The Storm

    I am, Sir, yours,
    J. Bagshot.

Dec. 9. 1703.

SIR,

I give you many thanks for your account from London: We were no less terrified in Oxon with the Violence of the Storm, tho' we suffer'd in comparison but little Damage. The most considerable was, a Child kill'd in St. Giles's by the fall of an House; two Pinnacles taken off from the Top of Magdalen Tower, one from Merton; about 12 Trees blown down in Christ Church long walk, some of the Battlements from the Body of the Cathedral, and two or three Ranges of Rails on the Top of the great Quadrangle: Part of the great Elm in University Garden was blown off, and a Branch of the Oak in Magdalen walks; the rest of the Colleges scaped tolerably well, and the Schools and Theatre intirely. A very remarkable passage happened at Queen's College, several Sheets of Lead judged near 6000 l. weight, were taken off from the Top of Sir J. Williamson's Buildings, and blown against the West-end of St. Peter's Church with such Violence, that they broke an Iron-bar in the Window, making such a prodigious Noise with the fall, that some who heard it, thought the Tower had been falling. The rest of our Losses consisted for the most part in Pinnacles, Chimneys, Trees, Slates, Tiles, Windows, &c. amounting in all, according to Computation, to not above 1000 l.

Ox. Dec. 7. 1703.

From Kingstone-upon-Thames, the following Letter is very particular, and the truth of it may be depended upon.

SIR,

I have inform'd my self of the following Matters; here was blown down a Stack of Chimneys of Mrs. Copper, Widow, which fell on the Bed, on which she lay; but she being just got up, and gone down, she received no harm on her Body: Likewise, here was a Stack of Chimnies of one Mr. Robert Banford's blown down, which fell on a Bed, on which his Son and Daughter lay, he was about 14 years and the Daughter 16; but they likewise were just got down Stairs, and received no harm: A Stack of Chimnies at the Bull-Inn was blown down, and broke way down into the Kitchen, but hurt no Body: Here was a new Brick Malt-House of one Mr. Francis Best blown down, had not been built above two Years, blown off at the second Floor: besides many Barns, and out Houses; and very few Houses in the Town but lost Tiling, some more, some less, and Multitudes of Trees, in particular. 11 Elms of one Mr. John Bowles, Shooe-maker: About 30 Apple-trees of one Mr. Peirce's: And of one John Andrew, a Gardiner, 100 Apple-trees blown to the Ground: One Walter Kent, Esq; had about 20 Rod of new Brick-wall of his Garden blown down: One Mr. Tiringam, Gentleman, likewise about 10 Rod of new Brick-wall blown down: Mr. George Cole, Merchant, had also some Rods of new Brickwall blown down: Also Mr. Blitha, Merchant, had all his Walling blown down, and other extraordinary Losses. These are the most considerable Damages done here,

    Your humble Servant,
    C. Castleman.

From Teuxbury in Gloucestershire, and from Hatfield in Hertfordshire, the following Letters are sent us from the Ministers of the respective Places.

SIR,

Our Church, tho' a very large one, suffered no great discernable Damage. The Lead Roof, by the force of the Wind was strangely ruffled, but was laid down without any great cost or trouble. Two well-grown Elms, that stood before a sort of Alms-house in the Church-yard had a different Treatment; the one was broken short in the Trunck, and the head turn'd Southward, the other tore up by the Roots, and cast Northward: Divers Chimnies were blown down, to the great Damage and Consternation of the Inhabitants: And one rising in the middle of two Chambers fell so violently, that it broke thro' the Roof and Cieling of the Chamber, and fell by the Bed of Mr. W.M. and bruised some part of the Bed-teaster and Furniture; but himself, Wife and Child were signally preserved: An Out-house of Mr. F.M. (containing a Stable, Millhouse, and a sort of Barn, judged about 40 Foot in length) standing at the end of our Town, and much expos'd to the Wind, intirely fell, which was the most considerable Damage: Not one of our Town was kill'd, or notably hurt; tho' scarce any but were terribly alarm'd by the dreadful Violence of it, which remitted about five in the Morning: The beautiful Cathedral Church of Glocester suffer'd much; but of that I suppose you will have an account from some proper Hand: This I was willing to signifie to you, in answer to your Letter, not that I think them worthy of a publick Memorial; but the Preservation of W.M. his Wife and Child was remarkable,

    Your unknown Friend and Servant,
    John Matthews.

Teuxbury Jan. 12. 1703/4.

