Plague Comes to Egham

Charlotte Young, PhD candidate at Royal Holloway, University of London, investigates Egham during the Early Modern period and in this article, looks at how the plague affected the community.

William Bullen was a collar maker, living in Egham. He was married to Elizabeth, and they had at least 5 children; John in 1586, Ann in 1589, Mercy in 1592, Katherin in 1598, and William in 1601. William’s occupation would have kept him constantly busy. A staple of any Tudor outfit, male or female, was a prominent collar, more commonly known as a ruff. These were created by gathering and folding several yards of fabric into a circle, heavily starched to keep its shape. They were detachable and could be coloured blue, yellow, pink or mauve using vegetable dies. As England moved into the 17^th century fashions changed, and the ruff was replaced with a wing collar. These were stiff, starched single pieces of fabric, much more conservative in appearance.

However, before William could adapt his pattern book a calamitous event swept the nation, and devastated his family; the plague of 1603. Plague was a recurring problem; there had been outbreaks in Tudor London in 1498, 1535, 1543, 1563 and 1589. It was a dreaded disease, for which there was no cure, and an estimated 30,000 people died in England due to the 1603 outbreak.

The widely accepted cause of plague was the miasma theory; that the disease was spread by infected air. Indeed, a pamphlet dedicated to the casualties of the disease published by Henry Chettle in October 1603 opens with the statement,

‘It is no doubt that the corruption of the ayre, together with the uncleanly and unwholesome keeping of dwelling, where many are pestered together, as also the not observing to have fiers private & publiquely made as well within houses, as without in the streets, at times when the ayre is infected, are great occasions to increase corrupt and pestilent diseases.’

It was not until the late 19^th century that scientists discovered plague was really caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, carried by rats and fleas, who could transmit it to humans by biting them.

Contemporary treatments which were said to cure or prevent the plague, but which in reality would have had no positive effect, include;

• Mix a pint of Malmsey wine with a handful of bruised mayweed and drink.

• Mix rue, elder leaves, bramble leaves and red sage, mix and strain through a fine linen cloth, add to white wine, mix with ginger and drink it morning and evening for 9 days.

• Core an onion, fill it with treacle, wrap it in paper, roast it until soft, strain it with white wine vinegar, add sugar, and give the patient 2 spoonfuls of the juices to drink.

• Finely chop one dried fig, one walnut and 4 or 5 rue leaves, mix and eat; afterwards drink a glass of white or claret wine.

The 1603 outbreak is believed to have been bubonic plague, the symptoms of which included chills, fevers, muscle cramps, seizures, swelling of the lymph glands, gangrene, vomiting blood and extreme pain. Life expectancy for an adult after the disease was contracted was a fortnight at most, but much less for children and the elderly.

Parish registers did not often record a person’s cause of death, but an exception was made in the case of plague. The first death by plague recorded in the parish registers of St John’s, Egham was that of Mercy Bullen, who was buried on 18^th June 1603 aged only 11. Within days her brother John had also died, and was buried on 30^th June; he was the second fatality in the town.

It is possible that their father William Bullen’s occupation had caused him to travel into an infected area, perhaps to London, where he had caught the disease. He returned to Egham, and it spread to his children and neighbours. When his children were dying he was definitely also ill, because the day before John’s funeral he hastily wrote his will;

In the name of God Amen, the 29^th day of June 1603. I William Bullyn of Egham in the countie of Surrey collarmaker beinge sicke in bodie, but of perfect mynd & remembrance praise be therefore given unto Almightie God, do ordeyne my last will & testament in manner and forme as followeth, that is to say: first I comend my Soule into the hands of Almightie God the creator of heaven & earthe & his only Sonne Jesus Christ our Lord, by the sheddinge of whose most precious bloud for my synnes & my Redemption I trust & beleeve to be saved: my body I comitt to the earth to be buried in the yarde of the parish church of Egham aforesaid.

Item I give and bequeath unto Elizabeth my wife all my goods & chattells whatsoever within Egham aforesaid or elseqhere within the Realme of England.

Item I give and bequeath unto my saide wife All my landes rents & hereditaments whatsoever within Egham aforesaid, or elsewhere within the Realme of England for the terme of hir naturall life, And after hir deathe, to Agnes Bullyn my daughter & to hir heires if shee my saide daughter do lyve till shee accomplish the age of 21 yeres, And if it shall happen my saide daughter to die before shee do accomplish hir saide age of 21 yeres, then I will and my mynde is that my brother John Bullyn shall have all my saide lands rents and hereditaments to him & his heires.

Item I give unto the said Agnes my daughter £20 which my saide brother John Bullyn shoulde pay me out of his lands & the other £20 of the saide fortie poundes I give unto my said wife my sole executrix of this my last will & testament:

Witnesses hereunto Edward Owen, gentleman, Robert Goodwyne also Saunders, William Gillet & John Bullen.

William knew he was dying and needed to settle his affairs as quickly as possible. He left everything to his wife Elizabeth, and after her death to their eldest daughter Ann, referred to in the will as Agnes. He made no separate bequests to his other surviving children, Katherin and William, which is indicative of his haste. However, he also knew that there was no guarantee any his family would survive him for long, hence his bequest that his brother John should inherit his property if Elizabeth and Ann also died. It is not known exactly when William Bullen died, but he was buried at St John’s, Egham on 6^th July, only a week after he wrote his will.

