I was reminded by historian Dr. Philip Jenkins, Baylor University, that pandemics and plagues were a normal occurrence in ancient and not so ancient times.
I know religious services and public gatherings were banned during the polio era of the 1950’s. Most have heard of the Great or Black Plague that ravaged England in the 1660’s.
Eyam, Derbyshire is a sleepy little village north of London. In 1665, a tailor brought home a sample of wool cloth from a weaver in London. Unknown to anyone, the cloth carried the fleas responsible for the plague. He soon fell ill and died. In the next few weeks, six more people in the community died. As more deaths occurred, it was determined the plague was the cause of the death. It was feared the plague would spread to the industrial city of Sheffield, where there would be no way to combat it.
There were two preachers in the village. One – Rev. Thomas Stanley – had been the Anglican rector. Because he was a Puritan, he was expelled from his office, but remained to serve the people who shared his non-conformist beliefs. He had the trust of the villagers.
The other minister was the current Anglican rector, the Rev. W. Mompesson. These men agreed on little, but their love of the village forced them to lay aside their differences and work together.
With the encouragement of the clergy, the townspeople made a courageous decision. They would isolate themselves, in order to keep the plague from spreading. No one would go in or out of Eyam. This pledge was made in the name of the Lord.
The decision meant death for the village, but life for the surrounding areas. The village was cut off from the outside world and their way of life changed. Boundary stones were set outside of the town, for no one to pass. Money was washed in vinegar and left on a boundary stone, where merchants would deliver supplies. To this day, people leave coins on the stones to honor those who died. Other supplies were sent for relief and left at the boundary. The church was closed and worship services were held out in the open air.
Rev. Thomas was pressed to write last wills and testaments for the people. The dead were buried as quickly as possible and families were required to bury their own. When the horrors of the plague had subsided, 259 had died from 79 families. One saint – Elizabeth Hancock – buried her husband and six children in eight days.
The self-sacrifice of the people of the “plague village” kept the disease from spreading into Northern England and saved countless lives.
Before you consider complaining about North Carolina’s stay-at-home restrictions, light a candle for the saints of Eyam.
The gifted Baptist preacher, C.H. Spurgeon referenced this sacrifice in a sermon.
His scripture text was Psalm 91 and I encourage you to read it during this trying time.
Eric Reece is the faith columnist for The Graham Star. He is the pastor of Robbinsville United Methodist Church.