When death came to our door, it came swiftly, its intensity hidden by innocent symptoms.
Death announced itself with a mere sneeze, a hacking cough. Then came raging fever before death revealed its true might by scattering buboes – hideous, oozing swellings – on skin.“Ring-a-ring o; roses, a pocket full of posies. A-tishoo! A tishoo! We all fall down.”When the fleas feasted on you, a losing fight for life soon began.Covid, the most recent pandemic to sweep these shores, was a global disaster, it showed even modern mankind can be rendered powerless by pathogens.
The West Midlands lived under the shadow of Black Death – the most destructive pandemic in global history – for three horrific years, although the Doomsday disease lingered for much longer. From 1348, thousands succumbed, although exact figures are unknown. In a time before motorised transport, it took a mere eight months for the disease to spread from London to Halesowen. And there it hit with hurricane force, claiming 40 per cent of the population.
A landscape yet to be smothered by the fumes and fog of industrialisation, where people lived within inches of livestock and, therefore, rats, was levelled.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
How the west won: Ivan McClellan is amplifying the intrepid beauty of Black cowboy cultureTracy Kawalik is a music and culture writer who has written for the likes of Dazed, Time Out, Vice, Clash and Mixmag.
Read more »
Hammersmith: Mural honours young football fan in heart campaignFootball fan Libbey Peverall, from West Drayton, died from sudden cardiac death in February 2023.
Read more »
Tributes paid to West Lothian dad and running 'legend' after sad deathAlastair Hay leaves behind a wife and two children
Read more »
Black-eyed murderer stabbed pal to death in 'frenzied' attackIt is still unclear what led Andrew Hall to kill innocent pensioner Geoffrey Ives in Heywood
Read more »
Chicken factory mystery as two workers found FROZEN to death in narrow crawl space...TRAGIC DEATH Chicken factory mystery as 2 workers found FROZEN to death in narrow space (1)
Read more »
Biden appears to mix up his gender and race during radio interviewJoe Biden appeared to suggest he was 'proud' to be 'the first black woman to serve with a black president' in a new interview with a black radio station.
Read more »