Plague Victims in Wigan

Wigan Local History and Heritage Society
1 May at 16:13 ·
The current lockdown situation has stirred up an interest into past pandemics and the impact they had on Wigan and Wiganers ...
Have you ever walked past this tree at the back of Wigan Parish Church?
Are you aware that it marks the spot where victims of the Plague were buried? ...
The Black Death was an infamous plague causing an estimated 20m deaths in Europe. It’s spread and impact is disputed, but it does give us an insight into a medieval way of life.
All the conditions were right for a pandemic:
Doctors were powerless against infectious disease.
People were weakened by war and harvest failures.
Germs, the fleas which carried them, and the rats which carried the fleas, flourished in dirty cities and towns.
Busy trade routes carried the plague from one place to another.
The plague arrived in Dorset in June 1348 and it spread throughout the south of England. In 1349 it reached Wales, Ireland and the North of England. By 1350 it reached Scotland.
In the summer of 1349 the plague, or Black Death reached Wigan and caused great suffering.
Like other towns, the people of Wigan knew nothing about the disease, or how it was caused and spread. According to Sinclair's History of Wigan, the townspeople would throw their toilet waste and rubbish into the streets and this would be carried to the river Douglas.
Houses were built very close together enabling the disease to spread rapidly and easily.
The Black Death was the bubonic plague and it was spread by rats, and fleas living on the rats then biting humans.
Symptoms were high fever, aching limbs, vomiting blood, excruciating pain and large swellings in the glands. From first symptoms death took between 3 - 4 days.
The harvest of 1348 had been destroyed by very heavy rainfalls, the poor were hungry and their bodies weak, unable to fight against disease.
The plague killed poor and rich alike, whole families died.
People tried to hide away in the woods away from the town, some could afford to travel far away.
People were full of despair, thinking it was the end for everyone.
The Black Death affected the way people thought about life in many different ways. Some lived lives perceived to be wild or immoral, others fell into deep despair, whilst many chose to accept their fate.
Half the population of Wigan died during this plague in 1349.
In the grounds at the back of Wigan Parish Church, near the entrance to King of Prussia Yard, there is a large tree marking the spot where all the plague victims were buried.

Most interesting article Lolly.

When we're allowed back in Wigan, me and Mrs RJM will seek out yon tree.

Well Lolly,that certainly was interesting..I will certainly have a look next time I go into town..and say a little prayer.

Not Wigan but very interesting

Coronavirus: What can the 'plague village' of Eyam teach us?

With coronavirus putting households around the world in lockdown, can the English "plague village" of Eyam, which quarantined itself for more than a year, offer us lessons on how to fight back?

As a nightmare tale from history, Eyam's ordeal takes some surpassing.

When plague arrived in September 1665, rather than flee this wild corner of Derbyshire - and risk spreading the infection - villagers locked themselves away to suffer in isolation. And suffer they did.


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-51904810

"I think it's all made up to get people coming, to sit at the tea shop and eat cake! Imported cloth my jacksie! ".


Posted on WW by Tonker.


It seems Tonker disbelieves the imported cloth story, going for commercialism.

Thanks, Lolly, I didn’t know the significance of the tree near the Parish Church.

There’s an article about ‘Plague in C17th Wigan’ by Fred Holcroft

Past Forward Issue No.39 (Mar - Jul 2005)

https://www.wigan.gov.uk/Docs/PDF/Resident/Leisure/Museums-and-archives/archives/Past-Forward/pf39.pdf

Thanks for the links Jo anne.  A fascinating part of Wigan's history

Wooden ‘plague houses’ for
those infected already existed just
outside town (the present
Woodhouse Lane is named after
them) but the size of the outbreak
must have led to requisitioning of
more buildings chosen for their
isolation

Anyone know the population of Wigan in 1348. I mean Wigan not Pemberton Ince or any other township.

I'll see you next Preston Guild

I wouldn't trust much on wiki about Wigan after tonker edited a lot before he was skimmed off, it may nor have been un edited

I came across this when searching you link NM




https://archive.org/details/historywigan00sincgoog/page/n112/mode/2up

Page 113


Save us all, keep searching

I haven't had time to read past that yet.

I skimmed through the pages but I would like to find the time to read it properly.

So nice to see a good discussion
http://www.wiganworld.co.uk/communicate/mb_message.php?opt=f1&opt2=&msd=1454590&offset=0&subject=Plague%20Victims%20in%20Wigan

Yes, its survived a whole 3 days

ramiejamie wrote:Most interesting article Lolly.

When we're allowed back in Wigan, me and Mrs RJM will seek out yon tree.

Did you ever go back to have a look RMJ?

Yes we did Lolly.
It was a while ago and I can’t remember if there was a plaque or commemoration sign to record it.
The tree itself is quite memorable and a good size.
Thank you for reserecting what is a a really interesting bit of local history.

Now we know where Woodhouse lane got it's name. Must have been hard times back then.

Mr H Hot Pot might think this an interesting project for one of his Youtube presentations?

Lolly wrote:Mr H Hot Pot might think this an interesting project for one of his Youtube presentations?

Interesting link Lolly, and I must admit that I never knew about plague victims being buried at Wigan Parish Church this is unusual as normally plague pits were located on the outskirts of towns for sanitation aka 'Llama Field' at Horwich which is estimated to have 600 plague victims buried there.

If memory serves me correct one of the stone buildings that backs onto the church yard around that area has a curious stone built into it bearing what I always took to be a set of initials and a year that is really old and appears to have just been randomly built into it and not in the usual place that a date stone would be placed.
Could this have something to do with the plague pit such as a marker that was moved and ended up getting built into the wall instead I now wonder?

It looks like there is a stone in the picture, cant be sure but

A Post on Wigan world states

Comment by: Peter Walsh on 5th February 2023 at 18:14
Cyril I believe victims of the plague were buried on the north side of the church and there is a plaque in the King of Prussias yard on Hallgate regarding this.

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