ArticleslgStudy

science

Plague pit

Plague pit is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Plague pit rather than just read about it. In short: A plague pit is the informal term used to refer to mass graves in which victims of the Black Death were buried. The term is most often used to describe pits located in Great Britain, but can be applied to any place where bubonic plague victims were buried.

Plague pit — main illustration
Plague pit — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Plague pit belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Plague pit to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Plague pit from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A plague pit is the informal term used to refer to mass graves in which victims of the Black Death were buried. The term is most often used to describe pits located in Great Britain, but can be applied to any place where bubonic plague victims were buried.

Origin The plague which swept across China, the Middle East, and Europe in the 14th century is estimated to have killed between one-third and two-thirds of Europe's population. Disposal of the bodies of those who died presented huge problems for the authorities, and eventually the normal patterns of burial and funerary observance broke down.

Major plague outbreaks Plague pits were used especially often during major plague outbreaks, such as the London epidemic of 1665. With between 15% of London’s population died between 1665-1666. Graveyards rapidly filled and parishes became strained; for example the number of deaths in the parish of St Bride's Church, Fleet Street, in 1665 was almost six times the average.

References

Illustrations

Plague pit: 149 victims of the Great Plague were buried at All Saints' Churchyard at Isleworth in 1665
149 victims of the Great Plague were buried at All Saints' Churchyard at Isleworth in 1665

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Plague pit

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Plague pit claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Plague pit before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Plague pit ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Plague pit

In research
Plague pit appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Plague pit in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Plague pit is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Black Death, Cemeteries, Death in the United Kingdom, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Plague pit outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Plague pit in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Plague pit means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Plague pit out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Plague pit in simple terms?

A plague pit is the informal term used to refer to mass graves in which victims of the Black Death were buried. The term is most often used to describe pits located in Great Britain, but can be applied to any place where bubonic plague victims were buried.

Why does Plague pit matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Plague pit?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Plague pit.

Tags

  • Black Death
  • Cemeteries
  • Death in the United Kingdom
  • Epidemiology
  • Great Plague of London
  • Mass graves in the United Kingdom
  • Plague monuments and memorials

Keep exploring