A fierce hurricane hit Stamford on 16th September, 1847 and the wind caused considerable damage. One casualty was an ancient oak tree.
“The wind blew a perfect hurricane yesterday (Thursday) between twelve at noon and two o’clock, and did considerable mischief to several windows in Stamford and the neighbourhood. In the early part of the morning, the roof of Hengler’s circus on St. Peter’s Hill was displaced; and shortly before one o’clock in the afternoon damage of a more serious character was occasioned. A gigantic walnut tree, believed to be more than two centuries old, which stood at the bottom of the Castle-hill, in a paddock adjoining the sheep-market occupied by messrs W. and J. Wright, ironmongers, was torn up by the roots, and fell with a tremendous crash across the street leading to the newly-made road (now the Great North Road) in the meadows. The lower part of the trunk burst down Messrs Wright’s wall, and the top part forced off a portion of the wall opposite and nearly destroyed a hovel on the premises of Mr. Wright Waterfield, sadler. A wagon drawn by three horses, belonging to Mr. Rt Simpson, of Little Casterton, was passing along the road at the time: the fore horse, as if by instinct, became restive at the moment the roots of the tree were parting from the soil, and dashed forward; the second horse likewise took the alarm, and both fortunately broke away from the shaft-horse: the last poor animal was crushed beneath the arms of the falling tree, and so dreadfully injured that it was necessary to kill it immediately that it could be reached. The driver escaped by running to the head of the fore horse when that animal became restive. Had the wind blown from the north, and thus forced the tree upon the adjoining house, it is probably there would have been a sacrifice of human life. The passage to St. Martin’s was totally obstructed; but by the activity of the police and some carpenters employed to saw off the branches of the tree, the stoppage of the thoroughfare was not for so long a time as to cause any serious inconvenience to travellers.”
The Stamford Mercury, 17th September, 1847.