Diary entries can be a very useful historical source. Many will include entries about an individual’s ‘day to day’ life as well as a record of other happenings and events. Minute Books for meetings taking place in a particular parish can also include details of important and, sometimes, unusual events.
In this case, I found reference to a particular storm in the Minute Book of Great Ellingham Baptist Church. This event was also recorded by the parish clerk, William Robert Lebbell. The gales not only affected Great Ellingham, but most of Norfolk, as well as many other parts of the country.
The storm swept through Great Ellingham during the afternoon of Sunday the 24th March, 1895.
Reverend Thomas H Sparham’s Note
The Pastor of the Baptist Church, the Reverend Thomas H Sparham, made the following entry in the Baptist Church Minute Book:
This afternoon about 3 o'clock during the public service a most wonderful gale of wind with storm visited us. We had to conclude the service abruptly.
The tiles were thrown from the Chapel roof, one of the fir trees in the front by the wall was thrown down by its roots with which several yards of the front wall was thrown down. The lead on the roof of the Manse was some of it stripped off and blown away with slate the same, and tiles from the cottage.
Very much injury was done all around.
Repairs
Two days later, the Pastor records that Mr Barnard of Scarning, the Acting Trustee, came and looked round. He observed the damage caused by the gale. He left orders with Reverend Sparham to employ Mr Kerrison to repair the damages to the Chapel, the Manse, the Cottage and the wall.
Memories of Parish Clerk, Mr William R Lebbell
In his ‘Little History of Great Ellingham’ booklet, William Lebbell recounts his memories of the gale taking place on Sunday the 24th of May, 1895. I believe the reference to May is a typographical error in the booklet. It should read 24th of March, 1895.
Nevertheless, William Lebbell recalls that
‘...in the afternoon a new vicar had begun his first service to a full congregation in the church [St James] when a very high wind sprung up. No one could hear his sermon and during this time hundreds of trees fell in the parish and every house and building suffered some structural damage.
Sources:
Various local and national newspapers viewed via The British Newspaper Archive
Baptist Church Minute Book 1868-1893. Thanks to Hugh Collier
‘A Little History of Great Ellingham’. Lebbell W.R. & Fay S.