The Preston Plague of 1631, families sealed in their homes

In the winter of 1630 Preston suffered a …”visitation of almighty God, the plague”. The parish registers for the town, record the grim progress of the disease. By the summer of 1631 almost 400 people a month were succumbing to a disease similar to Anthrax. That was when the population of the town was only about 4000. The disease had struck Manchester in 1601, where over 2000 people died.

Anthrax is carried by spores and can be spread by textiles. Parcels of cloth were particularly feared and the disease spread rapidly amongst weaving families.

Winter 1630

Winter is not normally when plague strikes, but 1630 saw the first victims in Preston. The parish register records that whole families were wiped out in a few days. The children of the Tumlinson family of Penwortham died on the 15th, 16th and, 17th of December. Unfortunately the wife and mother also succumbed on the 22nd.

Escape from Preston

A 17th century version of lockdown was attempted, with parish officers ordered to keep a watch for people escaping from Preston. Public gatherings were also banned and a fine of £20 issued, to officials not doing their duty. Interestingly they were aware of the source of the infection. Even five years later, officials were ordered to watch the house of Nicholas Hargraves whose daughter had arrived from London, with a bundle of clothes “ Much dreaded to be infectious”

The pest house

In Preston a pest house was established for the sick. Most towns had a pest house where those with infectious diseases were sent to be isolated. However, if the disease struck, whole families were simply boarded up inside. A quarantine was issued which became particularly harsh as Winter drew on.

All markets had been stopped and with no income a relief fund was setup by the council. This has interesting parallels with the Covid outbreak. Even fuel was in short supply, as no one was allowed to leave town to gather it, and no one was allowed in. Close to 400 deaths were reported for July and August 1631. A letter states:

“The sickness in these partes increaseth much: it is now in Fulwood, Cadeley and Broughton, and in Kirkham…”

In August the major of Preston, the aptly named William Preston prepared a survey. Preston had only 887 remaining inhabitants, one thousand had died and an unknown number had fled. Large parts of the town were boarded up and the markets deserted.

The infection peaked in the Summer of 1631, however by January 1632 there had been no deaths attributed to the sickness, and the outbreak was deemed to be over.

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