Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1907-05-30
PLAGUE STONES.
Reminder Of the Time Of the Great
Psstiisnes In England.

eeVGOe OVOvVeOe
Reminder Of the Time Of the Great
psstiienee In England.
| The story Of the great plague Of
london is familiar to all readers of his.
tory and has been dealt with by many
writer's OF fiction. Even the bypaths of
history supply much suggestive matter,
while hidden away in churchwardens'
and other old accounts are many items
that remind us of those days. Here,
tor example, are two entries from the
parish accounts of st. Mary WOOlnoth.
london:
6s9-A Item for setting crosse upon one
| Aliens doors in the sicknesse
time ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. ITO
| Item. paid for setting two red
| crosses upon Anthony Sound his
| dore Observation-Disclosures. tiJd
The crosses were about u foot In
length. The crosses served as eau.
lion against entering such houses. In
various parts of England the plague
stones are silent reminders of the time
when epidemics laid low 80 many In
habitants both in town and country
A stone In the Derby arbOretum
bears the following inscriptions:
"Hcadlcss Cross OF Market Stone
This stone formed part of the ancient
Cross Mt the upper end Of Friar Gate
and was used by the inhabitants of
Derby as a market stone during the
visitation of the plague 1865. 1t Is thus
described 10y Hutton i'm his History of
Derby
'1G65-Derby was again visited by
the plague at the same time 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
nished the supports of life.
"'To prevent Il famine the inhabit-
ants erected at the top Of Nuns Green,
one or two hundred yards from the
buildings. now Friar Gate, what bore
the name of Headless Cross. consisting
OF about four qMadrangular steps five
feet high knew it in perfection.
'Hither the market people, having
their mouth primel with tobacco as a
preservative. brought their provisions,
stood mt a distance from their property
and at grelter from the towns peo-
pie. with whom they were to traffic.
"'The buyer was not suffered to
touch any of the articles before pur-
chase When the agreement was fin
ishe he took the goods and deposited
the money i'm a vessel filed with vine
gar set for that purpose"
The mention of tobacco in the FORE
going inscription is a curiosity, show
ing that the weed was then regarded
AZ very efficacious preventive.
Winchester suffered much from the
plague in lGsG. 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 q prlini-
tive kind Of quarantine was practiced.
The country folk supplied food, which
was placed on stone outside the city,
and in exchange the citizens placed
money in bowl of water.
The old plague stone still remains,
built into the base Of a monument.
which bears an inscription as follows:
''This monument is erected by the
Society of Natives OH the very spot Of
ground from which the markets were
removed and whose basis is the very
stone on which exchanges were made
while the city lay under the scourge Of
the destroying pcstilence in the year
sixteen hundred sixty-six. The Society
Of Natives was founded on the Goth Of
August, 1860 for the relief Of the Wild
ows and orphans Of their fellow citl-
zens who died Of the great plague"
Beneath Il spreading tree in the
grounds of Totlby House, near Afford.
Lincolnshire. is a plague stone. About
275 years ago the inhabitants of Spills
by and the surrounding villages day
after day toiletl up to the top of Miles
Cross hill, which overlooks the wide
marsh country. with Afford Tying just
Mt the foot
At the top they left food. etc, for the
poor sufferers and took in return mon
ey deposited in vessels containing wa
ter or other liquid placed OH the plague
stone. Then the people Of Afford came
up the other side Of the hill for their
supplies. Thus the two parties kept
we'll apart Chambers Journal.