31 
IV. 
ON MR. MARSHAM’S “ INDICATIONS OF SPRING.” 
By Thomas Southwell, F.Z.S. 
Read January 26th, 1875. 
The Rev. IT. P. Marsham, of Rippon Hall, has kindly placed in 
my hands the documents from which the “ Indications of Spring,” 
communicated to the Royal Society by his great-grandfather, in 
1780, were compiled, together with many subsequent years’ ob- 
servations, still unpublished, with permission to make any extracts 
which I think will be interesting to this Society. Whilst gladly 
availing myself of Mr. Marsham’s kindness, I cannot but express 
my sincere regret that failing eye-sight has prevented that gentle- 
man from himself giving us an analysis of the journals, which 
would have been so much more interesting and complete than 
anything I can hopo to lay before you, notwithstanding the help 
Mr. Marsham has so kindly and readily given me. 
The observations were commenced in the year 1736, by Robert 
Marsham, Esq., F. R.S., at Stratton Strawless Hall, in latitude 
52° 45', about seven miles nearly north of Norwich, and twelve 
from the sea at the nearest point ; for the first few years the 
observations were not very regular, but about 1745 the entries 
became more frequent, and from that time are continued with great 
regularity. In 1789, Mr. Marsham communicated his observations 
to the Royal Society ; they were read on April 2nd, and published 
in extenso in the Philosophical Transactions for that year.* Robert 
Marsham died in 1797, and the observations were continued by 
his son, Robert, to the year 1810; he died in 1812. From that 
time till 1836 no record was kept, but in the latter year, Robert 
* A summary of the “ Indications” in a tabular form, under the title of 
“ Remarks on Mr. Marsham’s Indications of Spring,” was published by the 
first Lord Suflield, and has since been frequently re-produced, with varying 
degrees of accuracy. I believe Lord Sulfield’s table was brought down to 
1810, but there is no date given. 
