Now! Then! 2024! - Yorkshire On This Day

Excerpt

On Saturday night, betwixt five and six o’clock in the evening, was seen a streamer or strange comet in the heaven. Its foot or rise was about two o’clock sun in summer, rose up higher as to the height of the firmament still bending towards the north-west 20 yards as they judged, a quarter of a yard broad, very bright and shining, it was like a sword or spear thick towards the bottom, as it rose higher so it waxed smaller, the bottom of it seemed to be in a cloud, it was seen by multitudes above an hour together, in Halifax, etc. Jeremiah Baxter, Isaac Longbottom, Mistress Dawson told me they saw it long together. I have a letter from London this day that it’s seen there with some other prodigies, viz. in the west three suns seen at once, a pillar of fire, a naked arm and hand holding a flaming sword, great numbers of birds fighting, two armies engaging one against the other, one appearing from the west, the other from the north, at last the northern army seemed totally routed. [Margin:] I see it January 6, it’s much decreased.

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To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

Abbreviations:

• ER: East Riding
• GM: Greater Manchester
• NR: North Riding
• NY: North Yorkshire
• SY: South Yorkshire
• WR: West Riding
• WY: West Yorkshire

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Original

On Saturday night Dec. 11. 1680, betwixt 5 and 6 a clock in the evening was seen a streamer or strange comet in the heaven, its foot or rise was about 2 a clock sun in summer, rose up higher as to the height of the firmament still bending towards the north west 20 yards as they judged, a quarter of a yard broad, very bright and shining, it was like a sword or spear thick towards the bottom, as it rose higher so it waxed smaller, the bottom of it seemed to be in a cloud, it was seen by multitudes above an hour together, in Halifax, etc. Jeremiah Baxter, Issac Longbotom, Mtris Dawson told me they saw it long together, I saw it on Wednesday night Dec. 15, and several other nights, since then of different shapes, then as a pillar above a yard broad and to our appearance 2 long: it’s now in, the west – still keeps so – it’s still every night though growing less, this night I see it viz. Dec. 26. I see it again this night Jan 1681, and have a letter from London this day that its seen there with some other prodigies, viz. in the west 3 suns seen at once, a pillar of fire, a naked arm and hand holding a flaming sword, great numbers of birds fighting, two armies engaging one against the other, one appearing from the west, the other from the north, at last the northern army seemed totally routed. [On the margin:] I see it Jan. 6, it’s much decreased.

256 words.

Tags

Tags are assigned inclusively on the basis of an entry’s original text and any comment. You may find this confusing if you only read an entry excerpt.

• Bird (5) ·
• Calderdale (2) ·
• Comet (2) ·
• Great Comet of 1680 (1) ·
• 📌Halifax (43) ·
• Heywood, Oliver (1630-1702) (34), Bolton-born nonconformist minister and diarist, active in the West Riding, resident at Northowram, ejected for his beliefs ·
• Lambert Doomer (1) ·
• Nonconformism (47) ·
• 📌Northowram (14) ·
• Omen (3) ·
• Popish Plot (4) ·
• Popular culture (4) ·
• Presbyterianism (20) ·
• Protestantism (25) ·
• Sun (3) ·
• Titus Oates (2) ·
• West Riding of Yorkshire (147) ·
• William Howard, 1st Viscount Stafford (1) ·

All tags.

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