Regency Weather: A Sheep’s Survival

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The Aberdeen Press and Journal (3 February 1808) accounted a story about a recent snowstorm, in which Mr. Gibson of Beck Grains, near Caldbeck, lost a sheep under drifts.  The sheep remained buried for five weeks.  When it was uncovered, it had eaten the wool of both shoulders and was skin and bones, but happily made a quick recovery when reunited with Mr. Gibson.

Reports tells of a significant snowstorm a few days later, on the 12th, in East Anglia and East of England fens, followed by a very intense frost.

Here is a more detailed report of the weather in Aberdeenshire for the first quarter of 1808:

charges May 24 Aberdeenshire Quarterly Report SINCE last report the weather has been in extremes sometimes very fine and at other times exceedingly stormy On the whole seed work was executed in good order in particular the season for bear which did not commence till the 1st of May has been un commonly fine The ground wrought generally well throughout the month of March In April there was one storm after another with so little interval that the seed sown could not look up The fields and patches of wheat sown here and there throughout the county were during this inclement season thinned and destroyed so much as scarcely to promise any crop Since the first of this month when vegetation began to take place one thing of great con sequence has been ascertained namely that the fears of many with respect to the braird were agreeably disappointed The seed both of oats and bear has come up as thick and full as in the best of years and at present the young plants are looking exceedingly well for the season From the length of the winter this year and it consisted of eight months of stormy weather it was foreseen that provender would not stand out for the stock on hand till the grass season arrived Many cattle in fact especially in the upper part of the county died for want of food and those farmers who have not lost cattle alto gether encountered great trouble and expense in procuring subsist ence for them Scarcely any man recollects having seen the country at so early a period of the year as bare of every article of beasts meat as at present Not one article in the stack yards in general the fields of grass though sufficiently promising kept down by an over stock too early put thereon through necessity grass parks taken from one fifth to one third higher rents than formerly and that mostly by farmers the graziers or those who had been in the prac tice of renting such fields before being often beat out by those in so immediate a want of the article Grain has advanced considerably in price during the last quarter Bear and oats and oatmeal are now sold from 28s to 30s and some parcels considerably higher Cattle in good condition are presently sold fully at last year's prices the small and lean stock considerably lower
lower Sheep except those ready for the flesher are very low and in small demand Many of them have been lost during the winter and those remaining are far back of condition The price of labour is somewhat lower but the difference is not material The Income tax will be found very distressing if not ruinous to such as have embarked in extensive farms perhaps with capitals ra ther under what might be required than otherwise whose assessment in place of being at 10 per cent may perhaps be at 30 or 40 of their income It may be said that for what money they have borrowed they can easily deduct the 10 per cent from the interest But no ar gument can be more fallacious as the very demand made by those who have small capitals in nine cases out of ten would be instantly to pay the principal sum It may be legal but whether it is so or not it is looked upon as highly tyrannical and oppressive to clap on a high additional rent at a random shot upon tacks of more than seven years standing and charge it with 10 per cent making the occupiers gentlemen of property who have no title or wish for such distinction May 24 The Farmer’s Magazine. (1808). United Kingdom: (n.p.).

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