Between the Black Death and the Great Plague of 1665, there was some progress in people's understanding of disease, but also many misconceptions remained. While ideas about miasma and bad air influencing disease spread persisted, prevention methods during the Great Plague like isolating victims and cleaning homes showed some grasp of contagion. However, cures like amulets and potions displayed limited medical knowledge. Overall, knowledge advanced somewhat in recognizing contagion while outdated beliefs in astrology and imbalances remained as well.

1. Sophie
Lenny Kira & Tom B
Shannon &
Rebecca
Asiatu
Max & Dominique
Liam & Ellie Tom H &
Georgia
Rebecca &
Jonny
Alice
Amarilda
Branden
Joe
Chelsea
Connor

2. What do you think is happening in this
picture? Discuss and write down what
you think this image is showing?
An image taken after workmen uncovered a plague pit (one of many around London).
These pits contain the remains of the 70 000 or more people that died in the summer of
1665 during the ‘Great Plague’.

3. LO:Whatdidpeople
understandinthe17th
century?
Learning Outcomes
A – Evaluate medical understanding of disease between the Black
and Death and the Great Plague.
C – Compare the Black Death and the Great Plague.
D – Describe the impact of the Great Plague

4. 1348–TheBlackDeath
Quick Spider diagram in your books what you can remember
about the Black Death. Causes / Treatments / What did they
think?

5. TheGREATPlague.
• The Black Death hit Britain in 1348 but continued to strike at
regular intervals throughout the 1400’s and 1500’s.
• THEN in 1665 London was hit was by the worst outbreak for
hundreds of years over 70 000 died (Out of total of 400 000). This
is known as the GREAT Plague.
We will investigate what people thought caused the plague, how
has medical knowledge improved over the last 317 years…
You each have a source, what does it tell you about the
plague. Write it down and pass it around …
SOURCE CAUSE PREVENTION SPREAD
A
B

6. TASK
• Any house containing a Plague sufferer has to be sealed up for
40 days until the person is dead or better.
• The door of the house has to be marked with a red cross and
the words, ‘Lord, have mercy upon us’.
• ‘Searchers’ are to be appointed to examine each corpse for 1p
per body to find out the cause of death.
• Public entertainments are to be stopped.
• All dogs and cats are to be caught and killed; the dog catcher is
to be paid about 1p for each animal.
• Fires are to be lit in the streets.
• Bodies are to buried after dark.
Write down in order those you think might actually work in
preventing the spread of the Plague – Explain why you made this
choice.
EXT: Why would people disobey these orders?

7. TASK
Look at your notes about Sources A – H.
Make a list of the ways in which people tried to avoid the
Plague. Would any of these have been successful?
Q. In your opinion do you think people in the 17th Century
understood the Plague better than people did in the 14th
Century?
Think about
- Their thoughts on how you caught the disease.
- Their ideas for preventing it.
- Their ideas on how the Plague spread.

8. Question…
Q. – Between the Black Death and the Great Plague was
there much progress in people’s ideas about disease?
Between the Black Death and the Great Plague people ideas
about the causes of disease progressed/regressed/didn’t
change… for example…

9. Plenary
Sum up your learning for today. Write one word or sentence
starting with the letters of P.L.A.G.U.E.
P.
L.
A.
G.
U.
E.

10. • Any house containing a Plague
sufferer has to be sealed up for 40
days until the person is dead or
better.
• The door of the house has to be
marked with a red cross and the
words, ‘Lord, have mercy upon
us’.
• ‘Searchers’ are to be appointed to
examine each corpse for 1p per
body to find out the cause of
death.
• Public entertainments are to be
stopped.
• All dogs and cats are to be caught
and killed; the dog catcher is to be
paid about 1p for each animal.
• Fires are to be lit in the streets.
• Bodies are to buried after dark.
Source A – Special orders issued by the
Mayor of London in an attempt to stop the
spread of the Plague.
“When anyone bought a join of meat
in the market, they would not take it
from the butcher’s hand, but took it
off the hooks themselves. On the
other hand, the butcher would not
touch the money, but had it put in a
pot full of vinegar. The buyer always
carried small money, so that they
might take no change.”
Source C – In 1722, D Defoe wrote ‘A journal
of the Plague Year’.
August - The sickness increases. There are
many who wear amulets made of toad's
poison which, if there is any infection, it
raises a blister, which a plaster heals, and so
they are well…
September – It is increasing. Friend, get a
piece of gold. Keep it in your mouth when
you walk out or any sick persons come to
you. You will find strange effects of it for
good in freedom of breathing, if you lay with
in your mouth without teeth as I do.
Source B – Letter written between two
Londoners in 1700

11. Source D – Plague doctor wore costumes
like this when he visited victims.
Recipe for the Plague
Wrap in woollen cloths, compel
the sick party to sweat which if he
does, keep him there until the
sores begin to rise. Then apply a
live pigeon cut in half or a plaster
made of the yolk of an egg, honey,
herbs and whet flower.
Source E – People spent a fortune on crazy
cures like this one. Today, it is easy to laugh
but imagine how scared people must have
been. They were willing to try anything…

12. F - A drawing from a Plague broadsheet (a leaflet) printed in 1665. Can you spot the examiners
checking the houses, dogs being killed, men taking away rubbish (Householders had to keep their
houses clean), a fire in the street (fires purified the air).

13. G - A drawing from a Plague broadsheet (a leaflet) printed in 1665. Can you spot the mass grave,
the dead woman who dropped down by the road, birds dropping from the sky (they must have hit
bad air?).

14. H - A drawing from a Plague broadsheet (a leaflet) printed in 1665. Can you spot the searchers
(with the long poles) examining people who were ill or who had died, the coffin read for the dead
person on the left, the doctor on the right giving medicine to the patient in the bed.