The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1907-02-08
PLAGUE STONES.
Reminders Of the Time OF the Great
PestiIence In England.

Pestilence In England.
The story of the great plague OF
London is familiar 10 all readers of his
iory and has been dealt with 10y many
writer's of fiction. Even the bypaths of
history supply much suggestive matter,
while hidden away in churchwardens'
anu 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 Woonoth.
London:
1884. Item, for setting a crosse upon one
Aliens doors in the slcknesse
time ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. Do
Item, paid for setting two red
crosses upon Anthony Sound his
dore ..,.....'.'..'''''''' hiJ'
The crosses were about foot in
length. The crosses served as 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 in
habitants both in town and country.
A stone in the Derby arbOrctum
bears the following inscriptions:
"Headless Cross or Market Stone
This stone formed part Of the ancient
Cross at the upper end Of frlar Gate
and was used by the inhabitants OF
Derby ~as n market stone during the
visitation of the plague 1863. II Is thus
described by Hutton i'm his History of
Derby
166J-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 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 IIeadless Cross. consisting
Of about four quadrangular steps five
feet high. ! knew il in perfection
"'Hither the market people. having
their mouth primcd with tobacco ms
preservativc brought their provisions,
stood at distance from their property
and AZ Il greater from the towns peD-
pie. with whom they were to traffic.
"'The buyer was not suffered 70
touch any Of the articles before pur-
chase. When the agreement was fin
ished he took the goods and deposited
the money in vessel filed with vine
gar set for that purpose
The mention Of tobacco In the fore
going Inscription is II curiosity, show
;,,., ttnt ho rIn nH
az Il very eflicaciOus preventive.
Winchester suffered much 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 east.
When the pestilence ragged Il primi-
tive kind of quarantine was practlccd.
The country folk supplied food. which
was placed on stone outside the city
and In exchange the citizens placed
money in n bowl of water.
The old plague stone still remains,
built into the base OF n monument.
which bears an inscription ms follows:
"Thls monument is erected 10y the
Society Of Natives on the very spot ~
ground from which the markets We're
removed and whose basis is the very
stone on which exchanges We're made
while the city lay under the scourgc of
the destroying pestilcncc in the year
sixteen hundred sixty-siX. The Society
Of Natives was founded on the 2Gth Of
August. 1860. for the relief Of the wild
ows and orphans Of their fellow citi-
sens who died Of the great plague"
Beneath 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 TO the top of Miles
Cross hill. which overlooks 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 mon
ey deposited in vessels containing wa
ter or other liquid placed on the plague
stone Then the people of Afford came
up the other side of the hill for their
supplies. Thus the two parties kept
well apart-Chambers' Journal.
Munkacsy's Customer.