Volume Eight - Pre-Victorian to the present day - more aspects - Storms and their effects . . .

This chapter features at random newspaper reports of storms in the notorious Bristol Channel and Severn Sea and the effects upon the locality, its shipping, tradesmen, and the mariners who braved the seas for their daily bread.

• October 1859 - Terrific Gale on Tuesday Night

'The 'United States' steam-tug was out off Penarth-head, with a barque which she was towing to Gloucester, but the gale caught her as she was off the light ship, and she shipped so many heavy seas, that she was obliged to let the barque go, and run in as well as she could for Cardiff, where we are happy to say she arrived safely. The barque, which had a pilot on board, directly the tug left her let go her both anchors, but it is expected that she must have slipped them and gone to sea again, as she could not be seen next morning.

left - part of the 1833 OS map showing the location of the Penarth Head Inn and adjacent beach under the headland which is the location for the following tragic incident. [010] [373]

About this time sad and wild scenes were being witnessed at Penarth. In the day time a schooner with a crew, consisting of the captain, his little boy, the mate and three hands had been lying high and dry on the beach near the Penarth Head Inn, and was being repaired. As the sea came rushing madly on, she was, with her crew, floated into deep water, and soon began to fill..