62' THE SEVEEN TUNNEL. 



Tn confirmation of these views, ho afterwards tried to 

 find some record of these groat floods, which ho was confi- 

 dent must have occurred in former times, though at rare 

 intervals. Tiio first notieo of siicli a flood that camo to 

 him was from an old antiquarian friend — a Monmouthshire 

 mn,n — who had found an old book in the British Museum, 

 called God's Voice in Monmouthshire, which contained an 

 account of such a flood in the 17th century. It gave plates 

 of the flood, showing all manner of cattle swimming in the 

 water amongst the hedge-row trees ; haystacks being floated 

 away, and such sensational incidents; but tio figni'os from, 

 which to learn the actual height of the flood. Thinking, 

 then, that the churches in tlio low levels, of which there 

 are many, ought to bear some record of such destructive 

 floods, he made many inquiries, and eventually heard of two. 

 The first of these was Poterstone, on the Welsh side, where a 

 leaden plug had been let into the wall to mark the height 

 to which the water rose. Peterstono was at that time a 

 small port, with more shipping, it is said, than its neighbour 

 Newport ; but this great storm, with its great rise of tide 

 and heavy sea, destroyed everything except the fine old 

 church tower and one strong gable end of a warehouse, 

 which remain to this day. The second was Kingston Sey- 

 mour Church, on the English side, from a board in which 

 has been obtained the following description of two floods : 



On a black board, and printed in gold letters, in tlio vestry 

 of Kingston Seymour Church: — 



" January 20th, IfiOO, and 4th year of James I. 

 " An inundation of sea water, by overtlowing and breaking down the 

 3ea-ba,nks, happened in this parish of Kingstone Seamore, and many 

 others adjoining, by reason whereof many persons were drowned, and 

 much cattle and goods were lost. The water in the church was five feet 

 high, and the greatest part lay on the ground about ten days. 



(Si(jned) "William Bowee." 



