A You Are Here map at the Hawkhill Road car park, opposite the Eyam Museum (
visit link) , Eyam.
A map of Eyam representing the village in the year 2000 showing historical, ancient, modern and surprising sites of interest.
From a note on the map -
"The Eyam Village Map was produced by the villagers of Eyam
as a Millennium Project. The map shows the village as it is
today against a backdrop of its history."
"The Eyam Village Map was funded by the Local Heritage
Initiative with support from members of the local community,
local authorities and community groups."
"In the early 1660s Eyam did not stand apart from any of the other numerous villages that lined the trade routes from London to the rest of England. And yet in 1665 Eyam became one of the most significant villages in England. The actions of its inhabitants had important consequences for the development of treatment of the plague.
Late in the summer of 1665 infected materials from London were delivered to the house of the village tailor, Alexander Hadfield. They were opened by his assistant, George Viccars, who shortly afterwards became ill and died most violently. His death was quickly followed by that of his two stepsons, Edward and Jonathan Cooper, and his immediate neighbours, and eventually by that of the tailor himself.
The infection spread rapidly throughout the autumn, slowing down in the winter only to return with greater vigour in the spring and summer, reaching a peak in August when 78 people died in the month. In the 14 months the danger lasted, it claimed 260 lives out of a population of around 800.
Under the leadership of the rector, Rev. William Mompesson and his predecessor, the Rev. Thomas Stanley, the villagers agreed to accept strict quarantine to prevent the spread of the disease beyond the village boundary. They were supported by the Earl of Devonshire, and by other charitable but less wealthy neighbours, who provided the necessities of life during their period of isolation.
Today there are many different points of interest for visitors to explore that form part of the plague story, such as including Mompesson’s Well and a boundary stone set between Eyam and neighbouring village Stoney Middleton, where supplies were left at a safe distance.
In the centre of the village is a row of Plague cottages with signs that commemorate some of the first victims. George Vicar’s house can be seen, as well as the tomb of Catherine Mompesson, wife of the then newly-appointed vicar who took such a bold step in isolating the village, herself an early victim of the bubonic plague. Also worth a visit is Eyam Hall, a 17th-century grade 2 listed historic house.
Every year on Plague Sunday (the last Sunday in August) a memorial service is held in the nearby hollow of Cucklett Delf, site of the outdoor services held by Reverend Mompesson during the plague years.
A museum founded in 1994 by a group of volunteers explains the Eyam Plague story fully, and also looks at plague more widely throughout history."
SOURCE - (
visit link)