Surviving the Black Death in medieval England: recovering from illness at Warboys, Huntingdonshire

The Black Death swept through Europe between 1347 and 1353, killing perhaps half of the population. Yet there is remarkably little information about those who contracted plague and recovered. Who fell ill? How long did their recovery take? Why did some survive, and others succumb to the disease? This article provides the first evidence of a group of twenty-two individuals on the manor of Warboys who missed their labour services due to illness over the summer of 1349. Most returned to work within three or four weeks, providing fresh insights into how long it took survivors to reintegrate into society.