March

Records show that, in the past, March could often be very cold with heavy snowfalls. The year 1909 saw particularly bad snow in early March with deep drifts in the Staffordshire Moorlands. Even without snow, continuous frosts were not uncommon and mid-March, 1955, saw the end of 34 consecutive nights of frost. Heavy frosts made cultivation difficult for farmers and nurserymen as some of these examples show. East winds also seem to have been a feature of this month, often with adverse effects on farming stock and vegetation.

The extracts are arranged chronologically by the day to show the progression of weather through the month.

A Cold Start to the Month at Trentham, 1-7 March 1840

Persistent Frost at Weston Park, 1-15 March 1955

Frost Delays Ploughing at Leekfrith, 2-3 March 1852

A Large Snow at Longnor, 3-6 March 1909

Snow Keeps Teaching Assistant Away at Swythamley, 3-11 March 1909

Children’s Colds Caused by Severe Weather at Freehay, 4-18 March 1867

Sudden Change for the Worst in Alrewas, 7 March 1796

Lambs Starved by Cold at Weston Coyney, 12-13 March 1842

Changeable Weather and Servant Problems at Sandon, 9-10 March 1843

Adverse Growing Conditions at Spotacre Nursery, near Stone 12-13 March 1924

An Exceeding Great Tempest of Winde at Lichfield, 21 March 1593

Snow and Spring Cleaning in Bridgtown, 23 March 1919

Snowy Good Friday at Teddesley, 24 March 1837

Snow Disappoints New Teacher in Tamworth, 28 March 1878

Unseasonable Weather and Sickness hits Staffordshire, 1850

East Winds Bring on Inflammatory Fevers, March 1737

A Cold Start to the Month at Trentham, 1-7 March 1840

From the Trentham Home Farm Bailiff’s Monthly Reports
 
The first week of the month was very cold with temperatures rising a little in the following two weeks and registering in the 40s. There was a further cold snap in the last week of March with temperatures falling back to the 30s. By the end of the month the temperatures had risen to 54 degrees.
 

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Persistent Frost at Weston Park, 1-15 March 1955

From the Weather Books of the Weston Park Estate

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Frost Delays Ploughing at Leekfrith, 2-3 March 1852

From the Farming and Household Diary of John Plant of Hazlewood House Farm, Leekfrith
 
A farmer’s work was and still is dictated by the weather as this extract shows.  This diary uses phonetic spelling and virtually no punctuation. “Tinkers Coat” is a field name. Brough and Findlow are both farm labourers.
 
2 March 1852 - We was thrashing in fore noon. T Brough & T Findlow began plowing in tinkers coat in the afternoon, was snow in the Morning
 
3 March 1852- Windy T Brough & T Findlow brought the plough home and began in the N[orth] Meadow it was so Frosty thay cold [could] not plow in tinkers Coat
 
Reference: Staffordshire Record Office 5615/1/1
© Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archive Service

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A Large Snow at Longnor, 3-6 March 1909

Extract from a Local Farmer’s Diary
 
3 March- A Very Heavy Fall of snow during Last night in some places 8 inches, others 12 to 14 inches. Went to Leek Market. John Alcock Went with me. Took 16lbs of Butter.
 
4 March- Still a Large Snow and Freesing Very Hard in the Shade. Will went to Mr A Princes With Basket and then on to Wheeldons for Shoes. Was not done. I Borrowed Hall’s Ferrit & caught a Rabbit then shot Ferrit.
 
5 March- a Very Severe Storm a very Sharp Frost & cold. Sunny in Day Time. Mr John Wooliscroft’s Sow Farrowed 12 pigs Yesterday, are doing Well.
 
6 March – Wether till continues to be Very Wintery Snowing all day Snow from one foot to Three where drifted. All out door Work except Snow Ridding [clearing] put a stop to.
 
Reference: Staffordshire Record Office D6794
© Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archive Service

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Snow Keeps Teaching Assistant Away at Swythamley, 3-11 March 1909.

From the Log Book for Swythamley Church of England School.
 
This entry shows the impact of the ‘large snow’ referred to in the previous extract for Longnor but further to the west of the county. The teaching assistant referred to caused irritation to the school mistress on many occasions, not just this one, and her attendance record was generally poor.
 
3 March- Very deep snow; only 21 children present.
 
8 March- Deep snow on the ground, only 19 children present in the morning, 21 in the afternoon. Assistant absent all day.
 
9 March- Assistant still absent, reason not known.
 
11 March- Mistress had note from assistant explaining that she had a cold, and as the schools at Cheddleton were closed for a week on account of the weather probably this would be closed also, as the weather was not likely to be better here than there so she had not come!
 
Reference: Staffordshire Record Office D3658/1
© Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archive Service

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Children’s Colds Caused by Severe Weather at Freehay, 4-18 March 1867

From the Log Book of Freehay National School, 1867
 
4 March - Attendance 76. A good many children are away poorly, suffering principally from colds on account of the severity of the weather.
 
7 March - The weather bitter cold – A heavy fall of snow- some of the classes put together for lessons
 
11 March - There was a fall of snow during the night and the weather too is very severe. A Good many children suffering from colds.
 
18 March- Attendance at 52. The weather is more severe than usual, the easterly winds still continue and there is a quantity of snow on the ground
 
Reference: Staffordshire Record Office D3656/1
 © Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archive Service

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Sudden Change for the Worst in Alrewas, 7 March 1796

From the Parish Register for Alrewas, 1796
 
7th March- For the last eight days this neighbourhood has experienced a wonderful change of weather. After a winter of the mildest weather ever remembered by the oldest persons living, the wind mostly at SW by W chopped round to NE by N blowing generally very hard that brought on a quantity of snow and hail attended by some frost, which made the alteration severely felt. What effect it will have on the agriculture of the county at large cannot yet be known; but previous to this change all the crops were much too forward and a check greatly wished for: the wheat in particular was singularly productive and would undoubtedly have run up fast in straw to the great detriment of the grain itself.
 
