UK Weather - past and present
Extract from Youlgreave Parish Register
Seasons of 1615
The following remarkable entries relating to the seasons of 1615, are copied from the parish register.
"A memoriall of the great snow"
This year, 1614-15, Jan: 16, began the greatest snow which ever fell upon the earth, within man's memorye. It cover'd the earth fyve quarters deep upon the playne. And for heapes or drifts of snow, they were very deep, so that passengers, both horse and foot, passed over gates, hedges, and walles. It fell at ten severall tymes, and the last was the greatest, to the greate admiration and feare of all the land, for it came from the foure parts? of the world, so that all countryes were full, yea, the south p"te as well as these mountaynes. It continued by daily encreasing untill the 12 day of March, (without the sight of any earth, eyther uppon hilles or valleyes) uppon which daye, being the Lordes day, it began to decrease; and so by little and little consumed and wasted away, till the eight and twentyth day of May for then all the heapes or drifts of snow were consumed, except one uppon Kinder-Scout, which lay till Witson week.
"Hyndrances and losses in this peake country by the snowe abovesayd. I. It hindered the seed tyme. 2. It consumed much fodder. 3. And many wanted fewell, otherwise few were smoothered in the fall or drowned in the passage ; in regard the floods of water were not great though many."
" The name of our Lord be praysed."
" There fell also ten lesse snowes in April, some a foote deep, some lesse, but none continued long.
Upon May day, in the morning, instead of fetching in flowers, the youthes brought in flakes of snow, which lay above a foot deep uppon the moores and mountaynes."
This extraordinary snow is thus mentioned by Stowe in his Chronicle. The dates somewhat vary.
" The 17th of Januarie, 1614-5, began a great frost with extreame snow, which continued until the 14 of February ; and albeit, the violence of the frost and snow some dayes abated, yet it continued freezing and snowing much or little, untill the 7 of March, whereby much cattel perished, as well old as young : and in some places, divers devised snow-ploughes to cleare the ground, and to fodder cattell, this snow was very dangerous to all travallers."
1615 . "A dry summer." " There was no rayne fell uppon the earth from the 25th day of March till the 1st day of May, and then there was but one shower ; after which there fell none tyll the 18th day of June, and then there fell an other ... after WHICH there fell none at all till the 4th day of August, after which tyme there was sufficient rayne uppon the earth ; so that the greatest part of this land, especially the south part were burnt up both corn and hay. An ordinary sumer load of hay was at 21 ... and little or none to be gott for money.
" This part of the peake was very sore burnt upp, only Lankishyre and Cheshyre had rayne enough all summer ; and both corne and hay sufficient. " There was very little rayne fell the last winter but snowe onely."
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