The Weather Diary of Sir John Wittewronge, December 1686
Audio footage of extracts from Sir John's diary
Read by Geoff Cordingley
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December 1686
The 10th instant drawn off a hogshead# of Clarrett, before it was tilted, between 19 & 20 dozen of bottles & afterwards a dozen or more at severall times
This month of December was the warmest & calmest season for the time of yeare that I remember (as was the last month) little or no frosts in eyther so that there were some few pincks, gillyfolwers & Anemonyes in flower & the Cowes went to grass till New yeares day there being a great deal of fog on the ground; yea so much that they were bated* therewith everyday till Candlemas
1 A close morning & a clear cool (yet calm) day W:N
7 No frost, a calm cool day W:W
15 After a very wet evening & night a very rainy warm day W:S
22 A fair clear cool cold calm day W:NbyW
28 A sad darck day yet dry & calm W:EbyN
# Hoggeshead: A liquid measure of 54 gallons of ale, beer or porter or 63 gallons of wine, spirits or cider.
* Bated: fed; to bait is to feed, graze or pasture.
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I have bought a copy of the printed transcription for this diary because I am working on John Gadbury’s London weather diary – October 31st 1668 to 31 Dec 1689 and I wished to have diary ‘nearby’ as a comparison. I am hoping to access Ashmole’s diary for South Lambeth eventually – all I have so far as a set of monthly rain days 1677 July to Dec 1685, and average figures for the annual wind directions for several years. So this diary looks to be very promising.