Well, it’s the 27th of December today, and it’s been bitingly cold and now it’s very windy All day I’ve felt as if I’ve a cold coming on, but luckily that seems to be waning. I’ve done various chores today – and not that I’m ever very keen on housework, but today I’ve been quite apathetic. Maybe it’s because we had such a really lovely Christmas Day that I’m just feeling a little flat. Maybe it’s just normal after a celebration, the day after Boxing Day isn’t known for anything in particular – or is it?
To Wikipedia! The first thing I discover which sets me puzzling, is today the third day of Christmas, and should I expect anything from my true love especially three French hens? I’m never quite sure when the twelve days of Christmas start, twelve days before Christmas Day, or on Christmas Day. So should the first day be December 14th, or December 25th? And if it the latter and I’ll be getting three clucking gifts, what exactly are French hens? Chickens from France, or a particular breed of bird? Wikipedia suggests three French hens may be a breed called Faverolle, elsewhere I’ve seen three has significance as a reminder of the trinity, but what would hens of any origin have to do with that? Or maybe it’s faith, hope and love… Or maybe they signify, eggs, meat for the table and bones for soup?
Putting chickens, the days of Christmas, and anything along those lines to one side, has anything particular or significant every happened on this date in the past? Obviously there have been plenty of notable people who were born or have died on this date, and there have been many significant and important events in local, national and international locations. While looking down a list, one tragic and unusual event caught my eye which happened in a place which although I don’t know well, I have visited, Lewes in East Sussex. The dreadful catastrophe in 1836 was caused by shocking and unusual winter weather, freezing temperatures and gale force winds through autumn and into winter, and continuing into the spring of the following year. Lewes is situated beneath hills and chalk cliffs and it was the combination of extreme weather and geography which led to the horrors of the night of 27th of December.
The Lewes avalanche occurred on 27 December 1836 in Lewes, East Sussex, when a huge build-up of snow on a chalk cliff overlooking the town collapsed into the settlement 330 ft below, destroying a row of cottages and killing eight people. It remains the deadliest avalanche on record in the United Kingdom…
Hills rise above Lewes to the east and west, with Cliffe Hill to the east rising to 538 ft above sea level. The hill has a precipitously sloping western edge which dominates the eastern panorama from the town. In 1836, a row of seven flimsily constructed workers’ cottages called Boulder Row, on South Street, stood immediately at the foot of Cliffe Hill. The total number of inhabitants of Boulder Row is unknown, but contemporary reports indicated that fifteen people were in the cottages when the avalanche struck.
Unknown to the inhabitants of the town, the accumulation of snow at the top of Cliffe Hill, driven by a particularly severe gale on Christmas night, had been forming into a large cornice overhanging its almost sheer western edge. On the evening preceding the disaster, a significant build-up of snow was observed falling from the top of the hill into a timber yard close to Boulder Row. The inhabitants were warned that they could be at risk and were advised to leave their homes until the danger had passed, but for their own reasons they chose to ignore the warning.
At 10:15 on the morning of Tuesday 27 December the cornice collapsed more extensively, producing an enormous avalanche of accumulated snow directly onto Boulder Row.
Wikipedia
You can only imagine the unexpected horror of it all, vile weather, and an avalanche descending. Rescue would have come from townsfolk with spades and shovels, working to save their neighbours and friends, but sadly eight people, including children, lost their lives.
When I was investigating past events which happened on this date, I never thought there would be a catastrophic avalanche in East Sussex.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewes_avalanche
Lois Elsden 