The Great Plague of 1665 Trivia Quiz

Answer: St Giles-in-the-Fields

The first person recorded as having fallen victim to this epidemic died in January. This death was followed by another the following month, although there was little alarm at this stage.

Answer: Twenty-nine years

Bubonic plague had last visited the capital in 1636, although the toll of 10,000 recorded deaths was the lowest of England's epidemic outbreaks in the seventeenth century up to that point. In addition, several years up to 1665 saw more localised outbreaks of plague occur in parishes of London.

Answer: Forty days

The quarantine period of forty days was stipulated by the Lord Mayor of London and followed guidelines set by the Royal College of Physicians, which was consulted for help in managing the outbreak.

Answer: Canterbury

In July 1665, the King and his court fled London for the apparent relative safety of Hampton Court, but soon moved further afield to Salisbury. When plague was subsequently reported in Salisbury, he made the decision to decamp to the traditionally royalist city of Oxford.

Answer: Tokens

Most common in the armpit as well as the groin, "tokens" were generally black spots caused by a build up of blood in the area. Removal of these was attempted on occasion but the consequences were usually found to be counterproductive as the procedure could lead to septicaemic plague taking hold.

Answer: Hepatic

Although bubonic plague, involving swelling of the lymph nodes, was the most common form of plague, pneumonic was the most infectious, and septicaemic the most deadly with patients sometimes dying within twenty-four hours of symptoms appearing.

Answer: Dissecting the corpse of a plague victim

One of Burnett's servants had contracted plague in June 1665, with the result that Burnett placed his house under quarantine. When no other members of his household contracted the disease, the quarantine was lifted. However, Burnett subsequently succumbed to plague himself, believed to be as a result of his attending the first-ever post mortem of a plague victim.

Answer: A beak-shaped mask and long overcoat

Plague doctors' outfits were designed to protect the plague doctor from the illness they were treating. The beak-like feature of the mask was filled with scents for purification of the air they breathed in. In addition, they carried a cane. Its use is debated today, but is believed to have been a means of examining victims without the need to touch them directly.

Answer: The Lord Mayor of London

Obtaining a certificate of health was not easy. It required medical approval in a time when few doctors were on hand. Desperate to relocate, however, many people forged their own certificates, and those who could afford to move away from their businesses got out of the capital until the death figures fell dramatically.

Answer: Weekly Bills of Mortality

The weekly Bills of Mortality were issued by each parish and detailed the numbers of deaths and their causes. It was by following these that fears of epidemic first grew, and when in May 1665 the number dead from plague surpassed 100 it fell in line with a definition of epidemic.

Answer: Oxford

The sitting of Parliament in 1665 was initially postponed as a result of the epidemic. Eventually, Parliament decamped to Oxford, to where the King's court had also taken up residence. Once in Oxford, Parliament resumed its session in October 1665.

Answer: Cats

In an attempt to stop the spread of plague, it was ordered that stray cats be destroyed. The irony of this was that it in fact increased the problem as the number of rats grew as a result of there being fewer cats catching them.

Answer: The London Gazette

The need for an issuance of a news publication from outside London led to a new source produced in the location of the royal court at the time. This was called the "Oxford Gazette" and became a popular read among the upper echelons of society. When the king and court returned to London, the publication moved with them and became the "London Gazette".

Answer: September

From its winter beginning, the disease overall claimed more and more lives as 1665 progressed into the summer months. This reached its peak in the week of 19-26 September when more than 7,100 deaths from plague were recorded. England experienced a hot summer that year and the number of plague cases reached their zenith with the highest temperatures.

Answer: Lord Have Mercy Upon Us

The painting of the cross and prescribed wording was mandated by law and served as a warning for others to avoid the property. As the surviving residents of plague houses were required to stay indoors until the forty-day quarantine had passed, a guard was to be posted outside, supposedly helping to provide food and drink for those inside.

This didn't always go to plan and there are reports of residents lowering rope from upper windows to hang the guards preventing them from leaving their homes.