An extract from a local newspaper within our collections (ref: D/COL/Q13) outlines a forecasting method based on the phases of the moon, proposed by the astronomer William Herschel. The basic premise was:

If the new or full moon, or the first quarter or the last quarter takes place at 12 o'Clock at noon, or between that and two in the Afternoon, the weather for that quarter will be in Summer very rainy, in Winter very snowy or very rainy

Herschel's method then goes on to outline what happens if the new moon, full moon, first quarter or last quarter occurs in different parts of the day, in Summer or Winter, producing different types of weather for the coming quarter ranging from 'fair' to 'stormy' to 'frosty' to the somewhat non-committal description of 'changeable'.

This was from being Herschel's most outlandish theory however. He also asserted that every celestial body in the solar system was inhabited, even the Sun, where he believed that a race of beings with gigantic heads lived (according to Herschel's calculations they would need extraordinarily large heads to survive the intense pressures that would exist on the surface of the Sun)!

The History Centre holds a number of other weather-related items, including:

PE/CHC RE1/1 (on microfilm)

A parish register for Chilcombe which includes notes by the vicar on a "heavy and most disturbing snow storm" and a "dreadful Hurricane" which hit the parish during the nineteenth century.

D.2069/1

The memorandum book of Mrs Thresher of Netherbury, 1821-1840, giving a breakdown of the weather for each month.

D/FAR/A/F10

Papers concerning the early naval career of Robert Fitzroy, who was captain of the Beagle during Darwin's famous voyage, but also later went on to pioneer the concept of weather forecasting.