 The official returns record 68,596 cases of plague, but a reasonable estimate suggests this figure is 30,000 short of the true total.A plague house was marked with a red cross on the door with the words "Lord have mercy upon us", and a watchman stood guard outside.Reports of plague around Europe began to reach England in the 1660s, causing the Privy Council to consider what steps might be taken to prevent it crossing to England.