Primary sourceArtifact14th century
Medieval Graffiti, Ashwell Church
14th century
Latin graffiti scratched into the stone of an English church, lamenting the misery of the plague years.
A rare first-hand written reaction to the plague years, carved by an anonymous ordinary witness.
About this source
What it is
This photograph shows medieval graffiti carved into the stone walls of St Mary the Virgin's Church in Ashwell, England. The inscriptions are in Latin and include phrases describing the plague years as 'miserable, wild, distracted.'
Why it matters
Most surviving accounts of the Black Death come from clergy, chroniclers, or officials. This graffiti is different: it was carved by an ordinary person living through the plague, giving a rare personal glimpse of fear and despair rather than official record-keeping.
Look closer
- Why might someone carve their feelings into a church wall rather than write them on paper?
- What does the choice of words tell you about how this person experienced the plague years?
- Whose voices are usually missing from history, and why does this graffiti matter?
This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of The Black Death on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.
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