Economic, commercial and demographic impact of plague across Nottinghamshire in 1646

What is it about?

With the surrender of the king in May 1646 the country looked forward to the ending of the civil war and the social disruption it caused. It was hoped that commerce and trade would improve and travel restrictions be ended. Unfortunately, from 1645 onwards virulent pestilence and infection inflicted many of the formerly besieged towns and garrisons. The ending of the war allowed both discharged soldiers and civilians to wander across the country carrying the infections with them. Building upon previous published research, this paper explores the impact of pestilence upon commerce, trade and reconstruction across the county with special reference to the shire's Goose Fair. In many ways, Nottinghamshire's failed attempt to halt the spread of infection was a microcosm of a wider national phenomenon. As this article will demonstrate for many communities 1646 proved to be one of the most difficult years of the conflict

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