“This time of God’s visitation”: Church of England and the London plague of 1563

Abstract

The article deals with the epidemic of plague which happened in London in 1563. It is studied through the lens of sources connected with the Church of England, namely, the documents establishing extraordinary services, special homily written and published in the same year, and the correspondence of ecclesiastical as well as secular authorities. This approach leads to the conclusions of how the plague was understood by theologians, which measures (both, spiritual and practical) were considered to be efficient, and how the epidemic reflected in the administrative practice of the English church. The Early Modern people perceived plague as a supernatural calamity as it was sent by God in order to punish people for their sins and move them towards repentance. The natural mechanisms of plague’s spreading, most commonly explained through the theory of miasma, were nothing more but an instrument of God’s will. Thus, the reaction to the plague became primarily a matter spiritual which belonged to the competence of the church. Practical measures were inextricably entwined with the theological comprehension of the problem as well as the reasons of ecclesiastical policy. The London plague of 1563 was the first “great” epidemic for the reformed Church of England to face. The ecclesiastical administration introduced in cooperation with the secular authorities a special form of service and a homily for ‘this time of God’s visitation’ which determined the whole posterior tradition of reactions towards plague.