| Date | Building | Damage | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1589. July 16 | Nicholas Tower, Hamburg | The tower burnt down | From original notices in Reimarus, Bl. 315 |
| 1670. June 29 | Nicholas Church, Straland | Damaged | Phil. Trans. v. 2084 |
| 1673. June 29 | Pharr Church, Epperies, Hungary | Damaged | Breslauer Samml. 1717, p. 64 |
| 1693 | Oundle Church | Set on fire | Phil. Trans. xvii. 710 |
| 1700. Oct. 9 | Principal church, Troies | Set on fire and shattered | Mém. de l’Acad. de Sc. Paris, 1760, p. 65 |
| 1708. July | All Hallows’ Church, Colchester | Damaged | Phil. Trans. 432 |
| 1711. May 20 | Principal town tower in Bern; houses adjoining | Damaged | Scheuchzer, Meteorol. Helv. p. 35 |
| 1711. May 23 | The belfry of the church at Solingen | Set on fire | Scheuchzer, Meteorol. Helv. p. 28 |
| 1714. June 21 | Elizabeth Tower, Breslau | Damaged | Breslauer Samml. 1717, p. 68 |
| 1717. July 2 | Church at Seidenberg, near Zittau | Seven persons killed | Breslauer Samml. 1718, p. 1534 |
| 1718. April 14, 15 | Twenty-four churches between Landerneau and St. P. de Léon, Brittany | Set on fire and shattered | Hist. de l’Acad. de Sc. Paris, 1719, p. 21 |
| 1718. Dec. 14 | Church tower at Eutin | Set on fire | Breslauer Samml. 1718, p. 1968 |
| 1725. Dec. 18 | Church tower, Winterthur | Lightning followed an accidental conductor, and resulted in melting it | Breslauer Samml. 1725, p. 166 |
| 1728. Aug. 25 | Church tower, Mellingen, in Baden | Shattered | Reimarus, Bl. 145 |
| 1731. July | Three villages near Geneva | Destroyed | Gent.’s Mag. p. 309 |
| 1732. Oct. | The Escurial at Madrid | Set on fire | Gent.’s Mag. p. 1034 |
| 1743. Aug. | Liberton Church, Scotland | Steeple destroyed | Gent.’s Mag. xiv. 450 |
| 1745. July 21 | Tower of monastery, Bologna | Shattered. Lightning followed an accidental conductor, and melted it | Reimarus, Bl. 93 |
| 1746. May 21 | Tower of the School Church, Halle | The ball on the tower bent, and other mechanical effects | Reimarus, 198 |
| 1747. Aug. 20 | Tower of the College Church, Pluviers | Physio. and mechanical effects | Mém. de l’Acad. de Sc. Paris, 1748, p. 572 |
| 1748. May 31 | Top of a church tower, Witzendorf | Shattered and tore off the roof; melted and shattered accidental conductor | Hamburg Magazine, ix. 301 |
| 1750. Feb. 5 | Church tower, Danbury, Essex | Set on fire | Phil. Trans. xlvi. 611 |
| 1750. Spring | Tower of Dutch Church, New York | Lightning followed an accidental conductor, which was shattered, and caused other mechanical effects | Franklin, Experiments and Observations xv. 180 |
| 1751. June 6 | Tower of church, South Moulton, Devonshire | Lightning followed an accidental conductor, which was shattered, and caused other mechanical effects | Phil. Trans. xlvii. 330 |
| 1752. June 19 | Church tower, Alfwa, Sweden | Tower damaged; several persons injured | Schwed. Abh. xv. 80 |
| 1753. Mar. | Darlington Church | Much damaged | Gent.’s Mag. xxiii. 145 |
| 1753. Oct. | Church of Les Filles de St. Sacrament, Naples | Reduced to ashes | Gent.’s Mag. xxiii. 487 |
| 1754. June 16 | Belfry of Newbury Church | Point of spire shattered, accidental conductor melted, and other damage | Phil. Trans. xlix. 307 |
| 1755 | Danish Church, Wellclose Square | Clock damaged | Phil. Trans. xlix. 298 |
| 1755. Dec. | St. Aubin Church, Lorraine | Much damaged | Gent.’s Mag. xxv. 42 |
| 1757. Jan. | Lostwithiel Church, Cornwall | Much damaged | Gent.’s Mag. xxviii. 427 |
| 1757. Nov. | Christ Church, Dublin | Much damaged | Gent.’s Mag. xxvii. 527 |
| 1759. April | Great Billing Church, Northamptonshire | Steeple destroyed | Ann. Reg. ii. 84 |
| 1759. May | Portsmouth Church, New Hampshire | Much damaged | Gent.’s Mag. xxix. 355 |
| 1759. June 10 | Jacob Church, Aumale | Several persons injured | Reimarus, Bl. 158 |
| 1760. July 16 | Church, Altona | Lightning struck the copper covering on the top of spire, followed accidental conductors, and melted them | Reimarus, 59 |
| 1761. June | Shifnal Church, Norfolk | Greatly damaged | Ann. Reg. iv. 136 |
| 1761. July | Ludgvan Church, near Penzance | Greatly damaged | Ann. Reg. iv. 142 |
