I am a post-graduate research student in the History Department of the University of Winchester.

I am researching the Cattle Plague (Rinderpest) epidemic, which ravaged agriculture between 1865 and 1867, when just under a quarter of a million cattle were lost nationwide.

My focus is primarily on the local effects of the plague, how local communities and individuals were affected by, and responded to, the epidemic and the measures brought in to control it.

These necessarily hit the farming communities hardest but there were serious ‘knock-on’ effects as we have seen with the Foot and Mouth outbreaks in the recent past.

I am studying the effects in Wiltshire, Norfolk and Cheshire in detail.

I was wondering if any of your readers knew of anything to do with the cattle plague from family histories or common knowledge; maybe they know of a memorial stone commemorating the events (I am aware of several but not many).

If anyone has family diaries of the period they may mention the events in passing or actual records of the events.

Anything at all would be of great interest to me and I would be most grateful if anyone can help.

If anyone does wish to get in touch please could they contact me, in the first instance through my university email, t.pratt2.18@unimail.winchester.ac.ukor c/o Horticultural Dept, Wiltshire College Lackham, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 2NY.

Thank you very much.

Tony Pratt

Chippenham