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Snake Hill, Huddersfield Rd around 1900.
At a first glance nothing seems to have changed greatly over the last century. But take another look and you can see the last separate section of terrace
with the shop has been demolished. Snake Hill itself in the background is mentioned as far back as 1607 and was said to be
"snake ridden!"
Between here and Doctor Lane stood Little Moor House now the
site of
"The Maltings". In 1631 the"Black Death" Bubonic Plague was brought to Mirfield by a stranger Elizabeth Prince; 130 people fell victim to the disease. Fear of the disease was great and funerals of victims were not permitted in church for fear of spreading the disease. So large communal graves were dug. One such grave was in the field adjacent to Little Moor House. Prior to the building of "The Maltings" it was always known as the "Plague Field" and before any building work was carried out a survey had to be done to find any human remains! The fear that Bubonic Plague could still be present after all these years is still considered! "Surprisingly" nothing was found and the new estate was named after the maltings that once stood nearby, perhaps "Bubonic Place" or even "Plague Crescent" may have been more appropriate.
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