Live streamed from the fabulous acoustics of Mandeville Hall Toorak
Sunday 24 May at 5PM Aust Eastern Standard Time

ACC 8
directed by Douglas Lawrence

The Black Death, or Bubonic Plague was a constant threat in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

When plague broke out in London in 1563, Queen Elizabeth moved her court to Windsor Castle, where she erected gallows and ordered that anyone coming from London be hanged. Thankfully the threat of hanging proved sufficient to discourage unlawful travel and the penalty was never imposed.

The plague of 1592–93 again prompted a relocation of the Elizabethan court. During this time, public gatherings in theatres or ale houses and fairs were prohibited and Parliament was prorogued in an attempt to reduce infection rates.

Shortly after Elizabeth I’s death in 1603, a third plague broke out in London. One of King James’ first acts as the English monarch was to issue a book of Orders to try to stop the spread of the disease.

A fourth and final outbreak of Bubonic in England in 1665 was the deadliest, claiming around a quarter of London’s population.