Living with drought in the long nineteenth century

Waddington, Keir ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8833-8855 2025. Living with drought in the long nineteenth century. The Historical Journal Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

The 1893 drought will, according to the science journal Nature in July ‘unquestionably take its place among the recorded events of history, if regard be had to its intensity [and] the length of time during which it has lasted’. Communities reported being stretched beyond endurance. Rivers ran dry, reservoirs dropped to record lows, wells failed, and domestic water supplies were restricted to a few hours per day. But while the 1893 drought was severe, it was not unusual. As this article reveals, urban and rural communities faced regular droughts of varying intensity and duration during the long nineteenth century. What did this mean for them? Where previous interest in extreme weather events has focused on recovering historic patterns, or examined resilience or adaption, this article explores the lived experiences of drought to offer a new perspective on the impact of weather shocks and water scarcity on people’s lives. By combining evidence from meteorological reports, newspapers, official reports, and local government archives, the article undercovers the fragility of urban and rural water supplies and examines how behaviours were adapted in response to water scarcity and precarity.

Item Type:	Article
Status:	In Press
Schools:	Schools > History, Archaeology and Religion
Subjects:	D History General and Old World > D History (General) > D204 Modern History D History General and Old World > DA Great Britain H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
ISSN:	0018-246X
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	12 December 2025
Date of Acceptance:	12 December 2025
Last Modified:	16 Dec 2025 14:15
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/183172

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