Tragic River Discovery, 1905

Monday 29th May 1905, was a rather sombre day in Blantyre as a gruesome discovery was made at the side of the River Clyde.

During that evening, the body of a baby was found floating in the river near the Weir dam at Blantyre Village Works. Police were called and the body was taken to the mortuary. The infant was that of a baby male, fully developed and of a size akin to newborns. The doctor was of the opinion that the baby had drowned and had sadly, been in the water for around 4 weeks. Newspaper reports are vague, but do mention that the police were following up a clue.

Unfortunately, I’ve not been able to find the baby’s parents in any research. This appears to be a tragic, perhaps unwanted soul who lived only ever so briefly. Very sad.

The location is shown around that time.

1904 Demolition of Gas Works

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