Weymouth Plot, Plague, and Pestilence Tour

This walking tour of the Old Harbour and passageways of Weymouth takes you into a darker side of this popular holiday resort. This NEW 90-minute walking tour takes you back in time to the 14th Century. The first visit to the British Isles of a pestilence that changes life around the world!

In June 1348, the Bubonic Plague was reported in the coastal town of Melcombe Regis – not that it was given a name 800 years ago!

It was thought to be a punishment on the people of England from above. The story will be told of how it spread and what happened to the infected.

Weymouth is also famous for becoming a place where Pilgrims departed for foreign lands, or sought miracle cures, and was a place where Royalty visited too!

Pestilence was rife in the coastal areas throughout history, and many people were shunning the sea. During the 18th Century attitudes changed, and the seaside became a place where cures for different ailments were marketed to the masses. Even Royalty were to seek the waters of Weymouth Bay and the local springs as a place of recovery. Follow in the footsteps of "Mad King George" and learn about his prescribed visits to the town.

With the rich and famous visiting, plots were also a part of everyday life, from bribery and corruption, kidnap or assassination, and even local rebellion are all to be found in the history of this archetypal seaside resort! This fascinating tour takes you into the lesser known history of the area. The tour starts from the Nothe Tavern, Barrack Road, Weymouth, DT4 8TZ on the Wednesday evening at 20:00hrs and lasts around 90 minutes, finishing back at the Graveyard next to the pub – reputedly haunted!