Coronavirus: Covid-19 fears forces 'plague village' service online

A memorial service for a village that quarantined itself during the plague more than 350 years ago has been held online due to coronavirus fears.

In 1665, residents in Eyam, Derbyshire, locked themselves away for more than a year to avoid spreading the disease.

The Rev Mike Gilbert said a decision to cancel the service and costume procession was made due to dozens of media inquiries about visiting.

He feared an influx of people could risk the spread of Covid-19.

The annual Plague Memorial Service takes place on the final Sunday of August at Cucklet Delf, an outdoor site that hosted services during the plague.

It remembers the estimated 260 people who lost their lives to the disease - about 75% of the village's population.

In his virtual service, streamed on Eyam Parish Church's Facebook page, Mr Gilbert drew parallels between the sacrifices made in 1665 and the "contemporary plague".

The broadcast, which was watched by more than 200 people around the world, also featured a skit where two modern visitors had a socially distanced conversation with a pair of 17th Century villagers.

Mr Gilbert said he was glad he had been able to maintain the tradition in a year during which it had "added poignancy"

Explaining the decision to move the service online, he said: "We had press from Holland, America, Argentina and France. People from a dozen countries all said, 'Can we come?'.

"With that amount of interest, though that's lovely, I didn't feel in all conscience I could keep people safe."

Joan Plant, a descendant of a plague villager, said it was the right decision.

She said: "I think it was very prudent of the church to follow that line, simply because we can't manage the volume of visitors that would be here."

Parish manager Gillian Armitt said Eyam's story had similarities to what people are experiencing in the current pandemic.

"The story is about a community in lockdown," she said.

"Digging deep into their faith, loving each other, helping each other in the community to get through something really serious."

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