| 1763. Mar. | Harrow Church | Set on fire | Gent.’s Mag. xxiii. 142 |
| 1763. Mar. | Salisbury Cathedral | Damaged | Gent.’s Mag. xxiii. 143 |
| 1763. Mar. | Southam Church, Warwickshire | Damaged | Gent.’s Mag. xxxiii. 142 |
| 1764. June 18 | St. Bride’s Church, London | Spire struck and much damaged | Phil. Trans. liv. 227 |
| 1765. Aug. | Bicester Church | Much damaged | Gent.’s Mag. xxxv. 391 |
| 1766. July | Skipton-in-Craven Church | Much damaged | Ann. Reg. ix. 118 |
| 1766. Aug. | St. Mary’s Church, Bury St. Edmunds | Much damaged | Ann. Reg. ix. 122 |
| 1767. April | Provence, France | Three churches set on fire | Ann. Reg. x. 81 |
| 1767. May | Mentz Cathedral | Set on fire | Ann. Reg. x. 92 |
| 1767. Aug. 6 | Nicholas Tower, Hamburg | Lightning followed accidental conductors, and partly melted them | Reimarus, Bl. 291 |
| 1767. Sept. | Genoa | Several churches damaged | Ann. Reg. x. 126 |
| 1768. Aug. 21 | Church tower in Alem | Damaged. Several persons injured | Haarlem Verh. xiv. 34 |
| 1770. Feb. 18 | St. Keverns Church, Cornwall | Damaged. Several persons injured | Hemmer, Act. Acd. Palat. iv. 37 |
| 1771. Feb. 2 | Nicholas Church, Kiel | Lightning followed accidental conductor, and left traces | Ackermann’s notice, Kiel, 1772 |
| 1772. Mar. | St. Paul’s Cathedral, London | Lightning followed accidental conductor, and left traces | Arago, iv. 88 |
| 1773. April | Lighthouse at Villafranca, Nice | Destroyed | Gent.’s Mag. xliii. 246 |
| 1773. June | Rhichenback, Saxony | Town reduced to ashes | Ann. Reg. xvi. 115 |
| 1773 | St. Peter’s Church, London | Shattered the tower roof | Phil. Trans. lxv. 336 |
| 1774. Aug. | Buckland Church, near Dover | Damaged | Ann. Reg. xvii. 140 |
| 1775. Feb. | St. Colomb Church, Cornwall | Much damaged | Ann. Reg. xviii. 91 |
| 1775. June 27 | A church in Munich | Tower injured | Epp. 90 |
| 1776. Aug. | Cuckfield Church, Suffolk | Much damaged | Ann. Reg. xix. 170 |
| 1778. April 15 | Church in Altona | Metal melted | Reimarus, Bl. 64 |
| 1780. Sept. | Church of the Holy Spirit, Hamburg | Injured | Reimarus, N.B. 47 |
| 1780. Oct. | Hammersmith Church | Much damaged | Ann. Reg. xxiii. 230 |
| 1783. July | Ashbourne Church, Derbyshire | Steeple demolished | Gent.’s Mag. liii. 707 |
| 1783 | St. Mary’s, Leicester | Steeple demolished | |
| 1786. June 26 | Church in Wachenheim | Shattered. People injured | Act. Acad. Theod. Palat. vi. 332 |
| 1787. June | St. Mary’s Church, Grenoble | Much damaged | Gent.’s Mag. lvii. 820 |
| 1787. June | Vendamir Church, Vercovia | Several persons killed | Gent.’s Mag. lvii. 820 |
| 1787. June | St. Gregorius Church, Prague | Set on fire | Gent.’s Mag. lvii. 820 |
| 1787. June | Cranbrook Church | Much damaged | Gent.’s Mag. lvii. 824 |
| 1789. May | Pforzheim Church | Entirely consumed, with thirty adjoining buildings | Gent.’s Mag. lix. 754 |
| 1789. June | Barnewell Church, near Oundle | Damaged | Gent.’s Mag. lix. 665 |
| 1790. Dec. | Beckenham Church | Set on fire | Ann. Reg. xxxii. 229 |
| 1790. Dec. | Horsham Church | Set on fire | Ann. Reg. xxxii. 229 |
| 1791. Jan. | Ashton-under-Lyne Church | Much damaged | Ann. Reg. xxxiii. 3 |
| 1791. Oct. | Rainham Church | Much damaged | Gent.’s Mag. lxi. 1050 |
| 1795. June | Castor Church | Much damaged | Gent.’s Mag. lxv. 517 |
| 1795. Dec. 25 | Church in Bergen, Norway | Set on fire | Gilb. Ann. xxix. 176 |
| 1797. July | Grantham Church | Damaged | Gent.’s Mag. lxviii. 104 |
| 1797. Aug. | Caldecot Church, Rutland | Spire much damaged | Gent.’s Mag. lxvii. 817 |
| 1801. July | Corby Church | Damaged | Gent.’s Mag. lxxi. 659 |
| 1804. Mar. | St. Gertrude Church at Nevelles | Burnt by lightning | Gent.’s Mag. lxxiv. 368 |
| 1804. Mar. | St. Maria at Oudenard in Flanders | Burnt by lightning | |
| 1804. June | Edenham Church, Lincoln | Damaged | Ann. Reg. xlvi. 394 |
| 1804. June | Hanslope Church, Bucks | Spire destroyed | Ann. Reg. xlvi. 395 |
| 1806. July | Sunbury Church, Middlesex | Damaged | Ann. Reg. xlviii. 426 |
| 1807 | Montvilliers Church, France | Damaged | Howard’s Climate of London, ii. 29 |
| 1810. July | Attercliffe Chapel | Much damaged | Gent.’s Mag. |
