It was transmitted by the bite of infected fleas carried on the bodies of black rats. Those unfortunate enough to contract the virus faced almost certain death within just three to four days. During the 14th century the pandemic saw a third of the population of Europe and Asia perish.
What was the plague in Edinburgh?
The pneumonic plague attacked the lungs, causing coughing which resulted in massive internal bleeding which turned the skin black, hence the name the black death. Then there was the bubonic plague, which caused the sufferer to break out in buboes or boils. These boils filled with pus.
How did the plague come to Scotland?
It arrived from England where bubonic plague entered the country in 1348 aboard the fleas of rats on ships trading between Bristol and continental Europe.
When was the biggest outbreak of plague in Edinburgh?
Not scenes from 2020 as you might expect but Leith in 1645, the year the bubonic plague ravaged the port and killed over half of its population. Scotland was no stranger to the plague. The country had suffered waves of the disease ever since the time of the Black Death in 1350.
What caused the plague in 1666?
This type of plague spread from a bite caused by a black rat flea that carried the Yersinia pestis bacteria.
Why is there an underground city in Edinburgh?
What were Edinburgh’s Underground Vaults originally used for? The vaults were used in the late 17-1800s by merchants and tradesmen for many things, including storage. One chamber was even used as a tavern, explaining the majority of empty bottles which were found there.
Why is it called the Real Mary Kings Close?
It took its name from one Mary King, a merchant burgess who resided on the Close in the 17th century. The close was partially demolished and buried due to the building of the Royal Exchange in the 18th century, and later closed to the public for many years.
Why was there no plague 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.
How many people died of the plague in Edinburgh?
To cope with the sheer number of dead bodies strewn across the city, massive burial pits were hastily dug at sites such as the Burgh Muir and Leith Links. The exact death toll was never recorded, but it is thought that close to 3,000 people died in Leith alone – roughly half of the port’s population.
What happened to many villages after the Black Death?
Many villages were abandoned. In England, more than 1300 villages were deserted between 1350 and 1500. Wages of labourers were high, but the rise in nominal wages following the Black Death was swamped by post-Plague inflation, so that real wages fell.
Why was Mary King’s Close built over?
After the plague passed through Edinburgh, Mary King’s Close and other closes (streets/alleyways) in the local area began to decay, transforming into dilapidated, overcrowded places. The council sealed off the closes and built a place on top of them where merchants could conduct their businesses.
What is the difference between bubonic pneumonic and septicemic plague?
Bubonic plague does not spread from person to person. Septicemic plague occurs when plague bacteria multiply in the blood. It can be a complication of pneumonic or bubonic plague or it can occur by itself. When it occurs alone, it is caused in the same ways as bubonic plague; however, buboes do not develop.
When was the plague in Glasgow?
On 3 August 1900, bubonic plague (Yersinia pestis) broke out in Glasgow for the first time during the Third Pandemic. The local sanitary authorities rigorously tracked the spread of the disease and they found that nearly all of the 35 cases could be linked by contact with a previous case.
What stopped the plague of 1665?
the Great Fire of London
A Bill of Mortality
The approaching winter halted the spread of the disease as the weather took its toll on the rats and fleas. However, though the worst had passed by the end of 1665, the end of the plague as a major killer only occurred with the Great Fire of London – the city’s second tragedy in two years.
How was the plague stopped?
How did it end? The most popular theory of how the plague ended is through the implementation of quarantines. The uninfected would typically remain in their homes and only leave when it was necessary, while those who could afford to do so would leave the more densely populated areas and live in greater isolation.
Did rats spread the Black Death?
Scientists now believe the plague spread too fast for rats to be the culprits. Rats have long been blamed for spreading the Black Death around Europe in the 14th century.
Is Edinburgh built on top of old Edinburgh?
During the 17th century, Edinburgh was suffering from major overcrowding. The city had been built on the top of Castle Rock with a wall around the edge to protect its residents.
Can you visit underground Edinburgh?
The Edinburgh Vaults, one of the city’s most fascinating sights, can only be accessed on a tour. This one focuses exclusively on the vaults, an underground warren below South Bridge in Edinburgh’s Old Town.
Who lived in the Edinburgh Vaults?
For around 30 years, the vaults were used to house taverns, workshops for cobblers and other tradesmen, as well as storage space for said merchants.
Is there a city underneath Edinburgh?
Departure days. 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.
Is the Royal Mile actually a mile?
It connects Edinburgh Castle (to the west) with the Palace of Holyroodhouse (to the east). Peculiarly, its length which measures 1.81 km is approximately one Scots mile long, which is longer than an English mile but hasn’t been used since the eighteenth century.