The ‘Needs to Know’
Distance: 4.1 miles (6.6km)
Time to walk: Roughly 2 hours
Difficulty: A mixture of hard & field paths. Some very steep hills & you’ll likely encounter livestock
Dog Friendly?: Depends on the time of year if livestock are present. There were sheep & cattle when we did it
Parking: Ignore the Pay & Display car park on Hawkhill Road & turn right just after it following the sign to the free one. There’s a donation box if you’d like to make one. what3words earplugs.unusable.office
Public toilets: Cafes etc in Eyam or Stoney Middleton
Map of the route:
Eyam (pronounced ‘Eem’) is a place I’ve wanted to visit for a long time &, believe you me, it & this walk really delivers
Situated in the Derbyshire Dales within the Peak District National Park there’s evidence of early occupation by Ancient Britons on the surrounding moors & lead mining in the area by the Romans. A settlement was founded on the present site by Anglo-Saxons, when mining was continued & other industries later developed
However it’s best known for how the village decided to cope with the plague
The history of the plague in the Eyam began in 1665 when a flea-infested bundle of cloth arrived from London for Alexander Hadfield, the local tailor. Within a week, his assistant George Viccars, noticing the bundle was damp, had opened it up. Before long, he was dead & more began dying in the household soon after
As the disease spread, the villagers turned for leadership to their rector, the Reverend William Mompesson, & the ejected Puritan minister Thomas Stanley. They introduced a number of precautions to slow the spread of the illness from May 1666
The measures included the arrangement that families were to bury their own dead & the relocation of church services to the natural amphitheatre of Cucklett Delph, allowing villagers to separate themselves & so reducing the risk of infection
Perhaps the best-known decision was to quarantine the entire village to prevent further spread of the disease. Merchants from surrounding villages sent supplies that they would leave on marked rocks; the villagers then made holes in the rocks which they would fill with vinegar to disinfect the money left as payment- we will visit one of these rocks on this walk
The plague ran its course over 14 months & one account states that it killed at least 260 villagers, with only 83 surviving out of a population of 350. That figure has been challenged, with alternative figures of 430 survivors from a population of around 800 being given. The church in Eyam, which we’ll also visit, has a record of 273 individuals who were victims of the plague
Survival among those affected appeared random, as many who remained alive had close contact with those who died, but never caught the disease
For example, Elizabeth Hancock was uninfected despite burying six children & her husband in eight days. The graves are known as the Riley graves after the farm where they lived – we will visit them too
The unofficial village gravedigger, Marshall Howe, also survived, despite handling many infected bodies
Plague Sunday has been celebrated in the village since the plague’s bicentenary in 1866. Originally held in mid-August, it now takes place in Cucklett Delph on the last Sunday in August, coinciding with the (much older) Wakes Week & well dressing ceremonies
This is an incredible walk & you will can really feel the sorrow that must have existed in tis beautiful village
Let’s Walk!
1. Park in the signposted free car park off Hawkhill Road. Walk down to the road & turn left…
On the right’s Eyam’s Museum which opened on 23 April 1994 & tells the stories of this famous village, including its experience of plague in 1665-1666, & its wider social history & industrial heritage
Continue down the road…
2. On the right you’ll find Hall Hill Troughs…
A sign tells you…
“The troughs are so called because of the nearby Bradshaw Hall.
They formed part of a series of troughs, established in 1558, many of which still remain, providing water for domestic as well as agricultural use.
Their use was confirmed by the Eyam Enclosure Act of 1803.
The system is said to be one of the first public water supplies in the country.
