The Great Thunderstorm of Widecombe
During a Sunday service on Dartmoor, a ball of fire is said to have burst into the church.
What was reported
On Sunday 21 October 1638, a violent storm broke over Widecombe while the church of St Pancras was full for the afternoon service. Witnesses described the church going dark, then a great ball of fire coming through a window, filling the building with flame and a smell of sulphur.
Part of the tower fell through the roof. Four people died and around sixty were hurt. Pamphlets printed soon after described the event in detail, and local legend says the Devil had stopped at the inn on his way to collect a gambler.
Explanations offered
It's now thought to be one of the earliest detailed accounts of ball lightning, or of a powerful lightning strike on the tower. Ball lightning is still poorly understood, but it's accepted as a real, rare phenomenon. Boards in the church still record the event in verse.
- When
- 21 October 1638
- Where
- Widecombe-in-the-Moor, Devon, England
- Witnesses
- Around 300 people at an afternoon service
- Status
- Probably natural
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.