The plague. –

Hull was first hit by the plague in 1472. It killed a vast number of people including the mayor, John Whitfield. Hull was then plague free for four years until 1476, with a further outbreak killing 1,580 people including the new mayor, John Richards .

Two years later, the plague once again struck Hull, this time more vigorous than the first. The plague continued to rage for three years, killing 2,730 victims in the town, as well as a number who fled into the country where they later died. 2,730 people was equal to about one-half of the population of Hull during that period.

The gates of the town were kept permanently shut, with a guard in place day and night, to prevent anyone from entering or leaving the city.

During the plagued times churches and schools were closed; and public meetings and assemblies were not allowed. The streets of Hull were empty, as people were afraid to go out for fear of catching the plague. The only people to walk the streets were those involved in removing the dead. Grass grew between the paving stones, and the place portrayed a scene of horror, silence, and despair.

“Cemeteries and Burial Grounds. - The Hull General Cemetery is on the Spring Bank, and was established by a Joint Stock Company in 1847. The grounds, which contain some 20 acres, were tastefully laid out, and were intersected by broad gravelled carriage roads and footpaths. The Hull Corporation Cemeteries are on the Spring Head Road (adjoining the general cemetery) and the Hedon Road, the former covering 27½ acres of ground, and the latter 16 acres. Both were tastefully laid out with shrubs and flowers, and still possess a large number of handsome monuments. At the Hedon Road Cemetery are two stone-faced chapels, in the Gothic style, connected by a handsome tower and spire, with an archway beneath. The other burial grounds besides the church-yards of the older churches (all of which are now closed) are : - The Sculcoates Sacristy, opened as a parish cemetery in 1818, and subsequently enlarged. Holy Trinity Burial Grounds, on the Hessle Road (covering about three acres) and in Castle Street. The latter is new closed. The Drypool and Southcoates Cemetery, on the Hedon Road, formed in 1852, by the parishioners of Drypool. St. Mary's Burial Ground in Trippett, Jews' Burial Ground, on the Hessle Road, both of which are now closed. The present Jews' Burial Ground is at Marfleet, two-and-a-half miles from Hull, and was opened in 1858.-

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