| 1811. June | Ashford Church | Much damaged | Gent.’s Mag. lxxxi. 584 |
| 1811. Dec. | Ledbury Parish Church | Damaged | Gent.’s Mag. lxxxi. 650 |
| 1812 | St. Pelverin Church, Department of the Loire | Set on fire and burnt to the ground | Howard’s Climate of London, ii. 165 |
| 1813 | Bridgwater Church | Spire destroyed | Howard’s Climate of London, ii. 222 |
| 1813 | Weston Zoyland Church | Tower much damaged | Howard’s Climate of London, ii. 222 |
| 1814. Nov. | Thackstead Church, Essex | Much damaged | Gent.’s Mag. lxxxiv. 491 |
| 1815 | The steeples of many churches in Belgium, in places far distant from one another | Struck and set on fire nearly at the same hour | Howard’s Climate of London, ii. 259 |
| 1816. July | Worschetz, county of Temeswar | Church and the town greatly damaged | Ann. Reg. lviii. 102 |
| 1816. Oct. | Moselle Church | Damaged | Ann. Reg. lviii. 161 |
| 1817. Mar. | St. Paulinas Church, Germany | Set on fire | Ann. Reg. lix. 15 |
| 1819. Jan. | St. Martin’s Church, Guernsey | Much damaged | Ann. Reg. lxi. 5 |
| 1819. July | Sedgeford Church, Lynn | Much damaged | Ann. Reg. lxi. 50 |
| 1821. May 7 | Tower of Katherine’s Church, Gross-Selten | Church burned | Gilb. Ann. lxviii. 224 |
| 1821. May 7 | Wooden Tower of Katherine Church, Tischendorf | Tower burned | Gilb. Ann. lxviii. 224 |
| 1821. May 8 | Church at Carlsruhe | Damaged | Gilb. Ann. lxviii. 224 |
| 1821. April | Redcliffe Church, Bristol | Much damaged | Gent.’s Mag. xci. 367 |
| 1822. Jan. 15 | Church at Gerstetten | Damaged | Wurtemberger Jahreshafte, xi. 463 |
| 1822. June | North Luffenham Church, Rutland | Much damaged | Gent.’s Mag. xcii. 636 |
| 1822. Aug. | Church at Chatham | Spire ripped open | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 165 |
| 1822. Sept. | Rouen Cathedral | Set on fire | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 165 |
| 1822. Oct. | St. Peter’s Church, Venice | Reduced to ruins | Gent.’s Mag. xcii. 553 |
| 1823 | Kemble Church, Wilts | Spire destroyed | Howard’s Climate of London, iii. 135 |
| 1823. Feb. | Shaugh Church, near Plymouth | Tower struck and much shattered. An iron conductor had been erected about two years before, but this had rusted and gone to decay | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 165 |
| 1824. July 10 | Church at Simmerfeld | Damaged | Würtemberger Jahreshafte, xi. 463 |
| 1824. Nov. | Charles Church, Plymouth | Steeple struck, and the small brass rod erected as a lightning conductor knocked to pieces | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 165 |
| 1825—about | Torrington Church, North Devon | Tower and steeple ruined. They had to be rebuilt | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 165 |
| 1826. June | Alphington Church, near Exeter | Much damaged | Ann. Reg. 1826, p. 97 |
| 1827 | Pailant Church, Chichester | Considerably damaged | Howard’s Climate of London, iii. 259 |
| 1827. Jan. 11 | Church Tower, Bussen | Set on fire, although covered with snow | Würtemberger Jahreshafte, xi. 463 |
| 1828. April | Edlesborough Church | Set on fire | Gent.’s Mag. xcviii. 358 |
| 1828. June | Kingsbridge Church, Devon | Steeple rent, and other damage | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 165 |
| 1828. Oct. | Kilcoleman Church, co. Mayo | Spire destroyed | Ann. Reg. p. 131 |
| 1830. July | Independent Chapel, Edgworth Moor, near Bolton | Damaged | Ann. Reg. p. 101 |
| 1830. Aug. | Marlborough Church, near Kingsbridge, Devon | Tower and church severely damaged | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 166 |
| 1831. Feb. | Kilmichael Church, Glassire | Much damaged | Ann. Reg. p. 39 |
| 1833. Aug. | Strasburg Cathedral | Much damaged | Builder, ii. 39 |
| 1835. May 16 | Church Tower, Endersbach | Much shattered | Würtemb. Jahreshafte, xi. 465 |
| 1835. June | Durham Cathedral | Western tower damaged | Ann. Reg. p. 94 |
| 1836. Jan. | Black Rock, near Cork | Spire demolished | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 166 |
| 1836. Nov. | Christ Church, Doncaster | The spire shattered and the church greatly injured. The roof was smashed in, and the churchyard presented a scene of ruin and devastation. The spire was surmounted by a ball of glass to keep off the lightning! | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 166 |
