William Mompesson

William Mompesson was the vicar of Eyam during the outbreak of the Plague. When the plague broke out, William's wife, Catherine, wanted the whole family to leave Eyam. William tried to pursuade her to leave the village with the children so that he could stay to help the villagers without worrying about his family. Catherine refused to go and stayed to help her husband. The children were sent to Yorkshire. In June 1666, William and Thomas Stanley decided that nobody should leave or enter Eyam. It was his decision that has made Eyam famous to this day.