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.
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.