We visited the village of Eyam to find the old Boundary Stone that marks the boundary between Eyam and Stoney Middleton. However, the stone had a much more important role in 1665/66. A tailor in the village ordered a box of cloth from London. The cloth was riddled with fleas which sadly spread the bubonic plague throughout the village, killing 260 of the villagers.
As Eyam was infected with the plague, they cut themselves off from neighbouring villages hoping to contain the disease. The information plaque stated people would leave money in the holes in the stone that were filled with vinegar. People from other villages would leave food for them in return. The vinegar helped kill the germs.
After following the footpath, we saw the stone on the horizon. It was the perfect weather to go exploring.
It is a well visited stone with people leaving pennies in the holes, which was a nice touch.
Further on from the Boundary Stone was 'Lovers Leap'. According to a nearby information board, in 1762, a young woman called Hannah Baddeley, jilted by her lover, William Barnsley tried to commit suicide by throwing herself over the cliff top.
Thankfully, her petticoat acted as a parachute and on the way down it got caught in the brambles breaking her fall. She escaped with cuts and bruises. However, Hannah died 2 years later from natural causes. A sad story but some great views from the top.
Even though Eyam has a sad history, it is a lovely village with beautiful countryside around it. It was well worth the visit.