| 1837. June | Hoo Church, Kent | Set on fire | Gent.’s Mag. N.S. viii. p. 80 |
| 1839. Jan 8 | Church tower in Hasselt | Damaged | Arago, Notiz, 125 |
| 1841. Jan. | Spitalfields, London | Spire rent, and other damages | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 166 |
| 1841 | Streatham | Spire nearly destroyed, and church set on fire | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 166 |
| 1841. May 10 | Walton Church, Stafford | Spire destroyed | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 166 |
| 1841. Aug. 24 | St. Michael’s, Liverpool | Beautiful spire shattered, and clock injured | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 166 |
| 1841. Aug. 24 | St. Martin’s, Liverpool | Spire shattered, and other damage | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 166 |
| 1841 | Wolverhampton Parish Church | Set on fire | Annals of Electricity, vi. 504 |
| 1841 | Spitalfields Church | Steeple damaged | Annals of Electricity, vi. 504 |
| 1842. April 24 | Brixton Church, London | Dome and building much rent | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 166 |
| 1842. July 28 | St. Martin’s, London | Spire shattered; cost of repair, 1,500l. | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 166 |
| 1843. April 25 | Exton Church, Rutland | Spire destroyed; church set on fire and nearly destroyed | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 166 |
| 1843. May 25 | St. Mark’s, Hull | Slightly damaged | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 166 |
| 1843. Oct. | North Huish, near Modbury, Devon | Steeple shattered | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 166 |
| 1844. Mar. | Oving Church, near Chichester | Spire damaged | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 166 |
| 1844 | St. Clement’s, London | Clock injured | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 166 |
| 1844. July | Magdalen Tower, Oxford | One of the pinnacles damaged; staircase injured | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 166 |
| 1844. July 20 | Stannington Church, near Sheffield | Seriously damaged | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 166 |
| 1846. June 14 | Church near Chambrey | Damaged | Compt. Rend. xxiii. 153 |
| 1846. Aug. | St. George’s Church, Leicester | Spire destroyed | Builder, iv. 395 |
| 1846. Aug. | Dedham Church, Essex | Much damaged | Builder, iv. 395 |
| 1846. Oct. | Village of Schledorf, near Munich | Completely destroyed | Journal des Debats, Oct. 20, 1846 |
| 1847. June | Her Majesty’s palace, Osborne | One tower much damaged | Builder, vii. 291 |
| 1847. June | Church in Thann | Much damaged | Compt. Rend. xxix. 485 |
| 1847. Aug. | Walton Church, Lincolnshire | Lightning entered at the belfry; one man killed, several injured | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 158 |
| 1849. July | St. Saviour’s, Southwark | Damaged | Ann. Reg. xci. 80 |
| 1850. May | Norton-by-Gaulby Church | Spire much damaged | Builder, viii. 248 |
| 1850. May | Little Stretton Church | Much damaged | Builder, viii. |
| 1850. Aug. | Roman Catholic Church, York | Bell-turret shattered | Builder, viii. 405 |
| 1850. Oct. | Keysoe Church | Considerably damaged | Builder, viii. 509 |
| 1850. Nov. | Cobridge Church, Potteries | Considerably damaged | Builder, viii. 533 |
| 1851. May | St. Sepulchre’s Church, Northampton | Much damaged | Builder, ix. 329 |
| 1851. May | Edinburgh Assembly Hall | Much damaged | Builder, ix. 305 |
| 1851. June | Boulogne Cathedral | Dome damaged | Builder, ix. 415 |
| 1852. July 6 | Ross Church, Hereford | Severely damaged | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 166 |
| 1852. July | Woolpit Church, Suffolk | Tower and spire destroyed | Builder, x. 492 |
| 1852. July | Leighton Buzzard Church | Much damaged | Builder, x. 492 |
| 1852 | Exton Parish Church | Church nearly destroyed | Builder, xii. 575 |
| 1853. Jan. | Derby Church | Much damaged | Builder, xi. 28 |
| 1853. Jan. | Parish Church, Eskdalemuir, Dumfries | Entirely destroyed | Builder, xi. 43 |
