226 Mr. Hardy on Border Earthquakes. 



four seconds. The vibration loas from W. to E., and was 

 accompanied by an unsteady and swaying movement, which 

 led persons who had retired for the night to suppose that 

 some one had got under their beds. In the neighbourhood 

 of collieries it was at first attributed to an explosion. It 

 seems to have been experienced all over Yorkshire and Lan- 

 cashire, and was perceptibly felt as far north as Dumfries. 

 In Cumberland its effects were very distinctly marked. A 

 noise like the fall of a building was first heard, then a heavy 

 swaying motion was felt, and the doors and windows were 

 rattled violently as with a strong wind. Poultry, cage birds, 

 and domestic animals diplayed great terror ; and in many 

 cases people rushed out of their houses in alarm. A report 

 from Kendal mentions another shock as having been experi- 

 enced between 6 and 7 p.m. The waters of Windermere 

 rose, and the appearance of the atmosphere was like that 

 preceding a thunderstorm." — Newspaper Report. 



It was less palpably felt in Northumberland and Durham. 

 In Newcastle, between 11 and 12, in many cases, rooms 

 perceptibly vibrated for a few seconds, windows were shaken, 

 and the peculiar accompanying sound was heard. It was 

 felt also at Sunderland, Blaydon, Dunston, Corbridge (at 11 

 p.m.), Beaufront Castle (where it brought down a cornice of 

 one of the rooms), Benwell Hall, Stocksfield, Hexham, 

 Heaton Dene, Wallsend, Byker, Walker, Jesmond, Saltwell. 

 At Middleton, in Teesdale, there were two shocks ; one about 

 7 and the other about 11. There was a strong oscillation felt 

 at Durham ; also, at Lanchester, Brancepeth, and several 

 neighbouring villages — all at 11 p.m. About 10 minutes to 

 11, at Consett and Shotley Bridge, a rumbling sound as of 

 distant thunder was heard, and there was violent shaking of 

 the windows and ware in the houses. A brilliant outburst of 

 the northern lights was observed that evening by a ship 

 captain, who was off Hartlepool at the time. 



The records of previous earthquakes on the Borders, by 

 which the recent shock might be assigned to a local area sub- 

 ject to such disturbances, are somewhat meagre. This tract 

 of country has wide and far-reaching sympathies underground, 

 but the seat of perturbation appears not to be immediate, and 

 the intervals of intermission are of lengthened duration. In 

 1275, on St. Nicholas' eve, great earthquakes were felt in 

 Newcastle, attended " with dreadful thunder and lightning, 

 with a blazing star, and a comet in the appearance of a great 



