48 



place. At Church Stretton the hills were in places deeply prullied, and the 

 water rushed through the village in a regular river, the railway station and lines 

 being submerged. Perhaps the most extraordinary floods were those which 

 affected the river Teme and the Severn in the neighbourhood of Worcester. The 

 Wye, the Usk, and the upper reaches of the Severn — although in high flood- 

 were not, comparatively, nearly so much affected. 



As regards the river Teme, T am indebted to the kindness of Thomas H. 

 Davis, Esq., of Orleton, near Tenbury, who has been a very close and accurate 

 observer of meteorological phenomena for 56 years, for the following very full 

 account of the flood, together with comparisons between it and those of previous 

 years. He writes under date of June 8th, 1886 : — 



" On Tuesday the 11th of May, after a dark and gloomy day, small rain 

 commenced falling about 5 p.m. and continued, with slight intermissions, till 

 10 a.m. on the 12th. A thick steady fall of rain then set in, which continued 

 without interruption till 10 a.m. on the 14th, when it ceased, and before 1 p.m. 

 the sun shone out,disclosing the Clee Hills, with the Welsh Mountains covered 

 with snow, and the valley of the Teme filled with an immense flood. 



"The following is the amount of rain that was registered here on five 

 successive days : — 



Inches. 

 "May 10... ... ... ... ... ... 0140 



11 .. 

 12... 

 13... 

 14... 



Total. 



0-280 

 2-225 

 2-120 

 0-010 



4-775 



" The rainfall on the 12th .and 13th is the largest fall in two successive days 

 that I have recorded here in 56 years. The nearest approach to it was in July, 

 1834, when 4-585 inches fell in four days, but the greater portion of this fell on 

 the first day with thunder, 



" On the 14th, the flood on the river Teme was four feet higher than the 

 great flood of November, 1852, and higher than it was in the greater flood of 1795, 

 and in the still greater flood of 1770. At Tenbury the flood-water was five or six 

 feet deep in the principal streets, and all postal communication was cut off. 

 Great damage was done to the shops, and one man was drowned in his kitchen. 

 The water rose above the seats in the parish church. All communication between 

 the two sides of the valley was cut off for more than 20 miles. The railway bridge 

 on the Worcester and Malvern line was swept away, and several of the other 

 bridges across the river were rendered almost impassable, especially the inra 

 bridge at Stanford. 



"On the 15th, the river Severn at Worcester rose above the mark of the 

 great flood of 1795, and at Severn Stoke, below the junction of the Teme, it was 

 still higher. 



