The Storm

by Daniel Defoe

  Littleton, Decent. 20. Ralph Norris.

  Middleton-Stony in Oxfordshire, Nov. 26. 1703

  The Wind being South West and by West, it began to blow very hard at 12 of the Clock at Night, and about four or five in the Morning Nov. 27, the Hurricane was very terrible; many large Trees were torn up by the Roots in this Place; the Leads of the Church were Roll’d up, the Stone Battlements of the Tower were blown upon the Leads, several Houses and Barns were uncover’d, part of a new built Wall of Brick, belonging to a Stable was blown down, and very much damage, of the like Nature, was done by the Wind in the Towns and Villages adjacent.

  William Offley, Rector of Middleton-Stony.

  From Leamington Hasting, near Dun-Church in Warwickshire, we have the following Account.

  SIR,

  I find in the Advertisments a Desire to have an Account of what happen’d remarkable in the late terrible Storm in the Country; the Stories every where are very many, and several of them such as will scarce gain Credit; one of them I send here an Account of being an Eye Witness, and living upon the place: The Storm here began on the 26th of Novem. 1703. about 12-a-clock, but the severest Blasts were between 5 and six in the Morning, and between Eight and Nine the 27th I went up to the Church, where I found all the middle Isle clearly stript of the Lead from one End to the other, and a great many of the Sheets lying on the East End upon the Church, roll’d up like a piece of Cloth: I found on the Ground six Sheets of Lead, at least 50 Hundred weight, all joyn’d together, not the least parted, but as they lay upon the Isle, which six Sheets of Lead were so carried in the Air by the Wind fifty Yards and a Foot, measured by a Workman exactly as cou’d be, from the place of the Isle where they lay, to the place they fell; and they might have been carried a great way further, had they not happen’d in their way upon a Tree, struck off an Arm of it near 17 Yards high; the End of one Sheet was twisted round the Body of the Tree, and the rest all joyn’d together lay at length, having broke down the Pales first where the Tree stood, and lay upon the Pales on the Ground, with one End of them, as I said before, round the Body of the Tree.

  At the same time at Marson, in the County of Warwick, about 4 Miles from this place, a great Rick of Wheat was blown off from its Staddles, and set down without one Sheaf remov’d, or disturb’d, or without standing away 20 Yards from the place.

  If you have a mind to be farther satisfied in this Matter, let me hear from you, and I will endeavour it: But I am in great hast at this time, which forces me to be confus’d.

  I am your Friend,

  E. Kingsburgh.

  The following Account we have from Fareham and Christ Church in Hampshire, which are also well attested.

  SIR,

  I received yours, and in Answer these are to acquaint you; That we about us came no ways behind the rest of our Neighbours in that mighty Storm or Hurricane. As for our own Parish, very few Houses or Outhouses escaped. There was in the Parish of Fareham six Barns blown down, with divers other Outhouses, and many Trees blown up by the Roots, and other broken off in the middle; by the fall of a large Elm, a very large Stone Window at the West End of our Church was broken down; there was but two Stacks of Chimneys thrown down in all our Parish that I know of, and those without hurting any Person. There was in a Coppice called Pupal Coppice, an Oak Tree, of about a Load of Timber, that was twisted off with the Wind, and the Body that was left standing down to the very Roots so shivered, that if it were cut into Lengths, it would fall all in pieces. Notwithstanding so many Trees, and so much Out-Housing was blown down, I do not hear of one Beast that was killed or hurt. There was on the Down called Portsdown, in the Parish of Southwick, within three Miles of us, a Wind-Mill was blown down, that had not been up very many Years, with great damage in the said Parish to Mr. Norton, by the fall of many Chimneys and Trees. The damage sustained by us in the Healing is such, that we are obliged to make use of Slit Deals18 to supply the want of Slats and Tyles until Summer come to make some. And so much Thatching wanting, that it cannot be all repaired till after another Harvest. As for Sea Affairs about us, we had but one Vessel abroad at that time, which was one John Watson, the Master of which was never heard of yet, and I am afraid never will; I have just reason to lament her Loss, having a great deal of Goods aboard of her. If at any time any particular Relation that is true, come to my knowledge in any convenient time, I will not fail to give you an Account, and at all times remain

  Fareham,

  Your Servant,

  January the 23d. 1703/4.

  Hen. Stanton.

  SIR,

  In Answer to yours, relating to the Damages done by the late Storm in, and about out Town, is, that we had great part of the Roof of our Church uncover’d, which was cover’d with very large Purbick-stone, and the Battlements of the Tower, and part of the Leads blown down, some Stones of a vast weight blown from the Tower, several of them between two or three hundred weight, were blown some Rods or Perches19 distance from the Church; and 12 Sheets of Lead rouled up together, that 20 Men could not have done the like, to the great Amasement of those that saw ’em: And several Houses and Barns blown down, with many hundreds of Trees of all sorts; several Stacks of Chimneys being blown down, and particularly of one Thomas Spencers’ of this Town, who had his Top of a Brick Chimney taken off by the House, and blown a cross a Cart Road, and lighting upon a Barn of Richard Holloways’, broke down the end of the said Barn, and fell upright upon one End, on a Mow of Corn in the Barn; but the said Spencer and his Wife, altho’ they were then sitting by the Fire, knew nothing thereof until the Morning: And a Stack of Chimneys of one Mr. Imbers’ fell down upon a young Gentlewoman’s Bed, she having but just before got out of the same, and several Out-houses and Stables were blown down, some Cartel killed; and some Wheat-ricks entirely blown off their Stafolds; and lighted on their bottom without any other damage; this is all the Relation I can give you that is Remarkable about us,

  I remain your Friend and Servant,

  William Mitchel.

  At Ringwood and Fording-Bridge, several Houses and Trees are blown down, and many more Houses uncovered.

  From Oxford the following Account was sent, enclosed in the other, and are confirm’d by Letters from other Hands.

  SIR,

  The inclos’d is a very exact, and I am sure, faithful Account of the Damages done by the late Violent Tempest in Oxford. The particulars of my Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells, and his Ladies Misfortune are as follows, The Palace is the Relicks of a very old decay’d Castle, only one Corner is new built; and had the Bishop had the good Fortune to have lain in those Apartments that Night, he had sav’d his Life. He perceiv’d the fall before it came, and accordingly jump’t out of Bed, and made towards the Door, where he was found with his Brains dash’d out; his Lady perceiving it, wrapt all the Bed-cloaths about her, and in that manner was found smother’d in Bed. This account is Authentick,

  I am, Sir, yours,

  Dec. 9. 1703.

  J. Bagshot.

  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. Giless’ 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 6000l. weight, were taken off from the Top of Sir J. Williamsons’ 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 1000l.

  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 Banfords’ 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. Peirces’: 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-teaster20 and Furniture; but himself, Wife and Child were signally preserved: An Out-house of Mr. F. M. (containing a Stable, Mill-house, 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,

  Teuxbury Jan. 12. 1703/4.

  John Matthews.

  Bishop’s Hatfield, Decern. 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 Salisburys’ 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 Hoy21 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 1000l. 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 Steepl
e 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.