader of plague at the end of the 17th century
what happened to the plague after 1667
it never returned to England
what did Henry VIII’s 1518 proclamation announce
introduced initially in London - expectation was that they would be adopted elsewhere - London is a model for public health
stated that houses identified to be infected with the plague should be marked
stated if an infected person left the house, they would have to carry a white stick to let others know to avoid them
harder to enforce, lack of desire by national government to enforce these regulations
how did towns respond to plague after the 1518 proclamation
all towns and aldermen were expected to take action when plague struck
aldermen shut up houses that contained people
some corporations began to isolate plague victims in ‘pest houses’ outside the town walls
what did aldermen of York introduce in the 1550s
they posted ‘watchmen’ on the Ouse Bridge to stop the movement of infected people across York
they appointed ‘searchers’ to bury the dead and clean infected houses
they collected money from each parish to provide food for people in infected houses
state 4 examples of instructions from the 1578 Plague Orders published by Elizabeth I’s Privy Council
aldermen should collect money to support the sick in their town
infected houses in towns should be completely shut for up to 6 weeks with all the members of the family still inside
streets and alleys should be thoroughly cleaned
clothes and bedding of plague victims should be burned
explain the significance of Elizabeth I’s 1578 Plague Orders
POSITIVE
demonstrated growing medical awareness of the causes of disease and disease spread
saw greater measures to implement and regulate plague isolation
NEGATIVE
these national-mandated regulations saw variation in local enforcement as it relied on local government
state what provisions the 1604 Plague Act made for those who were sick
allowed towns to collect money first from parishes within a 5 mile radius (and nationally if necessary)
introduced harsh punishments for anyone breaking the policy of isolation
state what punishments the 1604 Plague Act held for those who did not comply
a plague victim found outside, mingling with others; could be hanged
a healthy person who knowingly met with an infected person or left an infected house could be whipped
state the time period that demonstrated a shift from local plague measures to national enforcement and compulsion
1518 → 1578 → 1604
describe how Cambridge reacted to the arrival of the plague in 1665
they only allowed strangers into the town if they had a certificate of health
streets were cleaned
stray dogs and cats were killed
‘searchers’ were hired
state how many people died of the plague in Cambridge by December 1666
920
describe change in responses to the plague from the Middle Ages
Protestants did not believe in pilgrimage or flagellants to address the plague
after the Middle Ages, more action was taken to prevent plague by local authorities
describe continuity in responses to the plague from the Middle Ages
richer people continued to flee from towns affected by plague
this was not possible for poorer people
continuity in blaming outsiders/foreigners for the plague
continuity in belief plague was caused by miasma
led to a continuity in belief that potions/herbs and spices which smelt nice could repel the plague
state 5 steps that were introduced by the Aldermen of York to improve public health
pigs had to be kept in a sty and were not allowed to wander around the streets
household waste could not be put out for the scavengers until 7pm
anyone who made a dunghill in their yard had to pay a fine
people were fined for throwing urine and excrement into the street at night
people were not allowed to build their privies over the Queen’s Dike, a stream which ran through the ity
state 5 steps that were introduced in London to improve public health
a reservoir was built by Hugh Middleton in 1609 to bring water into London
tree trunks of elms were bored to make water pipes to bring clean water into London
by 1750 - several water companies in London and other towns piped water into the homes of those who could afford the annual subscription
more streets were being paved with stone and lines of posts marked off footways for pedestrians
oil-burning streets lamps first appeared in London in the 1680s
by 1750 - most towns had lighting in their main streets
state what nickname gin was given
demon drink
describe how town councils tried to control alehouses
they tried to make it illegal to sell alcohol without a license
state what a ‘dram shop’ was
shops selling cheap spirits such as brandy or gin
state where gin was first imported from
Holland
describe what parliament did in 1689 to encourage distilling in England
they banned the import of gin
what was the impact of parliament’s 1689 decision
thousands of small gin shops opened in secret in cellars, back rooms, attics and sheds
1729 Gin Act
gin distillers had to pay a tax of 5 shillings
on each gallon of gin they produced
and gin sellers had to buy an annual license costing £20
1736 Gin Act
licenses for gin sellers increased in price to £50
tax on gin distillers increased to 20 shillings
1743 Gin Act
restricted the sale of gin to alehouses
which already sold ale, beer and wine
1751 Gin Act
criminalised anyone caught selling gin
with the punishment being imprisonment and whipping for a second offence
a third offence would result in forced transportation (exile)
state how many gallons of gin a year was drunk in London by 1750
11 million gallons
