1929 would be a year miner William Kilpatrick of 293 Glasgow Road would have liked to have forgotten about. The miner, employed at Bardykes Colliery found another man’s payline, and as well as collecting his own wage, went back to the office at a later time when it was staffed by another person, and handed […]
In May 1930, while workmen were engaged cutting a new roadway through Priory Pit, Blantyre, a charge of gelignite, which had been left buried by mistake the previous night, exploded, causing the death of one man and serious injury to another. The man killed was William Stewart (57), who resided 51 Small Crescent, High […]
Jean Pearson emailed me recently, commenting, “My Grandfather died in Blantyre on the 20th of August 1906. His Name was George William Elliot. He lived at 11 Waterloo Row Blantyre and was a coal Miner. I am trying to find an inquest report from the newspaper of that period. I would appreciate any help you […]
Nystagmus is a condition of involuntary eye movement, acquired in infancy or later in life, that may result in reduced or limited vision. Due to the involuntary movement of the eye, it is often called “dancing eyes”. It can be brought on by vertigo, or fear or confined spaces, and as such was often known as […]
Anne Mikolay asked me, “My great grandfather, John Taggart, worked in the Bothwell Castle Colliery, and had a fatal accident on July 24, 1916. He and his wife and children lived in Shuttle Row. My research indicates notification of the accident was placed in the Hamilton Advertiser on August 12, 1916. Can you please tell […]
In Hamilton Sheriff Court on Wednesday 29th December 1932, Mr. Archibald Anderson, a miner of 16 Alpine Street, Low Blantyre tried to sue William Weir, baker and purveyor of 146 Glasgow Road, Blantyre. This was for £50 damages in respect of illness and loss of work alleged to have resulted through Archibald Anderson eating a pancake […]
I’m often reminded while looking at Blantyre’s history, that there was a terrible housing shortage in our town especially during the 1930s and 1940s. One such story reinforces this. A touching story of a squatter’s plight was told by a Blantyre man in Hamilton Sheriff Court on 2nd October 1933. He was Edward Cornfield, miner, of 3 Victoria […]