Editing Death by burning (section)

====Lepers' Plot of 1321====
Not only Jews could be victims of mass hysteria. The charge of well-poisoning was the basis for a [[1321 lepers' plot|large-scale hunt of lepers in 1321 France]]. In the spring of 1321, in [[Périgueux]], people became convinced that the local lepers had poisoned the wells, causing ill-health among the normal populace. The lepers were rounded up and burned alive. The action against the lepers had repercussions throughout France, not least because King [[Philip V of France|Philip V]] issued an order to arrest all lepers, those found guilty to be burnt alive. Jews became tangentially included as well; at [[Chinon]] alone, 160 Jews were burnt alive.<ref>''Richards'' (2013), [https://books.google.com/books?id=saXbAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA161 pp. 161–163]</ref> All in all, around 5,000 lepers and Jews are recorded in one tradition to have been killed during the Lepers' Plot hysteria.<ref>''John, Pope'' (2003), [https://books.google.com/books?id=-_fnv5pmECsC&pg=PA177 p. 177]</ref>

The charge of the lepers' plot was not wholly confined to France; extant records from England show that on [[Jersey]] the same year, at least one family of lepers was burnt alive for having poisoned others.<ref>''Smirke'' (1865), [https://books.google.com/books?id=G4dbAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA326 pp. 326–331]</ref>