The known provincial centres in 1574 were Stamford, Peterborough and Chester. The Stamford visitation was one of a good many that the town suffered from first to last, and must have been a severe one; in one month, from 8 August to 7 September, 40 had been buried of the plague, “and the town is so rudely governed, they have so mixed themselves, that there is none that is in any hope of being clear. It is in seventeen houses, and the town is in great poverty; but that the good people of the country send in victuals, there would many die of famine. St Martin’s parish is clear[654].” The corporation records also bear witness to the confusion caused, the new bailiffs having been sworn in before the Recorder in a field outside, instead of in the usual place[655]. Peterborough, which was not far off, is known to have had a visitation, from an entry in the parish register, “1574, January. Here began the plague[656].” At Chester, “plague began, but was stayed with the death of some few in the crofts[657].”

The year 1575 is somewhat singular for an epidemic of plague in Westminster, but none in the city of London: the deaths for one week in the former are known[658]; and, as regards the immunity of London, Cecil had removed previous to 16 September, from Westminster to Sir Thomas Gresham’s house in the City to avoid the infection[659]. It had been at Cambridge in the winter of 1574-5, and was “sore” in Oxford down to November, 1575.

The same year, 1575, was a season of severe plague in Bristol and other places of the west of England. Some 2000 are said (in the Mayor’s Calendar) to have died in Bristol between St James’s tide (July 25) when the infection “began to be very hot,” and Paul’s tide (January 25)[660]. As early as the 11th July, the corporation of Wells had ordered measures against the plague in Bristol; but Wells also appears to have had a visitation, if the 200 persons buried, according to tradition, in the “plague-pit” near the north-eastern end of the Cathedral (besides many more buried in the fields) had been victims of the disease in 1575[661]. At Shrewsbury in that year the fairs were removed on account of plague[662]. From a claim of damages which came before the Court of Requests in 1592, it appears that plague had been in Cheshire in 1576; at Northwich the house of one Phil. Antrobus was infected and most of the family died; on which some linens in the house, worth not more than 13sh. 4d. were put in the river lest they should be used; the son, who was a tailor, claimed compensation, through the earl of Derby, sixteen years after[663].

At Hull, in 1576, there was an outbreak, small compared with some other visitations there, in the Blackfriars Gate, the deaths being about one hundred[664]. It is somewhat remarkable to find the borough of Kirkcudbright making regulations in the month of January, 1577, a most unlikely season, to prevent the introduction of the plague then raging on the Borders[665]. In September, 1577, there were issued orders to be put in execution throughout the realm in towns and villages infected with the plague. More definitely it is heard of on 21 October at Rye and Dover, and on 3 November, 1577, in London.

We now come to a series of years, 1578 to 1583, for which we have full particulars of the burials in London, from plague and other causes, and of the christenings. These valuable statistics, the earliest known, are preserved among the papers of Lord Burghley, who procured them from the lord mayor of London[666], and are here given in full, having been copied from the MS. in the library of Hatfield House[667].

Abstracts of Burials and Baptisms in London, 1578-1583

1578

Week
ending		 Dead Of
plague		 Of other
diseases		 Christened
Jan.2 62 7 55 66
9 90 12 78 52
16 63 14 49 59
23 95 33 62 59
30 82 25 57 65
Feb.6 88 24 64 51
13 102 25 77 59
20 100 26 74 77
27 84 12 72 84
Mar.6 79 10 69 58
13 66 9 57 53
20 75 5 70 57
27 63 12 51 60
Apr.3 96 19 77 64
10 89 25 64 67
17 102 31 71 66
24 91 37 54 62
May1 109 25 84 44
8 116 33 83 37
15 141 43 98 48
22 109 36 73 66
29 119 34 85 43
June5 99 38 61 51
12 91 35 56 41
19 76 34 42 54
26 75 18 57 48
July3 92 34 58 52
10 99 35 64 48
17 98 39 59 52
24 129 63 66 49
31 100 41 59 59
Aug.7 132 73 59 76
14 152 78 74 72
21 232 134 98 63
28 205 113 92 58
Sept.4 257 162 95 84
11 297 183 114 64
18 308 189 119 68
25 330 189 141 72
Oct.2 370 230 140 76
9 388 234 154 62
16 361 234 127 73
23 281 175 106 58
30 258 130 128 68
Nov.6 278 127 151 60
13 230 116 114 64
20 172 77 95 66
27 155 84 71 68
Dec.4 160 77 83 60
11 161 65 96 69
18 129 44 85 62
25 94 20 74 68
7830 3568 4262 3150

1579