QAT this time of disastrous floods, I would like to know what you can tell me about the Great Flood of 1771. I understand most of the bridges on the rivers Tyne and Wear were destroyed. - Stan Dack, Newton Aycliffe.

A THE Great Flood of November 17, 1771 was known as the Saint Hilda's Day Flood. It affected many rivers in the North-East and destroyed many bridges on the rivers Tyne, Wear and Tees. Many of the historic bridges on the three great rivers were affected.

At around 2am on the Sunday morning of November 17, the quayside residents of Newcastle awoke to find the waters of the Tyne inundating their homes.

Many residents could still remember the great flood of December 1763 when the Tyne rose three feet higher than had ever been recorded before. The 1771 flood would be a further six feet higher than the flood of 1763. Cellars, warehouses and shops along the quayside were among the first to suffer and all of those between the Close and the Ouseburn were completely inundated. Fortunately most of those residents sleeping in the lower quarters of these buildings escaped despite the rapid and sudden nature of the flood during the early hours.

The flood had a devastating effect on the Tyne Bridge - then a stone structure occupied by shops and houses. Three arches of the bridge, including the middle arch were swept away and seven shops and houses went with them. A further four houses would fall into the river from the bridge the next day.

A number of people living on the bridge were killed and there is a sad account of four members of a household losing their lives after returning to their house to salvage some bundles just before the house was swept away.

One house, belonging to a Mr Patten, was swept as far as Jarrow where it was examined in the hope of finding its occupant but only a cat and dog were found - still alive. The Tyne is said to have reached its maximum height at about 7am when it is described as being more than 12 feet above the water mark in the spring tides.

In some places along the quayside, notably Sandhill, the water had flooded to a depth of six feet. The goods of timber merchants and similar businesses were destroyed and many ships and boats were wrecked and later marooned along the entire shore of the Tyne as far as Shields. Upstream from Newcastle, the Tyne valley was equally affected. Wylam Colliery was completely inundated.

Remarkably every single bridge on the Tyne was destroyed by the flood except for that at Corbridge which had been built in 1674 on Roman foundations. On the River Wear, the flood was just as bad and the bridges at Frosterley, Wolsingham and Witton were destroyed.

l If you have a Burning Question, or can improve on the answer above, please write to Burning Questions, The Northern Echo, Priestgate, Darlington DL1 1NF or e-mail dsimpson