[ 33 ° ] 
LI I. An Account of the EjfeEls of Lightning 
at Southmolton in Devoafhire, by Jofeph 
Palmer, Efquire. 
Read Jan. 9, N Thurfday the 6th day of June 
\ / 1 75 1 , about 3 o’clock in the af- 
ternoon, (that day, and fome others before, having 
been extremely hot and fultry, and the wind pretty 
throng in the fouth-eaft) a flafh of lightning attended 
with an uncommon thunder-clap, which imme- 
diately followed or rather accompanied it, fell upon 
the windows and walls of the church and fteeple of 
South-Moulton in Devon, greatly damaging them. 
The lightning feemed to divide itfelf into three 
parts, one of which ftruck on the eaft angle of the 
fouth-eaft buttrefs of the chancel near the ground, 
and made a large opening in the fame : it likewife 
very much rent and Shatter’d a large hone juft above 
the aforefaid opening, as if done by the force of gun- 
powder ; it fplit another large hone adjoining, and 
ihivef d the wall near the foundation, in a very odd 
manner. 
Another part of the lightning took off a dice, about 
3 inches thick, of a very large angular ftone on the 
weft fide of the fame buttrefs, forced inwards a large 
free-ftone window of the church, and greatly fhat- 
ter’d it (tho’ it broke very little of the glafs) info- 
much that it is thought it muft be taken down and 
rebuilt : it then pafted crofs the church, and damaged 
the north fide, enter’d a paflage before the vicar’s 
houfe, which was in a direct line of its courfe, and 
beat a ftone of the floor to pieces. 
3 
A pcrfon 
