Historical weather records

[Lydart]

Welcome Melvyn ... we hope you get a lot out of Rootschat.  Theres always someone who knows something about something on here !

[Rewcastle]

Try this forum http://www.ukweatherworld.co.uk/forum/category-view.asp
It's the best weather forum that i've found. (full of weather people)
You'll want the "Weather in the Past" topic under UK & Ireland Weather Discussion.
If you can't find anything in the threads, just ask in the forum and i'm sure someone will come up with an answer.

[MrsLizzy]

Thank you, Melvyn and Rewcastle.  That all sounds very interesting and I'll look into it.

[Ann Baker]

Hi lizzy

Did a bit of googling and this came up http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/ukukruef.htm

hope is useful

best wishes

Ann

[MrsLizzy]

That looks wonderful, Ann, thank you, but unfortunately it only goes back to 1996 as far as I can make out.  It still looks very interesting though.

 

[pete edwards]

Cant resist this

The register for the p'ish of Tong begininge the 19th of may ann. domin. 1629.

14 Mar 1716/7  It began to snow at 5 a'clock in ye afternoon; and without any intermission continued till noon ye 16th. Though a strong wind blew all ye while, yt drove ye snow into hollow Places to so great a height as to make ye roads altogether impracticable, yet was ye snow upon ye level in ye garden behind ye Castle found at least 13 inches deep, and sixteen in ye court before it. It did snow again and freeze excessive hard all ye next night, and ye night following. A vast number of sheep were buryed under ye snow 20 or 30 and more of ym together. The sheep yt lay buryed five or six daies escaped, but those which continued longer under were found dead. So great a snow in so short a time, and in a season so far advanced had never been seen by any body in ye Parish. It occasioned, as it had done ye year before, a mighty bright Meteor in ye air, in ye night, some few daies after it had wasted away.
 

 10 Sep 1717. The Moon happened then to be totally eclipsed at six in ye afternoon; but ye weather proving foul at yt very time, ye Eclipse was hardly perceived.


Shropshire: Wem - Parish Registers, Lichfield Diocese

In the year  1739  there was a terriable frost which began about Saint Thomas' Day & Lasted till the later end of  Feb 1739. It was exstrame coold the news-papers gave account that severall people parished by the Cold. This naborwood ware prittey wel of for from  16 Jan 1739  to  10 Feb 1739  there was not a day except Sundays but there came to Town severall Wagons & carte loads of Coals & Most sold as chape as in summer.

 01 Apr 1743  being Good Friday a very cold cutting
wind, the 2 a great frost attended with a cutting wind, the 3
being Easter Sunday & a hard frost.

Pete

[MrsLizzy]

That's excellent, Pete, very interesting and entertaining.   

[MarieC]

Much more interesting than straight weather records, and gives us an idea how the weather affected people.  Thank you, Pete!

MarieC

[kerryb]

I've just read this in a extract of a publication about my 4 x great grandmother's family. 

'In a letter dated 26 November 1841 from Hailsham Union asks that two of Richard Hickmer's children be admitted to the workhouse, he had 8, naming the children, the father's earning of 12/- a week and the decision that only one child be admitted.  (It is clear from the records that the winter of 1841/1842 was very severe and that there was great hardship).'

I'm going back through my records to see who died at that time and could it be caused by severe weather!

Kerry