| Wold Cottage | |
|---|---|
| Type | Chondrite |
| Class | Ordinary chondrite |
| Group | L6 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Region | Yorkshire, England |
| Coordinates | [1] |
| Observed fall | Yes |
| Fall date | 13 December 1795, 3 p.m. |
| TKW | 25 kg |
The Wold Cottage meteorite (also called the Wold Newton meteorite) fell at 3 p.m. on 13 December 1795 a few miles away from the hamlet of Wold Newton in Yorkshire, England. The meteorite fell two fields away from a large house, the Wold Cottage, owned by Edward Topham. Topham was a poet, playwright, landowner and well respected local.
Contents |
The meteorite is an L6 ordinary chondrite weighing around 25 kg.
The Wold Cottage meteorite was the first meteorite observed to fall in Britain and is the second largest ever recorded to land in the United Kingdom. It was used by scientists as proof that extraterrestrial matter existed, and was made of the same materials as terrestrial matter.
James Sowerby, a naturalist, acquired it and gave fragments to interested people.[2][3] Sowerby's fragments are now held by the Natural History Museum in London.
Here
On this Spot, Decr. 13th, 1795
Fell from the Atmoſphere
AN EXTRAORDINARY STONE
In Breadth 28 inches
In Length 36 inches
and
Whoſe Weight was 56 pounds.
THIS COLUMN
In Memory of it
Was erected by
EDWARD TOPHAM
1799
There is a brick monument in the field where the meteorite fell, commemorating the event. It was built by Edward Topham, the owner of the land, in 1799 to mark the exact spot where the meteorite fell.
On the right you can read the text of the inscription on the landmark.
The event was used by the science fiction writer Philip José Farmer in his "biographies" of fictional characters (Tarzan Alive and Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life) as the basis for a literary premise commonly referred to as the Wold Newton family.
In 2003, the meteor inspired the founding of local brewery Wold Top which produces a real ale called "Falling Stone".[4]