A Plague On Both Your Houses - Facts

 The book takes place in Cambridge in 1348.

Matthew is a doctor in medicine, and he works in Michaelhouse. Michaelhouse is a former college of the University of Cambridge, that existed between 1323 and 1546, when it was merged with King's Hall to form Trinity College.

Hervey de Stanton was the founder of the college.Hervey de Stanton  (1260 – November 1327) was an English judge and Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Edith, Matthew's sister, lives in Trumpington. Trumpington is a village to the south of Cambridge. 

The plague plays a vital role in this novel. The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Europe from 1346 to 1353. It was one of the most fatal pandemics in human history; as many as 50 million people. 

When Colte supposedly loses his mind, he takes refuge in St Botolph's Church. The church is dedicated to Botolph, a seventh-century abbot in East Anglia, who is a patron saint of travellers. The church was built by the long-demolished south gate of medieval Cambridge, through which travellers from the south and west entered the town.