Medieval plague survivors left us graffiti, court records and a lesson for COVID

Graffiti inscription about the Black Death at St Mary's church, Ashwell Jack1956/Wikipedia, CC BY Memories of pandemics are often contentious. They can be disputed, uncomfortable and politically charged. As the COVID-19 pandemic begins to feel more distant, governments, communities and families have started asking how it should be remembered. Efforts range from personal memorials for lost loved ones to official commemoration programmes. Looking at how earlier societies remembered pandemics can…