This deep dive covers Social Impact of the Plague within The Plague of 1665 for GCSE History. Revise The Plague of 1665 in Restoration England 1660-1685 for GCSE History with 10 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic appears regularly enough that it should still be part of a steady revision cycle. It is section 5 of 16 in this topic. Use this deep dive to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.

🔑 Social Impact of the Plague

Rich fled: King, court, most MPs, doctors, and lawyers moved to the countryside. Left the poor behind. Charles went to Oxford; Parliament moved to Oxford too.

Economy disrupted: Trade stopped, shops closed, no markets held. Many starved even if they didn't catch the plague. Unemployment soared in London.

Religious responses: Some saw it as God's punishment for the sinful court of Charles II. Increase in prayer, fasting, and religious services. Some Dissenting preachers gained followers in the crisis.

Social disorder: Some nurses and watchmen robbed dying patients. Bodies sometimes dumped in the street rather than plague pits. Looting of empty houses.

Samuel Pepys stayed: As Clerk of the Acts to the Navy Board, Pepys could not flee. His diary provides the most detailed eyewitness account — he recorded 7,165 deaths in one week (September 1665).

Practice questions for The Plague of 1665

What bacterium caused the bubonic plague that devastated London in 1665?

A. Yersinia pestis
B. Streptococcus pyogenes
C. Bacillus anthracis
D. Clostridium perfringens

1 markfoundation

Approximately how many people died in London during the Great Plague of 1665?

A. Around 25,000 (about 5% of London's population)
B. Around 100,000 (about 25% of London's population)
C. Around 250,000 (about 60% of London's population)
D. Around 500,000 (over 100% of London's population)

1 markfoundation

Quick recall flashcards

What were buboes?

Swollen, blackened lymph nodes (usually in groin, armpits, or neck) — the characteristic symptom of bubonic plague. The appearance of buboes triggered house quarantine. Death typically followed within 2-5 days; mortality without treatment was 60-70%.

What was miasma theory?

The dominant 17th-century belief that plague was caused by 'bad air' (miasma) from rotting matter. Led to useless responses: bonfires to purify air, posies of flowers, fumigation. The theory was completely wrong — plague was bacterial, spread by fleas on rats.

Social Impact of the Plague