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The Great Flood of 1841

Posted by: Blog Administrator on Jan 21, 2011

Tagged in: Wylye valley , WSA 1336/98 , World War 1 , Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre , Wiltshire , William McGonagall’s , weather , waterproofs , Warminster , verses , Tilshead , The Great flood , thaw , Terry Bracher , Tay Railway Bridge disaster , story , Stoke Winterbourne , stanzas , souls , snow storm , Shrewton , Sarum , Salisbury Plain , River Wylye , River Till , records , rebuild , Project group , poetic , poem , Orcheston , newspapers , Maddington , local , letter , investigating , indexes , homeless , historical record , Hanging Langford , Flood Cottages , flash flood , event , Elston House , Elston , drowning , doggerel , document , disasters , destitute , currents charity , county , compassion , communities , commemorating , collections , Codford , Blewdon’s House , author , Ann Doughty , 1841 , 1789

I just happened to be trawling through some indexes to our records when a subject caught my eye - the Great flood in the Wylye Valley 1841. Now I am just about to visit the Wylye World War 1 Project group, one of several trips to the south of our county this week, and have an eye on the weather since the heavy rain over the last few days. Investigating this story in more detail it appears that the flood took place 170 years ago, almost to the day!  (Apparently there was a similar flood in 1789 around the same time of year - I am taking my waterproofs).  What particularly drew me to the reference was a note concerning a piece of doggerel about the event.

 

I have always been curious about doggerel and other poetic forms as an historical record commemorating events (and people), especially disasters, such as William McGonagall’s poem on the Tay Railway Bridge disaster of 1879. But what I found was even more astonishing; forget the 8 verses by McGonagall, our document contains 51 verses, in part 1, and a further 25 in part 2, a grand total of 76 stanzas detailing an event that, according to contemporary local newspapers, lasted a mere 12 hours, though with such force and hugely disastrous consequences for the local communities. The document (WSA 1336/98) is a transcript of a letter by Ann Doughty of Hanging Langford to her mother some days after the flood with a doggerel rhyme by an unknown author.

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Snow, Glorious Snow!?

Posted by: Blog Administrator on Jan 29, 2010

Tagged in: Yatesbury , winters , Winterbourne Monkton , Wiltshire. Herbert Spackham , weather , wagonnette , valley , trunks , tree roots , train , tornado , three feet deep , thaw , snowy winter , snowing , snowfalls , snowfall , snowdrifts , Slade’s Mill , skating , Shrewton , severe snowstorm , school , Salisbury Plain , roads , River Till , River Thames , riding , reveal , relief fund , Quemerford Villa , pond , poems , north Wiltshire , Mr Tanner , melt waters , Market Lavington , March 1891 , mail , Maiden Bradley , Lydiard Millicent , lost , log book , lives , letters , Landford , Lacock , kitchen garden , Kington Langley , July , January 25th , January 20th , January 1881 , January 11th , impassable , icicles , hunt , houses , homeless , History Centre , hedge , hailstones , Great Storm , Great Somerford , frozen , frost fairs , Ferne House , February , farm , Duke of Beaufort , drifted , downhill , Donhead St. Mary , Donhead St. Mary , Disruption , diaries , December 30th , dance , daily papers , cut glass , cow , cottages , Corsham. , Christmas , Chippenham , Cherhill Mill , Charlote Grove , cattle , cart horse , Calne , Burbage , Bristol Post , Bremhill , Bowood Park , Berwick Bassett , Belcher , 1908 , 1888 , 1881 , 1814 , 1813/14

After all the disruption caused by the recent snowfalls, here at the History Centre we were interested to find out how often similar events occurred in our County in the past.

 

We’ve all heard about the terrible winters of 1813/14 when the River Thames froze and frost fairs were held. Charlote Grove lived at Ferne House, in Donhead St. Mary, and began writing diaries at the age of 18. Her entry for January 11th, 1814 states ‘It snowed very hard. Charles contrived to walk down to Mrs Cooke’s. January 20th - ‘A very deep snow. The mail prevented from coming’. January 25th – ‘I walked with my father to the sheep fold. The icicles on the hedge look like the most beautiful cut glass’.
Men digging out a locomotive stuck near Newton Tony, 1927
Men digging out a locomotive stuck near Newton Tony, 1927
To find out about other snowy winters of the 19th century, please 'read more'.






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