| 1853. Feb. | Lincoln Cathedral | Struck north-west pinnacle of the broad tower; set on fire; narrowly escaped destruction | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 166 |
| 1853. July | Skipton Church | Much damaged | Builder, xi. 423 |
| 1853. July | Hereford Old Parish Church | Slightly damaged | Builder, xi. 487 |
| 1853. Nov. | Chaddesley Corbett Church | Considerably damaged | Builder, xi. 704 |
| 1854. May | Hanwell Church | Spire much damaged | Builder, xii. 283 |
| 1854. May | Helpringham Church | Spire much damaged | Builder, xii. 269 |
| 1854. June | Ealing Church | Had a common conductor, which was fused; the church slightly damaged | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 167 |
| 1854. July | Ashbury Church | Had a common conductor, which was fused; church damaged, but not considerably | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 167 |
| 1854. July 19 | Tower of Magdalen College, Oxford | Much damaged | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 167 |
| 1854. Aug. | National School Chapel, St. Mary, Ipswich | Three children killed, several injured | Ann. Reg. xcvi. 140 |
| 1855. May | Trinity Church, Southwark | Slightly damaged | Builder, xiii. 239 |
| 1855. May | St. Mark’s, Myddelton Square | Considerably damaged | Builder, xiii. 239 |
| 1855. July | Holy Trinity Church, Brompton | Slightly damaged | Builder, xiii. 348 |
| 1855. July | St. Ebbe’s Parish Church | Slightly damaged | Builder, xiii. 348 |
| 1856. Feb. | Chimney at Liverpool, 310 ft. high | Much damaged; struck at 20 yds. below the top | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 167 |
| 1856. June | Hemingbrough Ch. | Much damaged | Builder, xiv. 348 |
| 1856. July | Clapton Church | Much damaged | Builder, xiv. 391 |
| 1856 July | Addlethorpe Church, Lincolnshire | Much damaged | Builder, xiv. 391 |
| 1856. July 14 | Church of St. Ebbe, Oxford | Much damaged | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 167 |
| 1856. Aug. | Holy Trinity Church, Manchester | Much damaged | Builder, xiv. 451 |
| 1857. May | Parish Church, Wisborough, Sussex | Steeple set on fire | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 167 |
| 1857 | Walgrave Church | Damaged | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 167 |
| 1857. May | Wargrave Church, Twyford | Pinnacle destroyed | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 167 |
| 1857. Aug. | Tower of Windsor Castle | Four tons of parapet demolished | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 167 |
| 1857 | Independent Chapel, Portsmouth | Set on fire | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 167 |
| 1857. Aug. | St. Michael’s Church, Stamford | Pinnacle demolished | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 167 |
| 1857 | Trinity Church, Southwark | Struck during service | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 167 |
| 1857. Aug. | A gasometer at the Chartered Gas Co.’s works, St. Luke’s | Struck, and gas ignited | Builder, xv. 488 |
| 1858. July | The monument to Dugald Stuart at Edinburgh | Slightly injured | |
| 1858. July | Peak Hall, near Stoke-on-Trent | Church struck; roof damaged, walls seriously fractured, and organ injured | Tomlinson’s Thunderstorm, p. 167 |
| 1862. May | Mashbury Church, Essex | Set on fire | Builder, xx. 391 |
| 1862. May | Bampton Parish Church | Much damaged | Builder, xx. 391 |
| 1862. May | Rainham Parish Church, Kent | Damaged | Builder, xx. 391 |
| 1862. July | Tackley (near Woodstock) Parish Church | Much damaged | Building News, 1862, p. 77 |
| 1863. Feb. | Dunoon Church, Scotland | Nearly destroyed | Builder, xxi. 140 |
| 1863. June | St. Paul’s Church, Manchester | Considerably damaged | Building News, 1863, p. 457 |
| 1864. Sept. | St. Mary, York | Slightly damaged | Builder, xxii. 691 |
| 1865 Jan. | St. Lawrence, Nuremberg, Bavaria | Much damaged | Builder, xxiii. 53 |
| 1865. July | St. Mary’s Church, Stamford | Much damaged | Builder, xxiii. 526 |
| 1865. July | St. Botolph Church, Boston | Much damaged | Builder, xxiii. 526 |
| 1865. July | Roman Catholic Chapel, Colchester | Much damaged | Builder, xxiii. 526 |
