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In 1665, bubonic plague ravaged London, killing tens of thousands. Scores of Londoners documented the outbreak but few reported on the experiences of women. Here – telling the story of the victims, the survivors and those charged with working with the dead and dying – Rebecca Rideal seeks to redress the balance...
Last modified on Tue 25 May 2021 11.43 EDT London around the year 1300 was a major European city, with a population of 80,000-100,000, comparable with the great urban centres of that time, Venice and Florence. In the city centre were streets such as Cheapside, with buildings of three or four storeys packed with people living in cramped conditions. Many of them were recent migrants from the countryside, and they created a lively and productive society. On the ground floor of the buildings were shops and stalls, many of them clustered in “selds” – small-scale arcades or malls, offering cu...