Self-isolation, 1665
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That every House visited, be marked with a Red Cross of a foot long, in the middle of the door, evident to be seen, and with these usual Printed words, that is to say, Lord have mercy upon us, to be set close over the same Cross, there to continue until lawful opening of the same House…
Apologies to anyone expecting more about Benjamin Haydon this week – I’ve had to defer my research, my household having fallen prey to Covid-19. We’re lucky: we’re double vaccinated, and seem to be recovering. But it’s still not a trivial thing, and my heart goes out to all those who have suffered the countless consequences of this pandemic.
We’ve been following government rules about self-isolation, of course – but as always, there’s a historical perspective to show that this sort of policy is far from new. I’m not going to go into all the details of the 1665 Great Plague of London here, as plenty of people have explored those in the light of coronavirus (the 1665 epidemic was bubonic plague, with a horrific mortality rate of around 30%). But here, as a short interlude before normal service hopefully resumes here, are the self-isolation rules imposed for that situation, printed as ‘Orders conceived and published by the Lord Major and aldermen of the city of London, concerning the infection of the plague’.1 Many of the rules are remarkably familiar.
Orders concerning infected Houses, and Persons sick of the Plague
Notice to be given of the Sickness
The Master of every House, as soon as any one in his House complaineth, either of Botch, or Purple, or Swelling in any part of his body, or falleth otherwise dangerously sick, without apparent cause of some other Disease, shall give knowledge thereof to the Examiner of Health within two hours after the said sign shall appear.
Sequestration of the Sick
As soon as any man shall be found by this Examiner, Chirurgion or Searcher to be sick of the Plague, he shall the same night be sequestred in the same house. And in case he be so sequestred, then though he afterwards die not, the House wherein he sickned shall be shut up for a Moneth, after the use of due Preservatives taken by the rest.
[Examiners were reliable people appointed in each parish to gather data about which houses were affected by the plague; ‘chirurgeon’ is an earlier form of the word ‘surgeon’, ie here a doctor; searchers were generally women, appointed to examine corpses and determine the cause of death.]
Airing the Stuff
For sequestration of the goods and stuff of the infected, their Bedding, and Apparel, and Hangings of Chambers, must be well aired with fire, and such perfumes as are requisite within the infected House, before they be taken again to use: this to be done by the appointment of the Examiner.
Shutting up of the House
If any person shall have visited any man, known to be Infected of the Plague, or entred willingly into any known Infected House, being not allowed: the House wherein he inhabiteth, shall be shut up for certain daies by the Examiners direction.
None to be removed out of Infected Houses, but, &c.
Item, that none be removed out of the House where he falleth sick of the Infection, into any other House in the City, (except it be to the Pest-house or a Tent, or unto some such House, which the owner of the said visited House holdeth in his own hands, and occupieth by his own servants) and so as security be given to the Parish whither such remove is made, that the attendance and charge about the said visited persons shall be observed and charged in all the particularities before expressed, without any cost of that Parish, to which any such remove shall happen to be made, and this remove to be done by night: And it shall be lawful to any person that hath two Houses, to remove either his sound or his infected people to his spare House at his choice, so as if he send away first his found, he may not after send thither the sick, nor again unto the sick the sound. And that the same which he sendeth, be for one week at the least shut up and secluded from company for fear of some infection, at the first not appearing…
Every visited house to be marked
That every House visited, be marked with a Red Cross of a foot long, in the middle of the door, evident to be seen, and with these usual Printed words, that is to say, Lord have mercy upon us, to be set close over the same Cross, there to continue until lawful opening of the same House…
Inmates
That where several Inmates are in one and the same house, and any person in that house happen to be infected; no other person or family of such house shall be suffered to remove him or themselves without a Certificate from the Examiners of Health of that Parish; or in default thereof, the house whither he or they so remove, shall be shut up as in case of Visitation.