The Black Death in London

by Sloane, Barnie

• ISBN13: 9780752428291
• ISBN10: 0752428292
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-05-01
• Publisher: The History Press

Summary

A comprehensive historical and archaeological account of the Black Death in England's capital The Black Death of 1348-49 may have killed more than 50% of the European population, and this book examines the impact of this appalling disaster on England's most populous city. Using previously untapped documentary sources alongside archaeological evidence, a remarkably detailed picture emerges of the arrival, duration, and public response to this epidemic and subsequent 14th-century outbreaks. Wills and civic and royal administration documents provide clear evidence of the speed and severity of the plague, detail how victims made preparations for their heirs and families, and illuminate the immediate social changes that the aftermath brought. The traditional story of the timing and arrival of the plague is challenged and the mortality rate is revised up to 50%-60% in the first outbreak, with a population decline of 40-45% across Edward III's reign.

Author Biography

Barney Sloane is a former field archaeologist for the Museum of London and the coauthor of Requiem: The Medieval Monastic Cemetery in Britain.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. 7
Acknowledgements	p. 8
Abbreviations	p. 10
Introduction	p. 13
The Beginning	p. 17
The Pestilence in London	p. 34
The Great Mortality	p. 84
Pestilence in Later Fourteenth-Century London	p. 122
Social Consequences of the Plague	p. 153
Appendix London's Contribution to Understanding the Black Death	p. 172
Notes	p. 188
Bibliography	p. 206
Index	p. 217
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