They supplied regular domestic water for nearly 350 years”
3. At the junction bear left, passing the courtyard of Eyam Hall…
The Wright family were landowners in Eyam although their family was historically based in Longstone. William Wright gave his land in Eyam to his second son Thomas who is credited with building the hall. The hall began life as a generous wedding present in 1671 for John Wright & his new wife Elizabeth
It’s been in the Wright family for nine generations & is currently a family home & wedding venue that opens at different times of the year. The National Trust leased the hall for 5 years, however their lease ended & the Hall is now back in the hands of the family full time
4. Opposite the Hall is a Green. Walk across & have a look inside the small building that was once the Market Hall…
“This building was used by farmers’ wives to sell their eggs, butter, cheese & poultry on market days. It was restored in the 19th century”
There’s several boards inside which will give you lots of information on the residents etc
5. To the left of the Market Hall’s the most striking & beautiful bench that represents the bale of cloth that the disease arrived in from London which was infected with plague carrying fleas
Sit for a while & read the poignant words…
Also on the Green’s the stocks…
“The stocks were probably erected by the local Barmcote Court, which ruled the lead mining industry, for the punishment of offending miners who committed relatively minor offences. They were restored in 1951 to mark the Festival of Britain”
6. Continue along the left side of the street to arrive at the ‘Plague Cottages’…
Take your time & read the history of the sadness that happened here
“Rose Cottage…
Nine members of the Thorpe family lived here…
Thomas Thorpe died 26th September 1665
Mary, his daughter, died 30th September 1665
Elizabeth, his wife, died 1st October 1665
Thomas, his son, died 20th October 1665
Alice, is daughter, died15th April 1666
Robert, his son, died 2nd May 1666
William, his son, died 2nd May 1666
William & Mary Thorpe, the parent of Thomas senior died 1666″
Each one tells it’s own story…
“Plague Cottage…
Mary Hadfield, formerly Cooper, lived here with her two sons, Edward
& Jonathan, her new husband, Alexander Hadfield & an employed hand,
George Viccars
George Viccars, the first plague victim, died on 7th Sepember 1665
Edward Cooper, aged 4, died on 22nd September 1665
Jonathan Cooper, aged 12, died on 2nd October 1665
Alexander Hadfield died on 3rd August 1666
Mary alone survived…but lost 13 relatives”
7. Enter the churchyard…
Plague victims were forbidden burial in the churchyard as there was concern that this would spread the plague, so families had to bury their own dead as you’ll see various burial sites on this walk
Catherine Mompesson, as the wife of the rector, is often cited as the only officially marked plague victim buried in the St. Lawrence’s Churchyard
If the church is open look for the poignant window…
This is St Lawrence’s Church which has elements dating from the 13th & 15th centuries. It was partially rebuilt in 1619 & restored in 1868–70. Wander around & peruse some of the ancient gravestones
There’s a wonderful Celtic Cross & some rather sinister memorials
8. Pass the former Bull’s Head Inn which replaced another building called the Talbot Inn which, for many generations was run by the Talbot family until the last member died in 1813
The Bull’s Head closed & was converted into flats in 2000
9. Continue down the hill, keeping straight on at the junction…
…to arrive at The Square where you’ll find The Village Green Cafe, where the coffee gets amazing write ups.
The Cafe is housed in John Torre’s house where a sign tells you…
“John Torre died here 29th July 1666
Godfrey, his son, aged 8 months, died 3rd August 1666
His wife, Joan, survived”
10. With your back to the Cafe walk across the road & up Lygate, passing the red postbox…
The house on the right is ‘Rose & Fossil Cottage which has another story to tell…
“The home of William Wood, the Eyam Historian.
He was born on December 6th 1804
& died on June 27th 1865.
He wrote ‘The Genius of the Peak’ & other poems.
‘The History & Antiquities of Eyam’ tales & Traditions of the Peak’
& ‘Murder in the Winnats’ were among some of his other works.
During the plague year 1666, John Wood died here in March & Francis died in July.