Bishop's Hatfield, Decem. 9. 1703

SIR,

I perceive by an Advertisement in the Gazette of last Monday, that a Relation of some considerable Things which happened in the late Tempest is intended to be printed, which design I believe will be well approved of, that the Memory of it may be perpetuated. I will give you an Account of some of the observable Damages done in this Parish: The Church which was Til'd is so shattered, that the Body of it is entirely to be ripp'd. Two Barns, and a Stable have been blown down; in the latter were 13 Horses, and none of them hurt, tho' there was but one to be seen when the Men first came. I have number'd about 20 large Trees blown down, which stood in the regular Walks in the Park here. It is said, that all the Trees blown down in both the Parks will make above an hundred Stacks of Wood. A Summer-house which stood on the East-side of the Bowling-green at Hatfield-House, was blown against the Wall, and broken, and a large part of it carried over the Wall, beyond a Cartway into the plowed Grounds. A great part of the South-wall belonging to one of the Gardens was levelled with the Ground; tho' it was so strong, that great part of it continues cemented, tho' it fell upon a Gravel-walk. Several Things which happened, incline me to think that there was something of an Hurricane. Part of the fine painted Glass-window in my Lord Salisbury's Chapel was broken, tho' it looked towards the East. The North-side of an House was untiled several Yards square. In some places the Lead has been raised up, and over one Portal quite blown off. In Brocket-hall Park belonging to Sir John Reade, so many Trees are blown down, that lying as they do, they can scarce be numbred, but by a moderate Computation, they are said to amount to above a Thousand. The Damages which this Parish hath sustained, undoubtedly amount to many hundred Pounds, some of the most considerable I have mentioned to you, of which I have been in great Measure an Eye-witness, and have had the rest from Credible Persons, especially the matter of Brocket-hall Park, it being two Miles out of Town, tho' in this Parish. I am,

    Sir, Your humble Servant,
    George Hemsworth, M.A.
    Curate of Bishop's Hatfield, in Hartfordshire.

The shorter Accounts which have been sent up from almost all parts of England, especially to the South of the Trent; tho' we do not transmit them at large as the abovesaid Letters are, shall be faithfully abridg'd for the readier comprising them within the due compass of our Volume.

From Kent we have many strange Accounts of the Violence of the Storm, besides what relate to the Sea Affairs.

At Whitstable, a small Village on the Mouth of the East Swale of the River Medway, we are inform'd a Boat belonging to a Hoy was taken up by the Violence of the Wind, clear off from the Water, and being bourn up in the Air, blew turning continually over and over in its progressive Motion, till it lodg'd against a rising Ground, above 50 Rod from the Water; in the passage it struck a Man, who was in the way, and broke his Knee to pieces.

We content our selves with relating only the Fact, and giving Assurances of the Truth of what we Relate, we leave the needful Remarks on such Things to another place.

At a Town near Chartham, the Lead of the Church rolled up together, and blown off from the Church above 20 Rod distance, and being taken up afterwards, and weigh'd it, appear'd to weigh above 2600 weight.

At Brenchly in the Western Parts of Kent, the Spire of the Steeple which was of an extraordinary hight was overturn'd; the particulars whereof you have in the following Letter, from the Minister of the place.

SIR,

According to your request, and my promise, for the service of the publick, I have here given you an Account of the Effects of the late Tempestuous Winds in the Parish of Brenchly, in the County of Kent, as freely and impartially as can be consistent with the Damages sustained thereby, viz.

A stately Steeple, whose Altitude exceeded almost, if not all, in Kent, the height whereof, according to various Computations, it never in my knowledge being exactly measured, did amount at least to 10 Rods; some say 12, and others more; yet this strong and noble Structure by the Rage of the Winds was levelled with the Ground, and made the sport and pastime of Boys and Girls, who to future Ages, tho' perhaps incredibly, yet can boast they leaped over such a Steeple, the fall thereof beat down great part of the Church and Porch, the damage of which to repair, as before, will not amount to less than 800 or 1000 l. This is the publick loss; neither does private and particular much less bemoan their Condition, for some Houses, and some Barns, with other Buildings, are quite demolished; tho' Blessed be God, not many Lives or Limbs lost in the fall, and not one House, but what suffered greatly by the Tempest. Neither were Neighbouring Parishes much more favoured; but especially, a place called Great Peckham, whose Steeple also, almost as high as ours, was then blown down, but not so much Damage to the Church, which God preserve safe and sound for ever.

    This is the nearest account that can be given, by your unknown Servant,
    Tho. Figg.

