I promised you a tale of plague ....... and you will probably need a hanky to dry your eyes by the time you have read this account! The plague came to Eyam in September 1665, carried by fleas on a bolt of cloth brought from London for the local tailor. Seventy six families were affected, some of them being wiped out. One woman, Elizabeth Hancock, buried her husband and six children over the space of eight days. There are signs on a lot of the buildings in the village
and there are graves in odd places, as people were encouraged to bury their dead in their gardens to try to contain the plague
by the time the plague ended in October 1666, 260 peope had died. However, there were happier things to see in the village! I would have put Malcolm in the stocks, but they were padlocked shut!
there is a handsome church
Malcolm was rather taken with this house
then it was on to the main reason for visiting the village - Eyam Hall, an unspoilt example of a gritstone Jacobean manor house
the Hall is now run by the National Trust, but unlike other properties, the Hall hasn't been given to the Trust, but leased, so that it remains in the family's possession. The Trust are delighted with this arrangement, as it gives them the chance to show off a smaller house, compared to the grand mansions they are usually gifted. The family lived in the house until earlier this year, so there is a mix of rooms presented as they would have been in the past, and with the modern living arrangements
the stitching on this sampler is exquisite
but I don't think I would attempt to embroider a bedspread like this one
we enjoyed a stroll round the gardens, admiring the outside of the house
the outbuildings in the courtyard have been turned into small craft shops
did you notice the little dog snoozing in the box on the right of the last photo? The village had one more delight to see. Well dressing seems to be confined to Derbyshire. A large tray is filled with clay then flower petals are pressed into the clay to make pictures. There were three for us to admire
I won't be here tomorrow, as it is Malcolm's birthday. We are going up to visit Stuart and Alison, as they both celebrate their birthdays this month (and mine is the 2nd of October), and we are going out for dinner to celebrate. I'll be back on Wednesday to tell you about my day out on Saturday, but for tonight I'll finish with this strange vehicle which we saw in Eyam