What was the Great Plague of London?
The Great Plague of London was an outbreak of bubonic plague in 1665 and 1666, which killed an estimated 100,000 people, around a quarter of London's population. It was the last major plague epidemic in England.
The plague was caused by bacteria spread by fleas on rats. It spread rapidly in London's crowded, unsanitary streets.
Houses with infected people were shut up, and a red cross was painted on the door with the words Lord have mercy upon us. Wealthy people, including King Charles II, left the city.
Life and death
Bodies were collected at night and buried in mass graves called plague pits. Samuel Pepys described the plague in his diary.
The village of Eyam in Derbyshire is famous for isolating itself after plague arrived there in 1665, to stop it spreading to nearby areas. Many villagers died.
The plague declined in 1666. The Great Fire of London later that year is often said to have helped end it by destroying infested areas, although historians debate this.
Weekly Bills of Mortality recorded deaths across London parishes.