As the above Letter mentions the fall of the Spire of Great Peckham, we have omitted a particular Letter from the place.

In or near Hawkhurst in Sussex, a Waggon standing in a Field loaden with Straw, and bound well down in order to be fetch't away the next day, the Wind took the Waggon, drove it backward several Rods, force't it through a very thick Hedge into the Road, and the way being dirty, drove it with that force into the Mud or Clay of the Road, that six Horses could not pull it out.

The Collector of these Accounts cannot but enter the Remarks he made, having occasion to Traverse the County of Kent about a Month after the Storm; and besides, the general Desolation which in every Village gave almost the same prospect; he declares, that he reckoned 1107 dwelling Houses, Out-houses and Barns blown quite down, whole Orchards of Fruit Trees laid flat upon the Ground, and of all other sorts of Trees such a quantity, that tho' he attempted to take an Account of them, he found 'twas impossible, and was oblig'd to give it over.

From Monmouth we have a Letter, that among a vast variety of Ruins, in their own Houses and Barns; one whereof fell with a quantity of Sheep in it, of which seven were kill'd: The Lead of the great Church, tho' on the side from the Wind, was roll'd up like a roll of Cloth, and blown off from the Church.

I chose to note this, because the Letter says, it was upon the North-side of the Church, and which seems to confirm what I have observ'd before, of the Eddies of the Wind, the Operation whereof has been very strange in several places, and more Violent than the Storm it self.

At Wallingford, one Robert Dowell, and his Wife, being both in Bed, the Chimney of the House fell in, demolish'd the House, and the main Beam breaking fell upon the Bed, the Woman receiv'd but little Damage, but the Man had his Thigh broke by the Beam, and lay in a dangerous Condition when the Letter was wrote, which was the 18th of January after.

From Axminster in Somersetshire take the following plain, but honest Account.

SIR,

The best account I can give of the Storm in these Parts is as follows: Dr. Towgood had his Court Gate, with a piece of Wall blown to the other side of the Road, and stands upright against the Hedge, which was 12 Foot over, and it was as big as two Horses could draw: A sheet of Lead which lay flat was carried from Sir William Drake's quite over a Wall into the Minister's Court, near three-score Yards: There was a Tree which stood in Mr. John Whitty's Ground which broke in the middle, and the top of it blew over the Hedge, and over a Wall, and over a top of a House, and did not hurt the House: There was a Mow of Corn that was blown off the Posts, and sate upright without hurt, belonging to William Oliver, at an Estate of Edward Seymour's, called Chappel Craft: A Maiden Oke which stood in the Quille more than a Man could fathom, was broke in the middle: Several hundred of Apple-Trees, and other Trees blown down: Most Houses damnify'd in the Tiles and Thatch, but no Houses blown down, and no Person hurt nor killed; neither did the Church nor Tower, nor the Trees in the Church-yard received much Damage: Our loss in the Apple-Trees is the greatest; because we shall want Liquor to make our Hearts merry; the Farmer's sate them up again, but the Wind has blown them down since the Storm.

From Hartley in the County of Southampton, an honest Countryman brought the following Account by way of Certificate, from the Minister of the Parish.

SIR,

I the Minister of the abovesaid Parish, in the County of Southampton, do hereby Certifie of the several Damages done by the late great Wind in our own, and the Parish adjacent; several dwelling Houses strip'd, and several Barns overturn'd, several Sign Posts blown down, and many Trees, both Timber and Fruit; and particularly my own Dwelling House very much mortify'd, a Chimney fell down, and endanger'd both my own, and Families Lives. I am,

    Sir, your humble Servant,
    Nathan Kinsey.

From Okingham in Berkshire, and from Bagshot in Surrey, as follows.

SIR,

Great damage to the Houses, some Barns down, the Market-house very much shattred, the Clock therein spoiled, several hundreds of Trees torn up by the Roots, most of them Elms, nothing more remarkable than what was usual in other places. It is computed, that the damage amounts to 1000 l. And most of the Signs in the Town blown down, and some of the Leads on the Church torn up: Yet by the goodness of God, not one Person killed nor hurt.

Bagshot in Surry

The Chimneys of the Mannor House, some of them blown down, and 400 Pannel of Pales, with some of the Garden Walls blown down, and in and about the Town several great Elms torn up by the Roots, most of the Houses shatter'd, and the tops of Chimneys blown down.

In the Parish, a great many Chimneys, the tops of them blown down, and the Houses and Barns very much shatter'd, &c. the damage in all is supposed about 300 l. none killed.