Somerset Weather over the Years

Like most places Somerset has seen its share of weather variations and in the light of present day concerns I thought it would be of interest to copy and present the events that were recorded by W.S. Willis Watson F.R.HIST.S in his books "A Chronological History of Somerset" which covers the years 1200 BC up to 1925 AD. I have included some other events like the Great Famine of 272 AD and the Plague years as weather conditions undoubtedly would have had been one of the causes for these.

272    Great Famine

310    Great Famine - Many Deaths

430    Great Plague

430    Floods Devastated Somerset

872    Great Plague of Insects

954    Great Famine

1035    Great Frost

1076    Great Frost

1117    Heavy Rains throughout the year

1362    Great Gale

1407    Great Frost

1438    Great Famine

1550    Plague at Montacute

1553    Plague in Somerset

1565    Famine Year

1592    Plague in Somerset

1625    Plague at Bridgwater

1646    Plague prevailed in Somerset

1786    East Brent Church struck by lightening

1794    Great Frost

1795    Severe Winter

1814    Great Gale

1823    Serious Floods at Bath

1825    Great Drought

1872    Floods in Somerset

1878    Severe Winter

1881    Great Snowstorm and Blizzard

1882    Floods at Langport

1889    Destructive Floods at Langport

1891    Floods at Langport

1896    Great Floods at Langport

1903    Floods at Langport

1907    Petherton Levels Flooded

 

It also may be of interest to quote from a book on Irish History published in 2006 by Parragon Books Ltd :

"6 January 1839 is known as Oiche na Gaoithe Moire, or The Night of The Big Wind".

What appears top have been a hurricane, was the worst storm to hit Ireland in several centuries, causing great devastation across the whole land. So great was the force it also must have caused some damage to the south western coast of England