A recent study led by the University of Aberdeen has offered significant insights into Scotland’s final major encounter with the plague. This research, published in the journal PLOS One, has for the first time confirmed the presence of the bacterium responsible for bubonic plague in Aberdeen in the late 1640s. This period was marked not only by the devastation caused by the plague but also by the turmoil of civil war in Scotland. Despite the challenges, evidence has shown a surprising degree of care in the burial of plague victims, revealing a nuanced response to the crisis.
The interdisciplinary research team included experts in archaeology, osteology, history, and ancient DNA. They identified traces of Yersinia pestis—the bacterium behind the bubonic plague—in human remains found in a plague burial site in Aberdeen. This discovery represents the first direct evidence of the plague in Scotland, obtained using advanced ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis techniques. The bacterium Yersinia pestis was infamous for causing multiple waves of plague, the most notorious being the “Black Death” in the 14th century. The last severe plague outbreak in Scotland occurred between 1644 and 1649, a time of overlapping crises that saw the country’s population grappling with disease and war.
The study was led by Professor Marc Oxenham, who sought to trace the spread of the disease during the final Scottish outbreak. The research focused on a site at York Place, Aberdeen, where remains were excavated in 1987. This site corresponds with historical records indicating the location of plague pits on the Queen’s Links, a coastal dune area, during the 1647-48 plague outbreak. According to historical documents, the plague was believed to have been brought to Scotland by soldiers returning from the siege of Newcastle in 1644. Initially affecting the Scottish Borders, the disease spread northwards over the following years, reaching Central Scotland, Perthshire, and Angus. In April 1647, Aberdeen began preparing for the anticipated arrival of the plague, having been spared for nearly a century since the last major outbreak in 1545. Records show that the plague had reached Inverbervie, just 26 miles south of Aberdeen, indicating its northward advance.
By the mid-17th century, Scottish cities had developed strategies to combat the plague. These often involved restricting movement to curb the spread of infection. The research paid particular attention to the social responses during this last epidemic in Scottish history—a period of extraordinary hardship. Scotland was not only facing an epidemic but was also enduring the economic impacts of ongoing civil conflict. In some areas, the devastation was profound; for instance, in Brechin, nearly half the town’s population—about 600 people—died within a few months in 1647. The study aimed to explore whether fear of contagion led to a disregard for the dead or if communities maintained respect for those who succumbed to the plague.
Analysis of the skeletal remains, particularly teeth and bones, confirmed that the individuals had died during the 1647-48 outbreak, and the presence of Yersinia pestis was verified. The team then examined burial practices, revealing a complex picture of how people dealt with the dead during the epidemic. Unlike the common image of mass plague pits as a means of hastily disposing of victims, the study uncovered numerous examples of standard burials within churchyards. This finding challenges the stereotype of fear-driven, impersonal mass graves often associated with plague victims. Instead, it suggests that despite the threat, there was a sustained effort to honor the dead.
Dr. Rebecca Crozier, who heads the osteoarchaeology program at the University of Aberdeen, highlighted the significance of these burial practices. Although the rapid spread of the plague often necessitated the use of mass graves, the evidence shows that many victims received normal burials and memorials in church grounds. This indicates that relatives and community members, while certainly aware of the risks of contracting the disease, were not overcome by fear to the extent of abandoning their cultural norms around death. This attitude points to a resilience and compassion that contrasts with some modern assumptions about how people behaved during times of widespread disease.
The discovery suggests that during Scotland’s last plague outbreak, a sense of humanity and empathy endured amid the fear and tragedy. Rather than giving in to panic and treating the dead as mere sources of contagion, many Scots chose to honor their deceased with traditional burial rites. This compassion in the face of a deadly epidemic highlights the enduring human impulse to maintain dignity and care for the dead, even during periods of great adversity. The findings provide a deeper understanding of how past societies navigated the challenges of disease, offering a historical perspective that resonates with contemporary discussions about public health and crisis response.
Source: University of Aberdeen