Ventus vehemens et terribilis per totam Angliam : Responses and Reactions to a Short-term Crisis in the British Isles

Although many extreme weather events were documented throughout the medieval period, few are known in great detail due to a lack of detailed documen-tary and archaeological evidence. A case study with a high volume of evidence is the windstorm of 15 January 1362 which primarily affected southern and eastern England. Its effects and the responses of contemporary society in its aftermath are documented relatively widely across the British Isles, with standing building evidence supporting the written evidence at certain locations. As a result, it is possible to trace the short to medium term impact of this event including how the event was perceived, what reactions were taken across the different layers of medieval society and to what extent any preparations were made against ‘the next storm'.