| 1867. Sept. | Sutton-in-Ashfield Church, Nottinghamshire | Spire destroyed | Builder, xxv. 695 |
| 1867. Sept. | St. Pé-Saint-Simon Church, France | Much damaged | Builder, xxv. 684 |
| 1867. Sept. | Sanzet Church | Set on fire | Builder, xxv. 684 |
| 1868. May | St. Paul’s Church, Little Chester, Derby | Much damaged | Builder, xxvi. 340 |
| 1868. June | St. Stephen’s, Southwark | Slightly damaged | Builder, xxvi. 433 |
| 1868. June | Temporary Congregational Church, Buckhurst Hill | Set on fire | Builder, xxvi. 433 |
| 1868. June | Victoria Tower, Houses of Parliament | Slightly damaged | Builder, xxvi. 416 |
| 1868. June | Morville Church, Shropshire | Much damaged | Builder, xxvi. 416 |
| 1868. June | School, Furze Hill, Brighton | Much damaged | Builder, xxvi. 416 |
| 1868. June | Church, Shanghai | Destroyed | Builder, xxvi. 416 |
| 1870 | St. Saviour’s, Southwark | One pinnacle destroyed and church damaged | Builder, xxviii. 604 |
| 1870 | Rotherfield Church | Considerably damaged | Builder, xxviii. 604 |
| 1871. June | Hethersett Church | Much damaged | Builder, xxix. 450 |
| 1871. June | St. John’s Church, Bury St. Edmunds | Slightly damaged | Builder, xxix. 450 |
| 1871. July | St. Margaret’s Church, King’s Lynn | Much damaged | Ann. Reg. p. 72 |
| 1871. July | Cromer Church | Damaged | Ann. Reg. p. 72 |
| 1871. Sept. | Congregational Church, Terre Haute, Ind., U.S. | Considerably damaged | Scientific American, xxv. 161 |
| 1872. Jan. | St. Mary’s Church, Crumpsall, Manchester | Set on fire and destroyed | Builder, xxx. 51 |
| 1872. June | Baptist Chapel, Wem | Slightly damaged | Builder, xxx. 511 |
| 1872. June | St. Mary’s Church, Beeston, Norfolk | Set on fire and destroyed | Builder, xxx. 423 |
| 1872. June | St. Martin’s Church, Birmingham | Slightly damaged | Builder, xxx. 423 |
| 1872. May | Rainham Church, Kent | Damaged | Builder, xxx. 391 |
| 1872. May | Mashbury Church, Essex | Set on fire | Builder, xxx. 391 |
| 1872. May | Bampton Parish Church | Much damaged | Builder, xxx. 391 |
| 1872. June | Chiddingley Church | Slightly damaged | Builder, xxx. 484 |
| 1872. June | All Saints’ School, Little Horton | Slightly damaged | Builder, xxx. 484 |
| 1872. June | Kibblesworth Wesleyan Chapel | Slightly damaged | Builder, xxx. 484 |
| 1872. July | Brixton Church | Considerably damaged | Builder, xxx. 603 |
| 1872. July | Leigh Church | Severely injured | Builder, xxx. 591 |
| 1872. Aug. | St. Giles, Cripplegate | Slightly damaged | Builder, xxx. 629 |
| 1872. Aug. | Holy Trinity Church, Windsor | Severely injured | Builder, xxx. 610 |
| 1872. Sept. | Dundonald Parish Church | Spire and roof damaged | |
| 1873. April | Parish Church, Cromer | Slightly damaged | Builder, xxxi. 331 |
| 1873. April | Martham Church | Much damaged | Builder, xxxi. 331 |
| 1873. Nov. | Ripponden Church | Much damaged | Builder, xxxi. 875 |
| 1873. Nov. | Industrial School, Mosbank, Glasgow | Set on fire | Builder, xxxi. 875 |
| 1874. July | Chesterfield Church | Slightly damaged | Builder, xxxii. 613 |
| 1874. July | Christ Church, Salford | Slightly damaged | Builder, xxxii. 613 |
| 1874. July | St. Luke’s, Homerton | Set on fire, much damaged | Builder, xxxii. 613 |
| 1874. July | General Post Office, St. Martin’s le Grand | Slightly damaged | Builder, xxxii. 613 |
| 1874. July | Military Prison, R.A. Barracks, Woolwich | Slightly damaged | Builder, xxxii. 613 |
| 1874. July | Free Church of Braco, Perthshire | Completely destroyed | Builder, xxxii. 613 |
| 1874. July | Ayot St. Peter Parish Church, Herts | Completely destroyed | Ann. Reg. p. 70 |
| 1875. June | Chester le Street, Durham | Spire considerably damaged | Newcastle Chronicle, June 16th |
| 1875. June | West End Church, near Southampton | Spire destroyed | Builder, xxxiii. 586 |
| 1875. June | London and South Western Railway Co.’s tall chimney shaft at Southampton | Destroyed | Builder, xxxiii. 586 |
| 1875. July | Barthomley Church, near Crewe | Damaged | Daily paper |
| 1875. July | St. Mary’s Church, Birkenhead | Much damaged | Builder, xxxiii. 632 |
| 1875. Aug. | St. Nicholas Church, Blundellsands | Much damaged | Builder, xxxiii. 783 |
