NOT a Cumberland or Westmorland news item, but I thought it might be interesting to some listers. B. ________________________________________________________ THE PLAGUE IN PRESTON. - The registers of the Preston Parish Church contain an entry to the following effect, in November, 1630: "Beginning of the visitation of Almighty God, the Plague." In November, 1631, there is the entry of "Plague ceased." It appears to have commenced on the 14th of November, 1630, and to have raged for twelve months, during which period the mortality was excessive. The number of burials in the month of November was 6; in December, 14; in January, 1631, 29; in February, 17; in March, 54; in April, 61; in May, 37; in June, 88; in July, 323; in August, 199; in September, 73; in October, 14, in November, the number was 12; in Dec., 6; - a total in 1631 of 951. The following are the daily burials at the church in the month of July, when the ravages were the greatest: - July 2nd, 7; 3rd, 7; 4th, 8; 5th, 13; 6th, 14; 7th, 11; 8th, 11; 9th, 6; 10th, 4; 11th 2; 12th, 5; 13th, 3; 14th, 14; 15th 14; 16th, 12; 17th, 8; 18th, 13; 19th, 13; 20th, 12; 21st, 11; 22, 9; 23rd, 15; 24th, 20; 25th, 13; 26th, 11; 27th, 13; 28th 10; 29th, 12; 30th, 12; 31st, 12; - Total, 323. During the whole of 1632, the number was only 39; in 1633, 54; 1630, (including two months when the plague was raging) 74; 1629, 66; 1628, 87. The Parish Church was then the only burial ground for the town. The population of the town, at that time, would not, we should think be much above 3,000; so that nearly a third of the population appear to have been swept away by this scourge.