It is not clear what happened to young William Bullen, born in 1601. However, the parish registers reveal that Elizabeth Bullen remarried on 16^th April 1604, to John Cole. The two surviving Bullen daughters, Ann and Katherin, also appear to have escaped the plague and reached adulthood. Ann Bullen married John Laughton in Egham on 23^rd July 1610, and there is a potential marriage for Katherin Bullen to Robert Kinge in Worplesdon on 28^th May 1632.

A total of 68 deaths were recorded as caused by plague in the parish register of St John’s, Egham; 39 of these were children. Even though this was a very small portion of the estimated 30,000 across England, it would have caused extreme disruption and sorrow in the community as families were depleted by the horrible disease.

Recorded 1603-1604 plague deaths in the parish register of St John’s, Egham:

Mercy, daughter of William Bullen, buried 18^th June.

John, son of William Bullen, buried 30^th June.

William Bullen, buried 6^th July.

Thomas, son of Henry Goodwyn also Saunders, buried 25^th July.

Henry Goodwyn also Saunders, buried 29^th July.

Illegitimate daughter of Joane Lane, buried 7^th August.

Davers Bynon, buried 2^nd September.

Cyceley (unknown surname), buried 9^th October.

Robert Sharpe, gentleman, buried 16^th October.

William Chaplin, buried 17^th October.

Margaret, daughter of Thomas Gardiner, buried 24^th October.

Elizabeth, daughter of John Katherine, buried 2^nd November.

Ann, daughter of John Katherine, buried 3^rd November.

John, son of John Watts, buried 6^th November.

Cycely Palmer, buried 6^th November.

Madalen, wife of John Watts, buried 8^th November.

Elizabeth, daughter of John Watts, buried 8^th November.

Alice, daughter of John Palmer, buried 18^th November.

John Watts, buried 20^th November.

Dorothy, wife of Thomas Mann, buried 30^th November.

Amy, wife of John Katherine, buried 30^th November.

Robert, son of Edmund Osborne, buried 8^th December.

The daughter of Thomas Mann, buried 8^th December.

Elizabeth, daughter of Edmund Osborne, buried 10^th December.

Merrill, daughter of John Cater, buried 10^th December.

The daughter of Edmund Osborne, buried 11^th December.

Adam Twitchett, buried 13^th December.

Thomas Palmer, buried 14^th December.

William, son of William Palmer, buried 19^th December.

Alice, daughter of John Katherine, buried 23^rd December.

John Osborne, buried 25^th December.

Elizabeth, wife of William Palmer, buried 30^th December.

Margaret, daughter of John Milton the younger, buried 30^th December.

Joane, daughter of William (surname unknown), buried 31^st December.

Thomas, son of William Maskell, buried 4^th January.

Mary, daughter of Mary Twitchett, widow, buried 7^th January.

Susan, daughter of Mary Twitchett, widow, buried 7^th January.

William, son of William Maskell, buried 8^th January.

Mary Twitchett, widow, buried 8^th January.

Elizabeth, daughter of William Maskell, buried 6^th February.

William Maskoll, buried 8^th February.

George (surname unknown), buried 19^th February.

Richard Biddle, buried 22^nd February.

William Wesbury, buried 8^th March.

Joane Henry, buried 11^th March.

William, son of Richard Biddle, buried 28^th March.

Joane, daughter of Richard Biddle, buried 28^th March.

Alice Danborne, widow, buried 19^th March.

Richard, son of Richard Biddle, buried 20^th March.

Robert, son of John Perry, buried 29^th March.

William, son of John Perry, buried 5^th April.

Robert, son of John Reynolds, buried 20^th April.

Edmund Vaughan, son of Margery Biddle, buried 25^th April.

John (surname unknown), clerk to Richard Westower, buried 26^th April.

Annys, daughter of John Hardinge, buried 13^th May.

James, son of Thomas Seagood, buried 17^th May.

Margery, daughter of Thomas Seagood, buried 17^th May.

William, son of Agnes Hitches, widow, buried 18^th May.

Archangel, daughter of Thomas Seagood, buried 30^th May.

Mary, daughter of Thomas Seagood, buried 30^th May.

Mary Palmer, buried 10^th June.

Edmond Trowe, buried 28^th September.

One of William Kitchen’s servants, name unknown, buried 29^th September.

Nathaniel, son of Clement Whitlock, buried 18^th October.

Benjamin, son of William Stroud, buried 21^st October.

Magdalen Symons, widow, buried 30^th October.

Clement Whitlock, buried 2^nd November.

John Stroud, buried 10^th November.

Bibliography

• Henry Chettle, A True bill of the whole number that hath died in the cittie of London, the citty of Westminster, the citty of Norwich, and divers other places, since the time this last sicknes of the plague began in either of them, to this present month of October the sixt day, 1603 with a relation of many visitations by the plague, in sundry other forraine countries (London: 1603)
• A T, A rich store-house or treasury for the diseased Wherein, are many approved medicines for divers and sundry diseases, which have long been hidden, and not come to light before this time. Now set foorth for the great benefit and comfort of the poorer sort of people that are not of abilitie to go to the physitions (London: 1596)
• Graham Twigg, “Plague in London: spatial and temporal aspects of mortality” in J A I Champion (editor), Epidemic Disease in London (Centre for Metropolitan History, 1993)
• LMA DW/PA/05/1604/008; Will of William Bullen, proved 1604; digitised by www.ancestry.co.uk
• Surrey, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812; parish registers of St John’s, Egham; digitised by www.ancestry.co.uk