The Great Frost (1607-1608) [Historical Event, Chapter I, pp. 33] refers to an event of extremely cold weather that afflicted Europe in the early 17th century. It should be noted that there were several similar winters that occured across the centuries, most notable the Great Frost of 1709. Therefore, when Woolf references The Great Frost in her novel, it's difficult to gage which historical event she is referencing. Due to the fact that she associates this event with King James I, the Frost Fair, and the freezing of the River Thames, I have chosen to focus on the The Great Frost of 1607.

In December of 1607, this ferocious winter caused the River Thames in London to freeze: “within three weeks the river turned solid from bank to bank . . . and impromptu parties appeared in the middle of the frozen river” (White). This marked the creation of the Frost Fair, which is pictured below. Though this little ice age had breached the majority of Europe, the image of the frozen Thames is “the most famous image of that winter” (White). However, the Great Frost was not just one big winter wonderland. In Orlando, Woolf describes the Great Frost as “the most severe that has ever visited these islands. Birds froze in mid air and fell like stones to the ground . . . the mortality among sheep and cattle was enormous. Corpses froze and could not be drawn from the sheets” (Woolf 33). This excerpt highlights the devastation of this natural disaster. The repeated imagery of death alludes to the economic downfall England was experiencing due to the loss of crops and animals. These losses added fuel to an already existing fire. Throughout 1607, English men and women exhibited “anger and despair over continuing high food prices” (White). Despite the various decrees of King James I to ration the food sources , “the extreme cold of early 1608 ruined the wheat crop” and nullified his efforts (White). Thus, England was thrusted into “a kind of petrifacation” (Woolf 33). 

Word Count: 333

Citations: 

Woolf, Virginia. Orlando: A Biography. Mariner Books, an Imprint of Harper Collins Publishers, 2022.

White, Sam. A Cold Welcome: The Little Ice Age and Europe's Encounter with North America. Harvard University Press, 2017.