Cover of the novel The Naming of William Rutherford by Lynda Kempton

Linda Kempton’s The Naming of William Rutherford retells the story of the Eyam plague. “A fire burned in a huge old fireplace made of stone. It was night. Candles flickered on the old-fashioned dresser. Candles that gave off thick, foul-smelling smoke and made monstrous shadows loom and dance on the grey stone walls. The bodies came towards him. Huge faces peered into his and he could feel hot breath and smell woollen dresses, damp with sweat. The women dragged him towards the cot and pointed to a young child. Its hair was wet. Tiny globules of sweat patterned its fevered face.”

The village of Eyam, located in the Peak District National Park in Derbyshire, is most famous for the actions of its vicar, William Mompesson, in quarantining the inhabitants during the devastating bubonic plague of 1665-1666.