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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
The dry, sunny weather of Summer 1901, provided a great number of people to take to the River Clyde, especially those fond of bathing and wishing to cool down. Reporters told of how on Sunday 28th July 1901, hundreds of people, mainly men and boys gathered at the River Clyde edge near the Craighead Viaduct, […]