The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1903-09-11

The story OF the great plague OF
London is familiar 20 al readers OF
history and has been dealt with BY
many writers OF fiction
Even the bypaths Of history supply
much suggestive matter. while hidden
away in church wardens and other old
accounts are many items that remind
Us Of those days
Here. for example. are two entries
from the parish accounts OF St Mary
Woolnoth. London:
15s34 Item. Tor setting q cross upon
one Aliens doors in the sick
item. paid Tor setting two red
crosses upon Anthony sound
The crosses were about a foot IN
length The crosses served as a eau
ton against entering such houses.
In various parts OF England the
plague stones are silent reminders Of
the time when epidemics laid low so
many inhabitants both in town and
country
A stone in the Derby Arboretum
bears the following inscription:
"Headless Cross or Market Stone
This stone formed part OF the ancient
Cross at the upper end Of Friar Gate,
and was used by the inhabitants OF
Derby as a market stone during the
visitation OF the plague, 1868 II IS
thus described by Hutton in his His
tory Of Derby
'1665-DeTby was again visited By
the plague at the same tine in which
London fell under the severe calamity
The town was fOrsaken; the farmers
declined the market place; and grass
grew upon that spot which had fur
uished the supports OF life
To prevent a famine. the inhabi-
tants erected at the top OF Nuns
Green. one or two hundred yards from
the buildings. now Friar Gate. what
bore the name Of HeadIess Cross. con
sistirg CT about four quadrangular
steps. five feet high knew il in per
fiction
Hitler the market people. having
their mouth primed with tobacco as a
preservative. brought their provisions,
stood at a distance from their prop
erty. ard at a greater from the towns
people, with whom they we're 10 trsf-
fc
The buyer was not suffered TO
touch any OF the articles before pur-
chase; when the agreement was in
ished he took the good and deposited
the money IN a vessel filed with vine
gar. set for thSt purpose.
The merton Of tobacco in the fore
going inscription is a curiosity. show
ing that the weed was then regarded
as a very efHcaciOus preventive
Winchester suffered ussch from the
plague in 1866. On the downs near the
city are numerous curiOusly shaped
mounds. which are said TO cover the
pits into which the dead were cast
When the pestilence ragged a print
tive kind Of quarantine was practiced-
The country folk supplied food. which
was placed on a stone outside the city,
and in exchange the citizens placed
money in a bowl OF water.
The old plague stone still remains.
built into the base Of a monument,
which bears an inscription as fol
lows
This monument IS erected BY the
Society Of Natives. on the very spot
OF ground from which the markets
we're removed. and whose basis is the
very stone on which exchanges were
made whilst the city Law under the
scOurge Of the destroying pestilence,
in the year sixteen hundred sixty-siK.
The Society Of Natives was founded
on the 26th Of August. 1869. for the
relief OF the widows and orphans OF
their fellow-citizens who died OF the
great plague
Beneath a spreading tree in the
grounds Of Tothby house. near Afford.
Lincolnshire, is a plague stone. About
275 years ago the inhabitants Of Spills
by and the surrounding villages day
after day toiled up 20 the top Of Miles
Cross hill. which overlO0ks the wide
marsh country. with Afford lying Just
at the foot
At the top they left food. etc. for
the poor sufferers and took in return
money deposited in vessels containing.
water or other liquid placed on the
plague stone Then the people OF Al
ford came up the other side OF the
hill for their supplies. Thus the two
parties kept well aDart-Chambers'
Journal