Entry in the Register of the Parish of Rockhampton, near Berkeley.

This flood is affirmed by tradition to have risen nearly as high as Frampton Tower, at least sixty feet above the pesent level of the Severn. As a curious account of it, from the Harleian Library, is printed in the Gentleman's Magazine for 1762, p. 306, it is here copied.

"On Tuesday January 27 (says my author), about nine in the morning, the sunne being fayrly and bryghtly spred, huge and mighty hills of water were seen in the elements, tumbling one over another in such sort as if the greatest moutains in the world had overwhelmed the low vallies, to the inexpressible astonsihment and terror of the spectators, who, at first, mistaking it for a great mist or fog, did not on the sudden prepare to make their escape from it; but onits nearer approach, which came on with such swiftness as it was verily thought the fowls of the air could not fly so fast, they perceived that it was the voilence of the waters of the raging seas, which seemed to have broken their bounds, and were pouring in to deluge the whole land, and then happy were they that could fly the fastest. But so violenty and swift were the huge waves, and they pursuiing one another with such rapidity that in less than five hours space most part of the countries on the Severn's banks were laid under water, and many hundreds of men, women, and children perished in the floods. from the hills might be seen herds of cattle, and flocks of sheep, with husbandmen labouring in the fields, all swept away together, and swallowed up in one dreadful inundation. Houses, barns, ricks of corn and hay, were all involved in the common ruin. Many who were rich in the morning were beggars before noon; and several perished in endeavouring to save their effects.

"Bristol and Aust suffered terribly; and all the country from Bristol to Gloucester, on both sides the Severne, was overflowed to the distance of six miles, and most of the bridges over it and the adjacent buildings were destroyed or defaced. At Chepstow, Goldclift, Matherne, Callcott-moor, Redclift, Newport, Cardiffe, Cowbridge, Swansey, Langherne, and many other parts of Glamorganshire, Monmouthshire, Carmarthenshire, and Cardiganshire, the waters raged so furiously, and came on so fast, that, upon a moderate supposition, there cannot be so few persons drowned as 500 men, women and children; besides many thousand herds of cattle, that were feeding in the valleys, together with sheep, hogs, horses, and even poultry, all of which were suddenly immerged in the waters, and could not escape.

"But what is still more strange, says my author, there are now not only found floating upon the waters still remaining, the dead carcases of men and cattle, but also all kinds of wild beasts, as foxes, hares, rabbits, rats &c.; someof them upon one another's backs, as thereby thinking to have saved themselves.

"At a place in Merionethshire there was a maid milking, who was s surrounded with the waters that she could not escape, but had just time to reach a high bank, on which she stood secure from the innundation, but without any relief from hunger and cold for two days. Several ways were advised to bring her off, but in vain, till at length two young men contrived a raft which with long poles they pushed along, and with great labour and hazard fetched her away, half dead with fear, rather than with hunger and cold; for, strange as it is to relate, the hill or bank on which the maid stood was all so covered with wild beasts and vermin that came thither for safety, that she had much ado to keep them from creeping on her; and though among these there were many of opposite natures, as dogs and foxes, hares and hounds, cats and rats, with others of like sort, yet the one never once offered to annoy the other, but in a gentle sort they freely enjoyed the liberty of life, without the least expression of enmity, or appearance of natural ferocity.

"Glamorgan, Carmarthen, Cardigan, and other counties in South Wales bore their part in this dreadful visitation; many, to save their lives, ascended hills, trees, steeples, and houses, where they might see their cattle, and sometimes their wives and children, perish, without being able to give them the least assistance.

"At Cardiff a great part of the church next the river was carried away by the violence of the flood.

"Children at school and travellers upon the road were equally involved in this general calamity; if they fled to the house-tops, or to the tops of hills, they were alike in danger of perishing by hunger and cold; but many were involved before they were aware of their danger. Some, indeed, escaped miraculously: In Glamorganshire a blind man, that had been long bed-ridden, had his poor cottage swept away, and himself, bed and all, carried into the open fields, where, being ready to sink in two fathom water, his hand, by Providence, chanced upon the rafter of a house, and by the force of the wind, then blowing easterly, he was driven to land, and so escaped. In another place, a boy of five years old, being upheld a long time upon the water by means of his long coats that continued hollow about him, was at length carried to land by taking fast hold of the wool of a dead sheep that came floating by him just as he was ready to sink. A mother and three children were saved in Carmarthenshire by means of a trough in which the mother used to make her bread. Many more there were, says my author, that through the handy works of God, were preserved; but there were not so many so strangely saved, but there were as many in number as strangely drowned.

What follows is in the author's own words:

"'The lowe marshes and fenny groundes neere Barnstaple, in the countie of Devon, were oveflowne so farre out, and in such outrageous sort, that the countrey all along to Bridgewater was greatly distressed thereby, and much hurt there done; it is a most pittifull sight to beholde what numbers of fat oxen there were drowned; what flocks of sheepe, what herdes of kine, have there bin lost. There is little now remaining there to be seene but huge waters like to the maine ocean; the tops of churches and steeples like to the tops of rocks in the sea; great reekes of fodder for cattle are floating like ships upon the waters, and dead beastes swimming thereon, now past feeding on the same. The tops of trees a man may behold remaining above the waters, upon whose braunches multitudes of al kinds of turkies, hens, and other such like poultry, were faine to fly up to saue their liues, where many of them perished for want of reliefe, not being able to fly to dry laund by reason of their weakness.

"'This mercilisse water, breaking into the bosome of the firme laund, has proued a fearful punishment as well to al other living creatures as also to al mankinde; which, if it had not bin for the merciful promise of God, at the last dissolution of the world by water, by the signe of the raine bowe, which is still shewed vs, we might haue uerily beleeved this time had bin the very hour of Christ his coming; from which element of water extended towards us in this fearful manner, good Lord deliver us al!   Amen.'"

Berkeley Manuscripts.   Thomas Dudley Fosbroke, MA FSA (1821)