24/12/2025
The Somerset Tsunami of 1607.
Today, we travel back in time to the early 17th century, to an event that shook the coasts of southwestern England, southern Wales, and beyond, leaving a lasting impact on the lives of those who witnessed it. Unfortunately there is very limited historical evidence which tells us of the specific causes and effects of the tragic event known as the Somerset Tsunami, but there is no question that this natural disaster had a big impact on the landscape and the people who encountered it.
On January 30, 1607 a catastrophic tsunami struck the shores of Somerset, Bristol, and Cardiff. Unfortunately, the causes of the Somerset Tsunami are not confirmed although there are a number of theories which could explain the devastating event. For many years it was believed that the tsunami was caused by a landslide that occurred off of the South Irish coast. However, more recently the British Geological Survey have suggested that, 'as there is limited evidence of a landslide off the continental shelf, a tsunami would most likely have been caused by an earthquake on a known unstable fault off the coast of southwest Ireland , causing the vertical displacement of the sea floor.'
Villages along the coast were mercilessly swept away, their humble structures no match for the power of the waves. It is said that the water moved inland quicker than a man, or even a horse could run. Farmland, which had been a source of sustenance for generations, was submerged, leaving behind a watery grave for crops and livestock alike. The land that once thrived with life and prosperity was now transformed into a desolate, waterlogged landscape.
Unsurprisingly, in a period where widespread publications such as newspapers were not yet established, very little survives in terms of contemporary historical evidence or accounts from people who witnessed the devastation from this event. However, there are a small number of accounts that come from pamphlets (like the one pictured) which give us a fascinating insight into what it might have been like. The accounts from a man called William Jones are considered the best and most contemporary with regards to this event, he wrote:
'So violent and swift were the outragiouse waves, that pursued one an other, with such vehemencie, and the Waters multiplying so much in so short a time, that in lesse then five houres space most part of those cuntreys (and especially the places which lay lowe) were all over flowen, and many hundreds of people both men women, and children were then quite devoured, by these outragious waters, such was the furie of the waves, of the Seas, the one of them dryving the other forwardes with such force and swiftnes, that it is almost incredible for any to beleeve the same'.
Another description written some time after the event comes from the Gentleman’s Magazine in 1762.
“From Chepstow to the further end of Carmarthenshire it came on so fast, that it was supposed 500 persons, on a moderate computation, lost their lives, beside many thousand cattle, and other substance perish, and sometimes their wives and children, without being able to afford them any assistance,”
“There is little now remaining there to be seen, but huge waters like to the main ocean: the tops of churches and steeples like the tops of rocks in the sea: great ricks of fodder for cattle are flouting like ships upon the waters, and dead beasts swimming thereon, now past feeding on the same.
“The tops of trees a man may behold remaining above the waters, on whose branches multitudes of turkeys, hens and other such like poultry were fain to fly up to save their lives, where many of them perished for want of relief, not being able to fly to dry land by reason of their weakness,”.
It is not known what sources the author made use of to provide the information included in the publication for Gentleman's Magazine in 1762. It could be that sources were available to the author that are now lost to history. In any case, it would certainly appear that he has used a range or sources, including the pamphlet that is pictured. He describes the beasts floating on the waters surface, the men clinging on to the trees and the church spires that we can see on the pamphlet, one thing he fails to mention is the poor baby floating along in the cot!
In the aftermath of the Somerset tsunami, the affected communities faced immense challenges in rebuilding their lives. The loss of homes, livelihoods, and loved ones cast a long shadow over the region. The survivors displayed remarkable resilience as they slowly pieced together their shattered existence, supporting one another in their shared grief and determination.
The Somerset tsunami of 1607 remains a poignant chapter in the annals of British history. Its impact was felt not only in terms of physical devastation but also in the hearts and minds of the survivors and their descendants. The event served as a stark reminder to the people of Somerset of the unpredictable forces of nature and the fragility of human existence.
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