50 



On the 8th the river Teme overflowed its banks and then retreated, but 

 on the 13th the flood rose to within 13| inches of the height of the great 

 flood of 1795, and was about 11 inches higher than that of July 1839, at 

 Stanford Mill. The principal street at Tenbury was covered by the flood-water 

 to a depth of 30 to 34 inches in places, and a great number of the houses were 

 flooded." 



At Worcester the flood of this year, 1886, reached a height 2 inches higher 

 than in 1795, and only 2| inches lower than in 1770, which last exceeded by 10 

 inches the memorable one of 1672 ; the great flood of 1852 was 5 inches lower 

 than that of this year. 



At Gloucester — some 30 miles lower down the Severn — the height of the 

 lock-gauge was 22ft. 3in., or three inches lower than in November, 1852, and 4| 

 inches lower than in 1770. 



At Koss the Wye rose to a height of about 14ft. Sin. above lowest summer 

 level, being 2ft. 9in. below the flood of 1852, and nearly 4ft. below that of 1795, 

 which latter appears to have been the greatest flood on the Wye of which we have 

 any record. 



The times of maximum flood at various places appear to have been 

 approximately as follow (arranged chronologically) : — 



May 13, night. Church Stretton. 

 ,, 14, 2a.m., Welshpool; 4a.m., Tenbury; noon, Shrewsbury. 

 ,, 15, 1 a.m., Worcester; 7 to 11 a.m., Ross ; 11 p.m., Tewkesbury. 

 ,, 16, 11 p.m., Gloucester. 



Dyde's "History of Tewkesbury " mentions high floods on the Severn in 

 the year 1587 (July 19th), when a sudden inundation overflowed the meadows to 

 such an extent that the inhabitants were compelled to leave the loaded carts 

 behind them as they went to gather the hay, and so great was the accumulation 

 of hay that "the townsmen were constrained with pitchforks and long poles to 

 stand on the bridge of wood to break the cocks lest the bridge should be carried 

 away by the force of them." In 1610, there was another flood ; and again in 

 1640, when there were no less than eight floods between Midsummer and Michael- 

 mas. On December 23rd, 1673, so great was the flood that the water came into 

 the chancel of the Abbey Church, and was the highest the oldest inhabitant could 

 then recollect. The years 1721 and 1722 were times for floods, and again in 1727, 

 when there were no less than 20. With respect to 1754, there is an entry as 

 follows : — " In this year there were nineteen shuts of water, which stopped the 

 town mills an hundred days." But in the year 1770 there seems to have been the 

 highest on record, and (like the present one) it reached its highest point on a 

 Saturday, for on the 17th November we gather from Bennett's "Register and 

 Magazine " that a Mr. Havard em.barked near the turnpike in the High-street 

 (by the Bear Inn), and made a voyage round the town, a journey which with its 

 exciting experiences took him and his companions nearly three hours to accom- 

 plish. The south aisle of the chancel of the abbey was then partly under water, 

 and Dyde observes that "two houses near the mills were washed down." In 

 1789 there was another high flood, lioats being employed on the long bridge to 



