Playing William Mompesson: Parallel Pandemics in 1666 and 2020

by Samuel Day

Historical Interpreter

Days Gone By

The powerful story of self-sacrifice demonstrated in Eyam during the plague of 1665-1666 is commemorated every year in that village to this day. As a person who feels deeply connected to the North Derbyshire village in which I grew up, the story of the plague is one that has always held a place in my mind. This year, I was delighted to be asked to play the role of William Mompesson, the Rector of Eyam during the plague years, at the plague commemoration service. I happily presented myself in my black 17th century clergy coat by Maya Howes, my black wide brim hat, and my breeches and stockings. Inevitably, in doing so I have had to face about my own personal experiences of quarantine, and what it must have been like to have lived that experience in the 17th century.

The meaning of this commemoration service in modern times is self-evident. Living as we are now as survivors of a recent deadly pandemic, the feelings of threat of death and suffering from disease are all too familiar. The similarities between 1666 and 2020 were explored deliberately in the plague commemoration service, with the short drama sections of the service portraying parallel scenes of Eyam residents expressing their dismay at having to remain separate from their friends and families. As survivors of the Covid pandemic, we can look on the isolated incident in Eyam with a chillingly intimate, empathic perspective.

Why is the village of Eyam so special in the story of the plague in England? The plague spread from London, which itself was experiencing a pandemic in 1665, supposedly carried in a parcel of cloth opened by George Vicars, the first Eyam resident to succumb to the disease. What the village of Eyam did manage to achieve, unlike the residents of London and other plague-ravaged towns, was a successful quarantine.

When the plague arrived in Eyam in the September of 1665 there was no government order issued to stay at home. Instead, the local community decided themselves to remain inside the village boundaries, a choice led chiefly by Rector William Mompesson and previous Rector Thomas Stanley. The decision was a success, and the plague was contained within Eyam, resulting in the deaths of some 273 villagers from a total of approximately 800. Included in this third of the village population was William's wife Catherine, who died towards the end of August 1666. By November, the plague had run its course, leaving the villagers to come to terms with their 14 month ordeal.

Life inside the quarantine for those 14 months must have felt like living in the end times. Villagers continued to meet for church services, but these took place outdoors at the nearby Cucklet Delph, benefiting from the open air and ability to distance from other families. Some people lost everything, such as resident Elizabeth Hancock who buried her husband and 6 children in the space of 8 days. The local love story of Emmott Syddall and Rowland Torre is a poignant human moment, her being from Eyam and him from nearby Stoney Middleton, with each assuring each other of their continuing survival by meeting weekly to look across Cucklet Delph at each other. Unfortunately, Emmott died in April 1666, and Rowland only realised when she failed to turn up to their meetings. Despite being from 350 years ago, these stories would not be found out of place in the BBC reports we watched from our lock-down homes.

William Mompesson was 26 years old when this historic decision was laid in his path. As a man currently in my late 20s, it's hard not to feel empathy for him as a human being. His decision ultimately condemned the 800 villagers to potential suffering, and the death of his wife Catherine, yet it saved countless others outside the village in the surrounding countryside. This conjures images of self-sacrifice, noble courage, and the ultimate test of human will. It would have been so easy in those dark days to have fled from that place, especially as no threat of force was used to keep the villagers in place, but William and the villagers displayed incredible composure. While we in 2020 had the force of a government order to rely on, the villagers of Eyam had no such central command to follow. I do not know how I would have delt with such a position myself, even given our recent experience of the 2020 pandemic.

With all this in mind, I think it is so important that William's story continues to be told, not only in Eyam every year at the Plague Commemoration service, but also through education and outreach in local schools. For teachers, I would be delighted to bring William Mompesson to life in your classroom, supporting a history of medicine, or a local study module. If this is something you would be interested in, please get in touch at daysgonebyheritage@gmail.com