| 1876. Mar. | Cottingham Church, near Hull | Set on fire | Daily paper |
| 1876. April | Snettisham Church | Considerably damaged | Daily paper |
| 1876. April | Shotts Parish Church | Steeple destroyed | Daily paper |
| 1876. July | Union Workhouse, Retford | Roof set on fire | Daily Chronicle, July 25 |
| 1876. July | Bishopstone Church | Considerably damaged | Lloyd’s Weekly News, July 23 |
| 1876. July | Wilmcote Church | Considerably damaged | Lloyd’s Weekly News, July 23 |
| 1876. July | St. Peter’s Church, Stratford-on-Avon | Considerably damaged | Sunday Times, July 23 |
| 1876. July | Market Hall, Doncaster | Damaged | Daily Telegraph, July 24 |
| 1876. Sept. | Grey Friars Tower, King’s Lynn | Considerably damaged | Daily paper |
| 1877. May | Catholic Church, Wieschen, Poland | Six persons killed and seventy seriously injured | Globe, May 31, 1877 |
| 1877. May | All Saints Church, Stand Whiteland, Lancashire | Much damaged | Builder’s Weekly Reporter, May 25, 1877 |
| 1878. May | Sir David Baird’s monument, Perthshire | Almost entirely destroyed | Daily Telegraph, May 30 |
| 1878. June | St. Luke’s Church, Hackney | Damaged | Daily paper |
| 1878. July | Wesleyan Chapel, Southampton | Damaged | Daily paper |
| 1878. July | Free Methodist Church, Tamworth | Damaged | Daily paper |
| 1878. July | St. Jude’s Church, Bethnal Green | Much damaged | Daily paper |
| 1878. July | Church of the Holy Nativity, Knowle | Considerably damaged | The Times, July 27 |
| 1879. April | Henlow Church, Bedfordshire | Considerably damaged | The Times, April 18 |
| 1879. May | Laughten-en-le-Morthen Church | Considerably damaged | The Times, May |
| 1879. June | St. Marie’s Church, Rugby | Set fire to the woodwork | Weekly Dispatch, June 8 |
| 1879. June | Clevedon Market House, nr. Bristol | Very much damaged | Daily Chronicle, June 10 |
| 1879. Aug. | Parish Church, Wells, Norfolk | Burnt to the ground | Norwich paper |
| 1879. Aug. | Cromer Church | Pinnacle damaged | Daily paper |
| 1879. Aug. | St. Bride’s Church, Stepney | Slightly damaged | Daily paper |
| 1879. Sept. | Sanctuary of Madonna de Valmala, Valmala | Damaged. Several persons killed | Electrician, Sept. 6 |
POWDER MAGAZINES STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.
| Date | Building | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| 1732. Oct. | Gunpowder Magazine at Compost Major, Portugal | Exploded. City laid in ruins; above 1,000 people injured |
| 1739. Sept. | Bremen | 1,000 houses destroyed |
| 1763. Nov. | Fort Augusta, Jamaica, powder magazine, containing 2,850 barrels of powder | Great number killed; much damage to property |
| 1769. Aug. | Brescia Magazine, containing 207,600 lbs. of powder | Exploded; 3,000 persons killed |
| 1769 | Venice | 400 persons killed |
| 1772. Nov. | Chester | Great damage to property; many lives lost |
| 1773 | Cambray | 18 people killed; several houses greatly damaged |
| 1773 | Abbeville | 150 persons killed; 100 houses destroyed |
| 1780. Aug. | Malaga Gunpowder Magazine | |
| 1782. Mar. | Sumatra Gunpowder Magazine | |
| 1785. May | Tangiers Gunpowder Magazine | |
| 1807. June | Luxembourg Gunpowder Magazine | About 12 tons of powder exploded |
| 1808. Sept. | Venice Gunpowder Magazine | |
| 1829. Nov. | Navarino Gunpowder Magazine | 17 killed; 78 wounded |
| 1840. June | Bombay Gunpowder Works Dum Dum Gunpowder Magazine | |
| 1843. April | Sicily, Puzzaloni Gunpowder Magazine | |
| 1843. April | Spain, Gaucin Gunpowder Magazine | A number of persons killed; church and 200 houses destroyed |
| 1853 | Hounslow Gunpowder Magazine | |
| 1855. Oct. | Firework manufactory, Liverpool | Exploded |
| 1856. Nov. | Rhodes Gunpowder Magazine | A considerable number of persons killed, and a large portion of the town laid in ruins |
| 1857. Aug. | Bombay, Joudpore | About 1,000 persons killed; 500 houses destroyed |
| 1878. Aug. | Bruntcliffe Colliery, near Leeds; powder magazine, containing about one ton of powder | Exploded |
| 1878. Aug. | Pottsville, Pa., U.S.; a powder magazine containing 25,000 lbs. of powder | Exploded; 3 persons killed, several injured; many houses wrecked |
CHAPTER XV.
THE EARTH CONNECTION.