Reference: Staffordshire Record Office D783/1/1
By courtesy of the Vicar and PCC of Alrewas, All Saints
© Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archive Service

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Lambs Starved by Cold at Weston Coyney, 12-13 March 1842

From the Diary of Jacob Marsh, Farmer, of Weston Coyney
 
12 March- Cold East wind bad for Lambs, dry and Cold all day. Caverswall Fair.
 
13 March- Colder than ever. East Wind. Lambs almost starved. 2 dead Lambs, bad concerne. Mr Marston called in but too Late.
 
 
Reference: SD 1465
© Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archive Service

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Changeable Weather and Servant Problems at Sandon, 9-10 March 1843

From the Diary of Jeremiah Ginders of Sandon
 
This is an example of a diarist regularly recording the daily weather as a habit. In this particular instance it does not impact in any way on the subsequent diary entries.
 
9 March - [Wind] south frost & morning very cold and fine. Kitty gave notice to leave her service this day month in consequence of the annoyance & ill usage of Cope and Mellor.
 
10 March – [Wind] SSE moist more rain in the afternoon. Cope told she is to go also for such behaviour to a fellow servant to cause her to give notice. Mellor is gone to Stone & it is to be the case with [Cope] too
 
Reference: Staffordshire Record Office 6850/2
© Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archive Service

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Adverse Growing Conditions at Spotacre Nursery, near Stone
12-13 March 1924

From the Daily Journals of the Spotacre Nursery
 
12 March - Very sharp black frost, wind due east all day hot sun        all day very killing for vegetation. Busy lifting and sending away Jack      …. laying seedlings in wood opposite Spotacre, very drying today frost still in ground but snow has almost all gone.
 
13 March - Sharp frost first thing indeed very severe, but hot sun & east wind all day thawed somewhat out of ground later in day very awkward for lifting, still a little snow. Busy sending stuff [plants etc] away all over the Country by rail.
 
 
Reference: Staffordshire Record Office 6168/1/1
© Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archive Service

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An Exceeding Great Tempest of Winde at Lichfield, 21 March 1593

From the Parish Register of All Saints, Alrewas
 
This year anno domini 1593 the xxith of Marche was an exceeding great Tempest of Winde which continewed all the day Loge and did great hurte in many places in Blowing downe of Steeples, dwelling housses, Barnes, Trees innumerable in every place. Within this parish their weare vii Barnes overthrowen, in Lichfeeld the toppes of Steeples of Sainte Michaels and Saint Maries, by the market place were Blowen downe, the Steeple of the hih churche in Stafford was then Blowen doune which hurte the churche and chauncell and housses aboute the same that be the imagination on the Townes men £300 will not repare and make the same.
 
Reference: Staffordshire Record Office D783/1/1
By courtesy of the Vicar and PCC of Alrewas, All Saints
© Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archive Service

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Snow and Spring Cleaning in Bridgtown, 23 March 1919

From the Diary of Mrs Elizabeth Hagar Whitehouse
 
23 March - We turned out the Boys Room & had Hassall to wash down the Walls. Marjorie cleaned the furniture. Gerty came down in the evening. It was a lovely day, but we had quite two inches of Snow in the evening.
 
Reference: Staffordshire Record Office 6788/1
© Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archive Service

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Snowy Good Friday at Teddesley, 24 March 1837

From the Diaries of Lord Hatherton, Teddesley Park, near Penkridge
 
24 March - Good Friday. A frost and very deep snow of three days duration. The longest winter I have ever known. It may be said to have set in at the end of September
 
Reference: Staffordshire Record Office D260/M/F/5/26/14
By courtesy of Mr ARW Littleton
© Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archive Service

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Snow Disappoints New Teacher in Tamworth, 28 March 1878

From the Log Book of Tamworth Infants School, 1878
 
The attendance has been very poor all day. Weather snowy. I very much regret the small attendance… because it will very materially affect the weekly average, especially as this is my 1st week in charge of the school.
 
Reference: Staffordshire Record Office CEL/43/1
© Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archive Service

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Unseasonable Weather and Sickness hits Staffordshire, 1850

From the Staffordshire Advertiser, 30th March 1850
 
The Weather- The weather has been during the last week most unseasonable; the nights have been frosty, some of them severely so and on Monday night and Tuesday the fall of snow was so considerable as to give the appearance of midwinter to the whole face of nature …. The thermometer has stood at 25 in the neighbourhood of Stafford and in consequence of this severity of the weather, the vegetation has not advanced. Indeed it has retrograded. Meadows which a fortnight ago were looking green and promising are now brown and bare, the frost having nipped the young grass and effectively stopped its growth. The dry arid winds are also producing their effect on the human constitution. Much sickness prevails in many neighbourhoods, particularly among children.
 
Reference: William Salt Library, Staffordshire Advertiser, 30 March 1850
By courtesy of the Staffordshire Newsletter

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East Winds Bring on Inflammatory Fevers, March 1737

From the Diary of Dr Richard Wilkes of Willenhall
 
 
The Weather was very rainy till the vith [7th] when we had 2 frosty nights & then it was dry with high Winds to the 4th of April which were constantly East so that inflammatory Fevers, Pleurises, Quinsies etc were almost epidemical of which many died in Several Places.
 
Reference: Staffordshire Record Office 5350
© Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archive Service 

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