Among all of the villages within the Peak District, Eyam has its history steeped in tragedy when an unsuspecting tailor brought the black death to the village on his return from London in 1665.

It is said to have been transported by the flea of the black rat which was hidden away inside a bundle of cloth. Today, visitors can see many items saved from this terrible period, where they have been placed on display in the local museum. There are also quite a number of early buildings, each directly connected with the plague and scattered throughout this attractive little village.

Even this sad story has its heroes. A former rector, William Mompesson, along with the non-conformist minister, Thomas Stanley, decided to impose a year long vigil by cutting themselves and their parishoners off from the world outside the village of Eyam.

This was their only means to make sure that the plague remained where it was, and to try and make sure that it wouldn’t touch any other villages located in this part of Derbyshire. The result still meant that the plague tragically took the lives of 259 of the local population of 350. These included whole families, men, women and children.

The Parish Church of St. Lawrence, parts of which date to the thirteenth century, has a magnificent sundial situated over the priest’s door and is dated 1773. Besides indicating the time of day, it has a reference to the signs of the zodiac and the latitude of the church.

There are also a number of world cities including London, Jerusalem, Constantinople, Quebec, Bermuda and Mexico. Carved across the top of the dial is the latin inscription ; Induce animum, sapientem which means, ‘Take to thyself a wise mind’.

Within the churchyard, there is a splendid highly decorated stone cross from the Saxon period in our history. Upon a closer inspection and judging by the historical background of this cross, it was said to have been found in the hills above Eyam, it would seem that sections of it may still be missing.

The top doesn’t quite fit the column, and the base inscription is not complete as one would expect. None-the-less, this is without a doubt one of Derbyshire’s finest relics.

Eyam is certainly well worth a visit, preferably on the Wells Dressing week, when the village puts on the most exciting carnival. This is usually held on the last Saturday of August, and if you stay an extra day, there is the opportunity to join the memorial service held in Cucklet Delf to remember those who died during the plague.

The countryside around Eyam is really quite beautiful and attracts many visitors every year. Here, the limestone landscape meets that of the Eyam shales that sweep in from the north, where in the past, miners sunk a number of deep shafts in search of the minerals they knew were there.

Around and about, there are a number of fascinating caves and potholes waiting for the experienced caver to explore them. This is the Peak District at its best.