On Monday 5th July 1897, Minnie Hutchison , a 21 year old housekeeper of High Blantyre found herself standing in the dock at the JP Court, Hamilton. The charge was that she had ridden a bicycle after the allowed hour, without a lamp attached. So, we have to remember, this was a law at this […]
Category: Blantyre Crime
Motor Car and Sheep, 1898
Just when I thought my recent story about a Motor car collision in Blantyre was our town’s earliest mechanised vehicle accident, I’ve found an even earlier one, this time in 1898! This is a story about a vehicle accident, 5 years before trams! On Monday 24th January 1898, Hamilton man William Muir found himself in […]
Fruit Stealing by Hungry Miners
I hope nobody minds minor, incidental stories like these. Such events took place over 125 years ago, and do reflect actual events in Blantyre at the time. Such snippets help form a larger picture of what was going on, such as this story about hungry miners. Four Blantyre men, found themselves in bother with the […]
Summer Night Games, 1899
A story to show how much things have changed in over 120 years in Blantyre. On Sunday 9th July 1899, patrolling police officers found 4 young miners playing cards in the street at Dixon’s Rows, Stonefield at 4 o clock in the morning. They were taken into custody. The same officers then made their way […]
Boy’s Game Backfires, 1899
Saturday 22nd July 1899 and Blantyre boy Arthur Hamilton, aged 13 found himself standing in the dock at the Sheriff Court standing in front of Sheriff Davidson. Arthur, a miner from Broompark Place had been caught throwing stones at the railway signals and insulators on the telegraph poles at the Hunthill junction of the Caledonian […]
Crossed the Line, 1900
On evening of Monday 4th June 1900, Charles Roger a Polish miner from Craighead Rows and Joseph Higgins of McAlpines Building, Blantyre got into a quarrel at Mr Kelly’s Public House on Glasgow Road. As was the tradition then, they “took it outside” to the pavement. From the statement submitted to court, Higgins then drew […]
Bicycle Theft & Detective Work, 1901
Constable Thomas Docherty was congratulated on the smart capture of a thief in Blantyre during 1901. Bringing justice to Blantyre. However, first we need to go back a step….. On Sunday, 30th June 1901, a young man from Cambuslang had been out all night and was travelling back through Blantyre, heading home to Cambuslang on […]