1600s

Bubonic plague, spread by rat fleas, thrived in the filthy conditions of urban life. There were outbreaks in Birmingham, then a town of about 1500 unclean people in 1626, '31, '37 ('a great contagion of sickness'), '54, and '65. Cause and cure were unknown: the only recourse was total segregation of infected households. Doors and windows were nailed up, red crosses daubed outside, and the corpses removed in 'dead carts' at night. St. Martin's churchyard became overfull despite extra dumping of soil to cover the bodies. Two great pits were dug at Ladywood, on the boundary with Edgbaston, to contain plague victims. The site was called the Pest Ground : it was still shown, as Pest Heath, on a map of 1810. In time of plague, travel was restricted, visitors were turned back at the tollbars, markets were closed, and trade - so important to Birmingham's economy - suffered greatly.