A tragic event took place in High Blantyre on Saturday 12th October and into Sunday 13th, 1895 which resulted in the sad death of gamekeeper, John Young.
Mr Young was the head gamekeeper at the Dechmont Estate and that Saturday he was out with his assistant on Dechmont hill looking for poachers. About midday, they parted with his assistant heading towards Cambuslang and John taking the Dalton Road towards Stoneymeadow and High Blantyre.
However, as the day went on, the gamekeeper never came back and his family and colleagues started to worry. By the Sunday morning, the worry had become real concern as John still wasn’t back, being out all night, which was very uncharacteristic. Police were called in Cambuslang and Blantyre and a Sunday morning search party was organised. Gamekeepers from neighbouring Calderwood estates joined them.
About one o’clock on the Sunday afternoon, a man was on his way along Stoneymeadow Road from High Blantyre towards East Kilbride. When suddenly he noticed, in the corner of a field of Allers Farm, a man lying in the mud. Thinking he was worse for wear from Saturday night drinking, the man walked past quickly not stopping. However, further on up the road he met the search party and informed him of what he’d seen. The entire group made for the spot and found John Young, the missing gamekeeper in the field at Allers in an unconscious state.
Medical aid was fetched and it was found he was suffering from apoplexy, (which we now call stroke). He had evidently on the Saturday, during his solo walk, suffered a seizure or stroke and collapsed in the field, perhaps trying to make his way to the nearby farm. He had lain there in exceptionally wet, cold weather for the whole night and morning. Still alive, he was taken to Dechmont Cottage, but died later that evening having never regained consciousness.
He left a widow and family all of whom with exception of one, were grown up.
