Norwich and the Plague, 1349 to 1667 — Eduqas GCSE History C100
Eduqas GCSE History · C100
Norwich and the Plague, 1349 to 1667
A study of the historic environment connected with Changes in Health and Medicine in Britain, c.500 to the present day
What you need to know
Analyze the historical context of living conditions in medieval and early modern Norwich, noting limited public health, crowded markets, and overcrowded streets.
Explain Norwich's coastal trading connections and trade with London and continental Europe.
Understand the outbreak of the plague in Norwich in 1349 and the reasons for subsequent outbreaks in 1579, 1625, and the Great Plague of 1665–1667.
Evaluate the methods used to combat the plague in Norwich, such as prayer, fasting, church processions, and quarantining infected households.
Describe the practical measures implemented, including plague pits for mass burials, street cleaning, waste removal, and restrictions on travel and public gatherings.
Analyze the medical treatments used, such as bloodletting, herbal remedies, and carrying pomanders.
Assess the severe demographic consequences of the plague, including the 1349 population loss and the slowed recovery due to repeated outbreaks.
Evaluate the socio-economic impacts, such as labour shortages, higher wages, the decline in certain trades, and changing employment and apprenticeships.
Analyze the breakdown of traditional social order, the ability of rich citizens to flee, abandoned housing, and changing land use.
Understand the evolution of public health responses, including the recognition of isolation and improved record-keeping, leading to the end of major plague epidemics by 1667.