They were not related to William Wood”
11. Continue up the hill & walk along the track beside the right of the house…
…& pass through the gate
12. The track’s really easy to follow & you’ll eventually pass through a ‘squeeze’…
Look across to see the cliffs & evidence of mining works
13. Head up the hill towards the copse where a large boulder comes into view in the middle of the path. This is the ‘Boundary Stone’
As the plague took hold & decimated the villagers, it was the selfless decision to quarantine themselves that prevented the spread the disease. It’s here that their closest neighbour, Stoney Middleton, which you’ll come to shortly, helped
The Boundary Stone sits halfway between the villages & to minimise cross infection, food & other supplies were left here . The 6 holes you see were drilled into its surface & money for payment was left in these vinegar soaked holes as it was believed it killed the infection
Almost 350 years later a remembrance service is still held every Plague Sunday at Cucklett Delf, on the edge of the village
Cucklett Delf also tells a sad story concerning Emmott Sydall & Rowland Torre. Emmott was a young girl of about twenty two who was betrothed to Rowland Torre from Stoney Middleton. Emmott lived in a cottage across from Mary Cooper’s house (which we saw earlier), where the Plague started. Her father John Syddall & four of her siblings were among the first victims of the disease
At first Rowland would visit Emmott in the village, but when they realised this was too dangerous, the lovers would arrange to meet secretly, but at a distance minimalising any risk of Rowland catching the disease. It’s suggested that the two would only have looked at each other from a distance, & in silence, lest their plan should be discovered
When Emmott stopped appearing towards the end of April 1666, Rowland continued to go to their meeting place, with hope that against all odds, she might still show up. He was one of the first people to re-enter the village when it was pronounced safe towards the end of 1666, but was told the worst…
Emmott Syddall had died in the April
14. The path now starts to descend quite steeply down towards Stoney Middleton & the views are spectacular…
At the bottom of the hill pass through the gate & turn right down the lane towards the village
15. The village is thought to date back to Roman times, perhaps based on lead mining. In the dale were several quarries, once a major source of employment for the village. Footwear became a major industry, with an industrial boot factory being famed for the ‘steel toe capped boot’ invented by resident Harry Heginbotham, originally made for miners in 1933
Lead mining also continued. Darlton Quarry was bombed by two German Junkers Ju 88s during World War II with both aircraft being shot down as they returned home. A prisoner-of-war camp was situated at the bottom of the village which housed Italian & German prisoners
The village was featured in the first episode of ‘Most Haunted: Midsummer Murders’ in which the team investigates the death of a supposedly Scottish peddler & of Hannah Baddeley. Whilst investigating, they also conducted a vigil at the Moon Inn.
In the spring of 2021, production crews for ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part I’ began to construct a set in a disused quarry near to the village & the scene, involving a locomotive crashing into the quarry was filmed there
16. We didn’t have time to explore the village thoroughly, so turned left up ‘The Fold’…
Follow the track to arrive at a farmyard. We understand there used to be really good signage here to help you stick to the paths, but this sadly is no longer the case so we had to keep checking the OS Maps App …
17. On arriving at the gates, pass through the small one on your right…
…& turn left along the edge of the field & cross the stone stile
18. Now continue ahead, slightly diagonally right to pass through another gate. Now turn right up the hill to pass through a narrow gap in the wall…
Now it’s time for a steep climb up a narrow winding path
19. Just follow it as it twists & turns up the steep slope to finally emerge, through a narrow gap, onto the road…
Turn right & follow the quiet lane past a very spectacular house on the right…
20. Slightly further along the lane, at the picture below. turn left up the track…
…which climbs steadily uphill once more
21. Pass into the wood to arrive at a junction with the marker post in the picture below…
Turn left & follow the track up & round to the right & continue to a hard surface lane
22. Turn left along the lane which is very quiet, but you may encounter some traffic so be careful…
There are great views across the valley again. Continue along the road, looking out for the stone enclosure in the field on the right…
23. This small cemetery is called the ‘Riley Graveyard’ & contains the graves of the Hancock family who died as a result of the plague. Elizabeth Hancock buried her husband & six children, carrying the remains up the steep hill to the burial site
When you walk back to the village in a moment you’ll realise the sadness that the journey she made must have entailed
Following the end of the plague, Elizabeth relocated to Sheffield to live with her sole remaining son
24. Continue down the hill Elizabeth took her lonely walk up to arrive at the stones signifying the entrance to Eyam once more…
Enter the village…you’ll see ‘The Miners Croft’ pub on your right & the building you pass has yet another story…
“Many of the victims who lived at this end of the village were buried here.
The memorial stones have been removed, but it is known that several
were inscribed with the single letter ‘H’ and probably belonged to the
Heald family
Mary died June 16th 1666
Emmot died June 26th 1666
Elizabeth died July 2nd 1666
Thomas died July 18th 1666
One memorial stone heard of in Derby had the inscription ‘Bridget Talbot. Anno Domini 1666
25. The road leads down to the Village Green again & this time, on the left’s the Ivy Cottage Vintage Tea Room, maybe a fitting place to stop, have a cup of tea & reflect on the walk you’ve just done…
To finish the walk just retrace your steps through the village back to the car park
So that’s it….a walk & a story I’ve wanted to do & tell for a very long time, & it certainly did not disappoint
Simply by walking around this beautiful village you can feel the pain the people went through from the momentous decision they took to try & contain the spread of the plague
It must have been an awful experience to have lived through…
…& some did
Go Walk!