View
The Plague Village of Eyam
Gary Thomson on an Enduring Story of Sacrifice to Save Others
In these times of quarantine and "social distancing," a timeless story from a Derbyshire village in England reminds us of the abiding power of faith and self-sacrifice.
The village, Eyam, twelve miles west of Sheffield, is one of a cluster of Saxon-Age settlements lying in the Hope Valley along a wooded meander of the River Derwent. This is the epicenter of Peak National Park, a region of extraordinary beauty. Walkers, painters, artists, and amateur historians all come to explore the open moors, sheltered dales, and villages that bring a nostalgic peace away from workaday routine.
THIS ARTICLE ONLY AVAILABLE TO SUBSCRIBERS.
FOR QUICK ACCESS:
Gary Thomson is a retired teacher residing in Ontario, Canada. During his teaching career he wrote inspirational and history-themed articles for readers of diverse faiths. These have appeared in Mature Years, Anglican Review, Military Chaplain, and Doctors' Review, among others. He was raised and nurtured in the Anglican faith.
A Journal of Mere Christianity—Delivered to Your Door with Full Online Access
- Essays on theology, culture, and the Church
- Contributors from across the Christian traditions
- Six print issues per year
- Full digital archive access
Subscribe (Print + Online)
Get six issues (one year) of Touchstone PLUS full online access including pdf downloads for only $39.95.
Subscribe (Online Only)
Get a one-year full-access subscription to the Touchstone online archives for only $19.95.
bulk subscriptions
Order Touchstone subscriptions in bulk and save $10 per sub! Each subscription includes 6 issues of Touchstone plus full online access to touchstonemag.com—including archives, videos, and pdf downloads of recent issues for only $29.95 each! Great for churches or study groups.
Transactions will be processed on a secure server.
more on history from the online archives
31.1—January/February 2018
on Ragnarök, an Extreme Weather Event & the Paths to Conversion by Timothy J. Burbery
14.6—July/August 2001
The Transformed Relics of the Fall
on the Fulfillment of History in Christ by Patrick Henry Reardon
28.3—May/June 2015
Whittaker Chambers's Lonely War Against Godless Collectivism by Hunter Baker
more from the online archives
22.6—July/August 2009
on the Integration of Anger into the Virtuous Life by Leon J. Podles
31.5—September/October 2018
The Rise of the Gnostic Liberal State After Christianity by Andrew Latham
calling all readers
Please Donate
"There are magazines worth reading but few worth saving . . . Touchstone is just such a magazine."
—Alice von Hildebrand
"Here we do not concede one square millimeter of territory to falsehood, folly, contemporary sentimentality, or fashion. We speak the truth, and let God be our judge. . . . Touchstone is the one committedly Christian conservative journal."
—Anthony Esolen, Touchstone senior editor
