Pulling on the threads
I was looking for something else in an old newspaper (1866, to be exact) when I came across a reference to a day of humiliation in response to the cattle plague. Intrigued, I did what any sensible person would do and asked the robot. The response.
The report says that the Bishop of the Diocese recommended Wednesday, 7 March, as a day of humiliation, and that circular letters were read in the parish church at both morning and evening services the previous Sunday. The Government had decided not to intervene, apparently leaving the arrangement to the Church.
The “cattle plague” was the contemporary name for rinderpest, a highly contagious and often fatal viral disease of cattle. Britain suffered a devastating outbreak in 1865–66, causing enormous losses to farmers and threatening the food supply. It was not the same disease as foot-and-mouth.
In this context, “humiliation” meant collective repentance and supplication: the community was being called upon to humble itself before God and pray for relief from the epidemic. It did not mean that cattle owners were to be publicly shamed, nor does this report say that the service involved any particular ritual beyond a special observance.
One intriguing detail is the wording that the Government was “declining to interfere with the matter”. That suggests there had been some question about whether the day should be officially proclaimed or left to the Church authorities.
Not the most interesting item in the world, but I have frittered away whole days taking screenshots of Victorian prose and feeding them into the robot.
October 27, 2026 — 6:23 pm
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