The Plague in Scotland and Ireland Imagine a sudden illness killing one third of the entire population without any explanation. Such was life during the mid-14th century when the Bubonic Plague Yersinia pestis, spread death and destruction throughout Europe. Most major centres were affected by the Plague, and Scotland and Ireland were no exception. Although people did not realize it at the time, ordinary fleas spread the Plague. The fleas were transported by rats that were a common sight in the cities. Living off garbage and sewerage, the rats spread the fleas - and diseases - to man. Ironically, the Plague did not affect the flea: when a rat died the flea just moved on to the next host - be it man or beast. When the flea bit a new host it regurgitated some of the blood in its stomach and thus spread the disease. But in the absence of any rational or reasonable explanation for the cause of the Plague, a frightened and superstitious people cast blame for sudden calamaties on whatever scapegoat was handy. Frequently Jews and suspected witches were targetted as responsible - as were strangers or any one else deemed "different". When there was no one available or left to blame, major catastrophes such as the Plague were often viewed as retribution or punishment from God. The first recorded outbreak of the Plague occurred during the reign of Emperor Justinian in Constantinople. The Emperor's reign was in the sixth century AD and it is recorded that from 540-590 AD the plague swept through Europe attacking and killing a large part of the population. Ireland and Scotland were not immune but little is known of its effects on the population at that time. Want to read more?? http://www.tartans.com/articles/plague.html Sally Rolls Pavia sallypavia2001@yahoo.com "Books permit us to voyage through time, to tap the wisdom of our ancestors." .. Carl Sagan List Owner: GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES-L-request@rootsweb.com Archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES "All incoming and outgoing email checked by Norton Anti-Virus"