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THE RAINFALL FOR THE COUNTY OF HEREFORD DURING THE 
YEAR 1874, BY THE REV. NASH STEPHENSON. 
There are now 21 observers at stations fairly distributed over the county 
who, with almost unfailing regularity, transmit to the Hereford Times for publica- 
tion the monthly amount of rain at their different stations. As Mr. Symons 
remarks in his annual report of 1873: ‘‘ No county has so rapidly taken a foremost 
position in rainfall matters as Hereford. We are fortunate in having several able 
helpers in this county, and the cordial support of that giant of the provincial 
press, the Hereford Times.” 
By reference to the subjoined tables it will be seen that 21 observers 
recorded the total depth of the year’s rain, and that the stations are placed 
according to the depth of rain which fell: the maximum fall heading the list. It 
is a long established fact that in mountainous districts heavy falls of rain are the 
rule. It cannot, therefore, be a matter of surprise that Longtown, nestling on the 
eastern breast of the Black Mountains, should enjoy the unenviable fame of 
having had the heaviest amount of rainfall during the past year, nor that 
Lynhales, which stands 566 feet above the sea, should follow next in order, nor 
that Leysters, which is credited with being 700 feet (?) above sea level, should 
attain the third place. To the broad rules of the distribution of rain exceptions 
are many and formidable, or it may be welljasked why Rocklands, near Ross, 
which is only 98 feet above sea level, and Staunton-on-Wye, which is 255 feet, 
should occupy the third and fourth places, and take the precedence of Bryngwyn, 
which is 432 feet, and West Malvern, which is 850 feet altitude. The total fall at 
Longtown, which heads the list, was 35°71 inches, and at Ledbury, which closes 
the list, as in the preceding year, was 22°35 inches, the excess of the former over 
the latter being 13°36 inches. It is remarkable that the former is on the spur of 
the Black Mountains, and the latter on the spur of the Malvern range. The mean 
fall of all the stations is 26°57 inches, being 0°41 inch in excess of the returns of 
1873, and 15°68 less than 1872; the wettest year for 40 years in the county of 
Hereford. The average of the rain in England from 1850 to 1856 was 34°72 inches. 
There was, therefore, a deficiency in last year of 8:15 inches from that average. 
The 26 inches which fell in the county pale into insignificance compared with what 
fell elsewhere. The greatest rainfalls reported to Mr. Symons in 1874 were 
149°00 at Pen-y-gwrd, near Llanberris, and 14879 inches at Seathwaite, 
in Westmoreland. To the uninitiated the term of ‘‘an inch of water” is hardly 
intelligible. It may be explained thus—When it is stated that in 1874 the total 
depth of rain which had fallen was 26 inches, it means that if the whole quantity 
of rain which had fallen in that year had remained where it fell, neither sinking 
in, nor running off, nor drying up, the ground would have been covered to the 
depth stated. 
