Christmas 1891, was something Blantyre lady Rose Ann Watson (nee McCourt) would likely not have enjoyed. The Auchentibber woman was jailed for 21 days over the festive period for stealing from a Blantyre shop, belonging to William Scott at High Blantyre Main Street. She had actually got away with stealing the items a couple […]
On Friday 19th December 1862, a week before Christmas, police constable Andrew Cooper was going about his rounds on Burnbank Road when he saw three well known characters of the same family. John Cook (the father), Sarah Cook (the wife) and also Sarah Cook (daughter) were in the dark street carrying something bulky, struggling […]
A remarkable case of juvenile precocity was heard in the Hamilton J.P. Court on Saturday 24th January 1925. Not yet nine years of age, a boy from Burnbank admitted the theft of tin of butter scotch from a confectioner’s shop at Glasgow Road in Low Blantyre. The wee eight year old boy incredibly had […]
Time and time again I find the 1920’s an era of great unemployment for Blantyre and a time when hardships drove men (and women) to do things that would normally be grossly out of character. One such story is that of Alexander Walker Hunter, whom, in 1925 was 31 years old, a married man who […]
During the 1970’s, the plaque bearing the name of Blantyre soldiers who lost their lives in WW2, was stolen from the War memorial in High Blantyre Cemetery. (Sidenote, I can’t think of anything more disrespectful!). As Cemeteries were the responsibility of Hamilton District Council Leisure &, Recreation Departments back then, official set about on […]
February 1978 saw a spate of house and shop break-ins in Blantyre. Cleary Hairdressers at 208 Glasgow Road was subjected to a daylight robbery, with thieves taking money fro the till, a hairdryer and attempts to break into a phone coin box. During the same evening thieves broke into 1 Holmswood Avenue, 1 Heathcliffe Avenue […]
On the evening of Tuesday 19th September 1967, Matt Boyle, the High Blantyre publican had cashed up at his Main Street pub and was making his way home. He lived at a detached house near Kirkton Cross, which had the name “Parkhurst”, (pictured here in 2007 by Jim Brown) Matt, born in 1899 was 68 […]