To dwell too largely upon the importance of leading all lightning conductors down into moist earth, or, as technically called, ‘good earth,’ would be scarcely possible. It would perhaps not be too strong an expression to say that the part of the conductor above ground is a mere appendage to that under ground, the essential function of the whole apparatus—that of dispersing the electric force harmlessly—being accomplished by the subterranean portion. The clear understanding of Benjamin Franklin perceived this at the outset; but after him it seemed as if forgotten for a long time, and the result showed itself in numerous disasters that occurred to buildings protected with conductors, which brought the latter into disrepute with many persons. While, no doubt, in many instances the cause of these disasters was in the bad application of the conductors themselves, their defective character, or their feebleness, still in the great majority the underground connection may be taken to have been in fault. It may be laid down as an absolute certainty that a really good conductor—say, a copper rope from five-eighths to three-quarters of an inch in thickness—cannot possibly fail to carry off the electric force if the lower part reaches moist earth or water. Probably, in nine cases out of ten, whenever a building provided with a conductor is struck by lightning, it is for want of ‘good earth.’
Franklin’s own ideas were very clear on the subject. He laid them down at various times, more particularly when residing in England, during the years from 1764 to 1775, as colonial agent for Pennsylvania. During the latter part of this period he took an active interest in the proceedings of the Royal Society; and this learned body being requested by the Government to give advice regarding the best protection against lightning that could be provided for the great powder magazines at Purfleet, he was nominated into a committee with three other members, William Watson, H. Cavendish, and J. Robertson. The committee drew up a report, dated August 21, 1772, signed by all the members, but known to be written by Franklin alone. Dwelling strongly on the importance of the underground connection, Franklin says in this report: ‘In common cases it has been judged sufficient if the lower parts of the conductor were sunk three or four feet into the ground, till it came to moist earth; but this being a case of great consequence, we are of opinion that greater precaution should be taken. Therefore we would advise that at each end of each magazine a well should be dug, in or through the chalk, so deep as to have in it at least four feet of standing water. From the bottom of this water should rise a piece of leaden pipe to, or near, the surface of the ground, where it should be joined to the end of an upright bar.’ Franklin then goes on to recommend the usefulness of having even more wells than the two, so as to avoid any possibility of failure in protecting the powder magazines. ‘We also advise,’ he says in his report, ‘in consideration of the great length of the buildings, that two wells of the same depth with the others should be dug within twelve feet of the doors of the two outside magazines—that is to say, one of them on the north side of the north building, and the other on the south side of the south building, from the bottom of which wells similar conductors should be carried up.’ It is not on record whether these recommendations were adopted by the Government, but it seems likely that this was the case, as the fear of explosion of powder magazines through a stroke of lightning was very great at the time. Not long before, a magazine had been so destroyed at Brescia, in Italy, with the appalling result of a considerable part of the city being laid in ruins, burying many hundreds of persons. The destruction of the Brescia powder magazine, like all similar events, had, it is scarcely necessary to say, its due effect in spreading a desire for lightning conductors, fear doing what was not effected by foresight.
Whether or not the English Government made the wells recommended by Franklin for the Purfleet powder magazine, it is certain that the sound advice given was not largely followed. On the contrary, there grew a generally prevailing laxity in regard to the indispensableness of a good underground connection, which led to numerous accidents. They were seldom, however, ascribed to the right cause, others being sought instead—such as particular forms of conductors and the insufficient length of those phantoms called ‘reception-rods,’ which, as many thought, could never be made high enough, in order to ‘draw the electric fluid’ from the clouds. Height was sought where nothing but depth was required, and the same unsightly rods, towering high above buildings, would have very effectually carried off the electric forces if brought from the top to the bottom of the conductor, being taken out of the air and stuck into the earth. Still, there were not wanting philosophical minds impressed with the truth that no lightning conductor can discharge its functions unless rooted in moisture, and who not only knew it, but did their best to spread this knowledge in all directions. One of these philosophers, a singular character in his way, was a German clergyman, the Rev. Dr. Hemmer, who lived at Mannheim, on the Rhine, at the end of the last century. Taking the deepest interest in Franklin’s great discovery, he made many experiments with lightning conductors, which brought him to the conviction that the electric force, in its chief tendency, seeks the mass of water on the globe, and that where this is not on the surface, it must be guided to it to become harmless. Consequently, he recommended to sink the conductor invariably deep into the ground, so as to reach water, and to subordinate everything else to this prime necessity. To make the use of lightning conductors as general as possible, Dr. Hemmer not only wrote a number of little books, which he liberally distributed, but travelled about through many parts of Germany, instigating the authorities to place conductors on all public buildings, and the people to set them up over their own houses. Holding that the earth connection was everything, he advocated simply to dig a hole in the ground till water or very moist earth was reached, and to stick a small iron bar, wrapped in lead to prevent rust, into it, running up the roof. The bar any village blacksmith could forge, and the hole any man or boy could dig, thus making the absolute cost of the conductor under this arrangement very trifling. Dr. Hemmer was right, no doubt, in his main argument, and most successful in spreading the knowledge of lightning conductors, while he was able to boast that not one of all the number he had set up had ever failed. However, he lived in an age when as yet water and gas pipes were unknown, and iron, or any other metal, scarcely entered into the construction of buildings. Given a leaden roof and a network of metal tubes, and Dr. Hemmer’s small iron rod could scarcely be expected to do its work of protection.