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.
This is all the Account I can give you concerning the damage done by the Tempest hereabouts. This is all at present from,
Your Humble Servant,
Jo. Lewis.Bagshot,
Feb. 1. 1704.
At Becles the Leads of the Church ript up, part of the Great Window blown down, and the whole Town exceedingly shatter'd.
At Ewell by Epsome in Surry, the Lead from the flat Roof of Mr. Williams's House was roll'd up by the Wind, and blown from the top of the House clear over a Brick Wall near 10 Foot high, without damnifying either the House or the Wall, the Lead was carried near 6 Rod from the House; and as our Relator says, was Computed to weigh near 10 Tun. This is Certified by Mr. George Holdsworth of Epsome, and sent for the Service of the present Collection, to the Post House at London, to whom we refer for the Truth of the Story.
From Ely in the County of Cambridge, we have the following Relation; also by a Letter from another Hand, and I the rather Transmit this Letter, because by other hands we had an account, that it was expected the Cathedral or Minster at Ely, being a very Ancient Building, and Crazy, would not have stood the fury of the Wind, and some People that lived within the reach of it, had Terrible Apprehensions of its falling, some shocks of the Wind gave it such a Motion, that any one that felt it, would have thought it was impossible it should have stood.
SIR,
According to your request, I have made it my business to get the exactest and truest account (I am able) of the damages and losses sustain'd on this side the Country, by the late Violent Storm. The Cathedral Church of Ely by the Providence of God did, contrary to all Men's expectations, stand out the shock; but suffered very much in every part of it, especially that which is called the Body of it, the Lead being torn and rent up a considerable way together; about 40 lights of Glass blown down, and shatter'd to pieces, one Ornamental Pinacle belonging to the North Isle demolish'd, and the Lead in divers other parts of it blown up into great heaps. Five Chimneys falling down in a place called the Colledge, the place where the Prebendaries Lodgings are, did no other damage (prais'd be God) then beat down some part of the Houses along with them; the loss which the Church and College of Ely sustain'd, being by computation near 2000 l. The Sufferers are the Reverend the Dean and Chapter of the said Cathedral. The Wind Mills belonging both to the Town and Country, felt a worse fate, being blown or burnt down by the Violence of the Wind, or else disabled to that degree, that they were wholy unable of answering the design they were made for; three of the aforesaid Mills belonging to one Jeremiah Fouldsham of Ely, a very Industrious Man of mean Substance, were burnt and blown down, to the almost Ruin and Impoverishment of the aforesaid Person, his particular loss being upward of a 100 l. these are the most remarkable disasters that befel this side of the Country. The Inhabitants both of the Town of Ely and Country general, receiv'd some small damages more or less in their Estates and Substance, viz. The Houses being stript of the Tiling, Barns and Out-houses laid even with the Ground, and several Stacks of Corn and Cocks of Hay being likewise much damaged, the general loss being about 20000 l. the escape of all Persons here from Death, being generally miraculous; none as we can hear of being kill'd, tho' some were in more imminent danger than others. This, Sir, is as true, and as faithful an account as we are able to collect.
I am Yours, A. Armiger.
Ely, Jan. 21. 1703.
From Sudbury in Suffolk, an honest plain Countryman gives us a Letter, in which telling us of a great many Barns blown down, Trees, Chimneys and Tiles, he tells us in the Close, that their Town fared better than they expected, but that for all the neighbouring Towns they are fearfully shatter'd.