Like most cities and towns visited by the royal party in 1578, Norwich was to experience the ravishes of the plague in her wake. Whilst it would never be claimed that Elizabeth, herself, was a carrier it would seem that somebody travelling the countryside with her was, indeed, spreading the plague as they went along.

Cathedral Close.

Norwich suffered particularly badly from the effects of the plague. From August 1578 to February 1579 over 4800 victims of the plague were recorded in the city. When unrecorded victims are added to this figure, it is estimated that as many as eight, or even nine, thousand people may have perished in the city from this awful disease, almost half of the entire population.

This plague wasn't the first to visit the city. As long ago as 1349 the Black Death had been an unwelcome guest. When stories of the Black Death running amok in places such as Bristol the previous year had reached Norwich, the inhabitants probably felt safe being stuck, as they were, out in the wild. By the start of 1349, however, the plague had reached London and fears started that it might indeed find its way to East Anglia.

These fears were well founded and at the start of March that year the dreaded Black Death swept into the city. Showing absolutely no mercy to young or old, fit or unwell the plague devastated the city in a matter of days. Those who did not die in the first few weeks were left with the job of burying their loved ones. Few formal burials would take place as the number of bodies grew. Rats ran through the alleyways as the grim cry of "bring out your dead" was heard around the city.

Cart load after cart load of bodies were taken to the Cathedral Close as it was turned into one giant burial area. The name Tombland must have seemed sickeningly prophetic as the area became overrun with the hundreds of bodies appearing almost daily. Great pits were dug to accommodate them, often those digging the pits would suddenly fall dead on their shovels simply adding to the numbers of bodies being thrown in.

Over two third of the clergy died, with many of them being buried in the graveyards next to and behind St George's. Many people have wondered why the graveyards behind St George's are raised so high, it was simply to accommodate all the bodies.

But St George's was to have another more terrifying job to serve during the plague. Those who weren't struck down by the disease often resorted to stealing from the bodies of the victims to help subsidise their own welfare.

The penalty, when caught, was severe in the extreme. Legend has it that the looters would be taken to St George's where, after having their legs bound together and their arms tied behind their backs, they would be dropped headfirst from the top of the church onto the ground below.

Their bodies, whether dead or even sometimes alive, would then join the rest of the plagues victims in the pits.

By the time the Black Death finally left the city, the population of Norwich had fallen from around 6000 to that of just 2000. The record books for the following year show only a third of the market stalls being open for business. A similar story recounts the fact that many hundreds of houses stood empty in 1350.

It is hardly surprising, then, that panic spread through the city when first traces of the plague were again encountered in August 1578. Old pits were rapidly reopened to house all the new dead bodies that the plague would leave in its trail of destruction.

Also, this time, a new tactic was used to try and stop the plague spreading as rapidly as it had before. Instead of bodies being dragged out of houses and left aboard makeshift carts whilst they awaited burial, this time the bodies would be left inside the house until a burial site for them had been found.

Houses where everybody had died would be locked and bolted from the outside. Windows would be boarded up and great red crosses would be painted on the doors as a warning. The bodies of the dead would be left inside for up to six weeks at a time when local bailiffs and "pitmen" would return with carts to drag out the unfortunate victims before taking them to their chosen place of burial. A good idea, on the face of it, but it could go wrong. And when it did it would leave catastrophic results, as it did at another of Tombland's historic buildings.

LOCATION

This ghostly tale has kindly been provided by Ghostly Dave - visit his Norwich Ghost Walk website here.