The Wold Cottage Meteorite
In 1795, a stone fell from a clear sky onto a Yorkshire farm, and helped convince scientists that rocks really do fall from space.
What was reported
On the afternoon of 13 December 1795, a farm worker near Wold Cottage in Yorkshire was nearly hit when a stone fell from the sky with a series of loud bangs and buried itself in the ground. It weighed about 25 kg.
The landowner, Edward Topham, collected witness statements and put the stone on display in London, where crowds paid to see it. He later built a monument where it fell.
Explanations offered
At the time, most scientists did not believe that stones could fall from the sky. Chemical analysis of the Wold Cottage stone and others showed they were unlike any Earth rocks, and within a few years scientists accepted that meteorites were real. It is now in the Natural History Museum in London.
- When
- 13 December 1795
- Where
- Wold Newton, East Riding of Yorkshire, England
- Witnesses
- A farm worker and landowner Edward Topham
- Status
- Confirmed
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.