It was 1644, and the plague hit Edinburgh. The narrow alleyways were overcrowded, which provided the perfect breeding ground for the plague – and it hit Edinburgh hard. Edinburgh was built within the medieval defence walls known as the Flodden Walls.
When was the biggest outbreak of plague in Edinburgh?
1645
The plague epidemic which gripped Edinburgh in 1645 was, without exception, the most devastating that the city ever experienced. It is estimated that up to half of the population died, while in Leith the percentage was even higher – perhaps due to the steady influx of ships from all over Europe.
When did the plague come to Edinburgh?
1645
The Black Death first appeared in Edinburgh in 1513, but there was a truly devastating outbreak in 1645. It’s thought around half the population of the city died and bodies littered the streets. Hygiene was poorly understood at the time and the city’s authorities struggled to cope with the disease.
Did Edinburgh have plague?
Due to overcrowding within the city walls, the plague spread like wildfire, with fleas on the backs of rats transmitting the disease. Two types of plague hit Edinburgh, killing around half of those that contracted it.
When did the Black Death start in Scotland?
England lost so many men to the plague, however, they lacked the soldiers to garrison Scotland, preserving the kingdom’s independence for the time being. The Scots did not get off so easily, and the Gesta Annalia estimated that when the Black Death finally arrived in 1349 as many as one-third of the population died.
What areas were hardest hit by the plague?
1348 Europe suffered the most. By the end of 1348, Germany, France, England, Italy, and the low countries had all felt the plague. Norway was infected in 1349, and Eastern European countries began to fall victim during the early 1350s. Russia felt the effects later in 1351.
Where are the plague pits in Edinburgh?
It is known that victims of the plague were isolated by shipping them to Inchkeith island in the Firth of Forth, where they surely would have died lonely, painful, deaths – the last outbreak of plague in Edinburgh in 1645 saw plague pits being dug in the Burgh Muir (near Bruntsfield and Morningside today) and on Leith
Is there an underground city in Edinburgh?
Descend into a section of Edinburgh’s legendary Underground City, where a population once lived in utter misery. Forgotten for centuries and only recently unsealed, this part of the vaults is known as Damnation Alley.
How long did the plague last in Scotland?
Figure 1. Recorded transmission events during a plague outbreak in Glasgow, Scotland, from 3 August 1900 to 24 September 1900.
How many people died in Scotland during the Black Death?
John of Fordun lived through that original 1350 outbreak, but even given his normal exaggeration we can be fairly certain that about a fifth to a quarter of Scotland’s people perished – equivalent to more than one million people today.
Does Edinburgh still smell?
Edinburgh has a unique smell—depending on the wind, it can smell like the nearby sea, but it’s just as likely to smell a little stronger.
Why are bricks in Edinburgh black?
“The Scott Monument and [National] Art Galleries, which are largely built of Binny Sandstone, are disfigured by black patches on the surface of the stone. These patches are generally said to be caused by the smoke of the city, and by the smoke of the locomotives of the railway close at hand.
Where were witches killed in Edinburgh?
In the 1500’s more witches were strangled and then burnt at the stake on Edinburgh Castle’s esplanade than anywhere else in Scotland. The last witch to be tried an executed in Scotland was Janet Horne in 1727, in the Sutherland town of Dornoch.
Who first caught the Black Death?
The plague that caused the Black Death originated in China in the early to mid-1300s and spread along trade routes westward to the Mediterranean and northern Africa. It reached southern England in 1348 and northern Britain and Scandinavia by 1350.
How many died of Black Death in UK?
Over the next two years, the disease killed between 30-40% of the entire population. Given that the pre-plague population of England was in the range of 5-6 million people, fatalities may have reached as high as 2,000,000 dead.
When was the first black person in Scotland?
Identity. The identity of Black Scottish people has evolved since the arrival of Black people in Scotland as early as the fifteenth century, with significant numbers arriving in the twentieth century after World War II.
What city was least affected by Black Death?
In the middle of the 14th century, the Black Death wiped out half of Europe’s population. However, Poland and Milan managed to escape the worst of the pandemic and had death rates much lower than those of the other affected nations. There were various factors that helped these two nations.
Which country was worst affected by the plague?
China
The most severe outbreak of plague, in the Chinese province of Hubei in 1334, claimed up to 80% of the population. China had several epidemics and famines from 1200 to the 1350s and its population decreased from an estimated 125 million to 65 million in the late 14th century.
What are the 5 symptoms of the Black Death?
Patients develop fever, chills, extreme weakness, abdominal pain, shock, and possibly bleeding into the skin and other organs. Skin and other tissues may turn black and die, especially on fingers, toes, and the nose.
What is buried under the mound Edinburgh?
The world’s largest electric blanket is under The Mound
Another completely YES REALLY fact for you – an “Electric Blanket” was installed under the surface of the roadway of The Mound in 1959 to keep the road clear of snow and ice as it was impossible to get up in poor weather conditions.
How many bodies are buried in Greyfriars?
There are over 700 gravestones and nearly 100,000 people buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard in Edinburgh. Burials were granted on the site in 1562 after the city’s original graveyard at St Giles became overcrowded.