Wateringbury hurricane (1763)

Post date: Aug 30, 2011 9:22:38 AM

Having read about Hurricane Irene in the US over the last weekend I thought it was an appropriate time to remind us that Wateringbury has also suffered from hurricanes.

Edward Greensted, Wateringbury's eighteenth century historian, contributed an article to The Gentleman's Magazine, Volume 33 (1763), pages 444 to 445, (published by Google Books) as follows:

Wateringbury in Kent

As I have seen no account that has given any adequate idea of the late dreadful storm of hail which fell here the 19th of last month [August], I here send it to you to publish in your magazine, if you think proper.

In the forenoon a very black cloud arose in the west, which sent forth strong flashes of lightening, attended with thunder, and seemed at a great distance; but the cloud came up a great pace, and soon overspread the horizon, and it became so very dark that we could scarcely see anything a few feet from us. The lightening now appeared like sheets of flame, and the thunder grew much louder, and the wind from the West blew quite a hurricane.

Between eleven and twelve the rain began to pour in torrents, intermixed with some hail stones, but that continued not long, for soon the hail came on so fast, that it was impossible to judge which came fastest, the hail or the rain. The tiles of our houses and our windows were presently broken to pieces, and in one house here, the windows that fronted to the West, consisting of 808 panes of glass, had but four ones left; several barns and stables were also blown down, in one a horse was killed; but providentially no persons lost their lives.

The hail has quite destroyed all our gardens, crops of apples , filberts, hops and corn; the corn thrashed out, and straw beaten to pieces; the fruit trees stripped of their fruit and branches, and the bark very much wounded and heaps of stones, and a great part of the best of the land driven into and through the fences; which has so impoverished the soil, that no crops of any consequence can be expected for some years.

A great many pheasants, hares etc. after the storm were picked up dead.

After the storm was over, the surface of the earth appeared (with the hail and rain water) as if covered with a kind of jelly, and the hail stones were so slippery, that it was difficult to walk over them. The hail stones measured from two inches to ten inches in circumference, and some were taken up and measured, Sunday the 4th of this instant, which were four inches and a half round, after having laid so long to waste.

Of the stones, some were globular, others like flat pieces of ice, and others like several pieces of ice frozen together; heaps and ridges of it laid by the hedges three or four feet deep.

The storm continued near half an hour, and when it cleared up, that the sun shone again and all the country appeared in a sulpherous smoke, which exhaled from the earth, and continued about half an hour.

It is impossible to describe the dreadful effects of this storm : our trees and gardens appear in the depth of winter; the houses and windows shattered; and even the bodies of the trees and hard posts retain the marks of the prodigious hail stones; in short our country appears all desolation, and numbers of people must be entirely ruined.

The storm came into this county at Tunbridge Wells, from thence over the parishes of Tudeley, Capel, Hadlow, Yalding, East Peckham, Nettlestead, Mereworth, Wateringbury, East Malling, Teston, West and East Farleigh, Barming and Maidstone, from thence over the hills to Sheerness; but the heaviest part fell, and the greatest damage was done in the parishes of Tudeley and Capel, part of the parishes of Yalding, East Peckham and Mereworth; the parishes of Wateringbury, Teston and Barming; greatest part of the Two Farleighs, and part of Maidstone; the hail in the other parishes lighter, and not so much mischief done.

Yours E. Greensted.