Two hundred years ago a tragic death occurred in the wide-open fields between Whittlesea and Thorney. It was around 4pm on Monday 28th May 1821, and three men were working out in the fields shovelling manure onto the ground (you can make your own jokes there!) from their horse-drawn carts to fertilise the crops. This was, of course, a very undesirable job, and the men were described as poor men, probably scrabbling for any work to put food on their table.
One man, John Smith, was working alone, far from the other
two. He’d shovelled half his load onto the field and was determined to finish
his work as quick as he could. He would have seen the oncoming storm, which was
described as ‘dreadfully alarming’, with violent winds and a barrage of thunder
and lightning. On the expansive snooker table flat fields, it would have looked
spectacular, if a little concerning. There would have been nowhere for him to
hide, so John carried on shovelling, hoping it would soon pass.
The other men in the field had seen the storm approaching
and decided they could sit it out under their carts, which were decisions that
saved their lives. With no other high point for the lightning to hit as it
passed over the fields, it aimed for John, who was mercifully killed instantly.
His horse bolted, dragging his cart, still half-full of manure, and ran towards
the two other men in the field. They managed to stop it with great difficulty
but were then able to use the horse to lead them back to their colleague, who
they very much suspected was dead.
When they arrived they were taken back by the horror of the
scene. John Smith was no more. His body lay burnt and lifeless next to his
burning pile of manure which had been ‘set on fire by the electric fluid.’ John
was largely naked, his clothes being torn to shreds by the impact of the
lightning and scattered around him in the field. His shoes were described as ‘high
shoes’ – presumed to mean high-heeled – were also affected by the blast. One
shoe had its ‘laces torn to atoms’ and the other was blown from the body and
could not be found, which was the same outcome for his hat. He also suffered a
broken leg and there was a considerable indent in the ground where his head had
hit the earth, despite the ground being dry at the time the storm arrived.
Once the men had overcome their initial shock at the scene
before them, they conveyed the man home to his family in the manure cart. An
inquest took place the following day and the cause of death was given as ‘killed
by lightning’.
What lesson can we learn from this tragic tale? If you’re
shovelling manure and you see a storm approaching, put your shovel down and
take shelter. You can take this literally and figuratively!
If you want to read about another fascinating death involving lightning only a few miles west of this event, please check out my friend Sophie's blog and her story about ball lightning in Helpston here.
References:
Stamford Mercury, 8 June 1821, p.3
Awful Tempest, Sun (London), 1 June 1821, p.3
Image by Terry McGraw from Pixabay
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