Stirlingshire Accidents 1871-1900

This section contains newspaper reports on accidents in Stirlingshire from 1871 to 1900 inclusive. Please check the indexes in the Accidents Section for reports by the Inspector of Mines and accidents in other areas.

17 January 1871

Kilsyth – Fatal Pit Accident – On Tuesday morning, the body of man, dreadfully mangled, was found in one of Messrs Wallace's pits at Neilston Kilsyth. The unfortunate man was David Tait, a nailer, and had been in the town the previous day seeking for work. It is supposed that he went to the pit in search of a night's shelter and accidentally fell down [Scotsman 19 January 1871]

24 August 1871

Denny – Miner Killed in An Explosion - On Thursday, a miner named Alexander Paterson, was killed through an accident in Edgeface Pit, in Dunipace Parish, belonging to Messrs Baird, Gartsherrie Ironworks. The deceased was engaged stemming a shot, when it unexpectedly exploded, and he received such injuries as caused his death shortly afterwards. Paterson was thirty years of age, and leaves a wife and two children. [Scotsman 26 August 1871]

23 September 1874

In a pit at Kilsyth, on Wednesday, a man was hanging in the shaft making repairs when his scaffold gave way. Thrice he succeeded in catching the bratticing as he fell, and as often the wood came away in his grasp. Then “for several seconds” - as the horrified listeners believed -  his agonising cries were heard as he fell headlong down 100 fathoms to the bottom of the shaft, where he was dashed to pieces. [Hamilton Advertiser 26 September 1874]

(NB Deceased was William Aitken)

15 February 1879

Fatal Pit Accident – On Saturday forenoon, a young lad 16 years of age, named James Chalmers, residing at Brick Row, Kilsyth, was killed at Four Arches Pit, belonging to Messrs William Baird & Company. Chalmers, who was engaged as a pony driver in the pit, when jumping off a load of full hutches that was being drawn up an incline, fell before the wheels. The loaded hutches passed over his body, causing instantaneous death. [Scotsman 17 February 1879]

24 May 1879

Fatal Pit Explosion – A disastrous explosion occurred on Sat afternoon at Denny in the No 1 pit, Quarter, Denny, belonging to Messrs Baird of Gartsherrie, which resulted in the death of one man and the serious injury of another. Robert Henderson, fireman, residing in Dunipace, was killed by the explosion, and Robert Cook, a roadsman residing in Denny, severely burned, but Dr Benny who attended him, reported on Sunday that he was doing pretty well. Henderson was 26 years of age and leaves a widow and 3 children. [Hamilton Advertiser May 31 1879]

25 November 1879

Slamannan – Young Woman Killed – Sarah M'Aughy, 21 years of age, an outdoor worker, residing at West Longrigg, Slamannan, was killed yesterday by being jammed between waggons at one of the coal pits yesterday. [Scotsman 27 November 1879]

6 December 1879

Denny – Man Killed in a Pit – Malcolm Laird was crushed to death on Saturday in Woodyett pit, Denny, by a quantity of stones falling from the roof at the face where he was working. [Scotsman 8 December 1879]

2 December 1882

Slamannan – Shocking Death at a Coal-Pit - A miner named Thomas Heaps, 23 years of age, residing at Limerigg, near Slamannan, while employed on Saturday afternoon at No. 4 coal-pit, belonging to the Limerigg Colliery Company, met with a shocking death. Deceased was engaged about the shaft-mouth, when he slipped and fell down the shaft, a distance of about 50 fathoms. The alarm was given, and, on descending, Heaps was found at the bottom of the shaft, dreadfully mangled. [Scotsman 5 Dec 1882]

14 January 1884

Falkirk Serious Pit Accident – One Man Killed and Others Injured – Yesterday forenoon, while some miners were walking along a roadway in No 19 coal pit, belonging to the Redding Colliery Company , a large portion of the roofing fell, resulting in the death of one of the men and the serious injury of some of the others. William Thomson, 50 years of age, married and residing in Redding Village was recovered from the rubbish, having been crushed to death. James Binnie, an unmarried man, was also rescued in a critical state, and some others were slightly injured. [Scotsman 15 January 1884]

12 March 1884

Slamannan – Fatal Pit Occurrence – While Thomas Anderson, 35 years of age, married, and residing at Blinkbonnie, was yesterday working in the coal face in No 1 pit, South Arnloss, a stone of about 30 cwt. fell upon him, causing instantaneous death. [Scotsman 14 March 1884]

10 March 1888

Archibald Mulholland, thirty-five years of age, Slamannan, while at work in No. 5 pit, Limerigg, Slamannan, on Saturday, was killed by the fall of a large stone from the roof. [Scotsman 12 March 1888]

11 December 1890

Fatal Result of An Accident - Denny, Friday - About 10 o'clock last night, Andrew Murphy, Swan Close, Dunipace, employed in Quarter Coal Pit, died from injuries received during the day when following his calling as hutchman. He got in the way of a trace[sic] of empties, was knocked down, and had his back broken. Murphy was 55 years of age. [Evening Times 12 December 1890]

29 July 1895

Fatal Accident Inquiries- Yesterday the first local inquiry under the Fatal accidents Act was held at Stirling before Sheriff-Substitute Buntine and a jury. The accident occurred to Paul Black, a miner, in Dumbreck Pit, Kilsyth, on 29th July, by the falling of a large stone from the roof of a haulage road, by which he was crushed to the ground causing paralysis of the lower half of the body from which he died in Glasgow Royal Infirmary on the 14th August. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the evidence. [Scotsman 24 August 1895]

6 August 1895

Fatal Mining Accident at Limerigg - Yesterday afternoon the Airdrie ambulance waggon was called to No. 3 Limerigg colliery, belonging to John Nimmo & Son, where a lad named Henry Scobbie (17), a pit drawer, had been seriously injured by a fall from the roof while working at the face. The sufferer was being conveyed in the ambulance waggon to Glasgow, but he died on the way. [Scotsman 7 August 1895]

31 October 1896

Fatal Accident Inquiries At Falkirk - In Falkirk Sheriff Court yesterday, before Sheriff-Substitute Scott-Moncrieff and a jury, an inquiry was held, under the Fatal Accidents Act, into the circumstances attending the death of James Kidd, blacksmith , Loanhead, Slamannan, on 31st October last. From the evidence led, it appeared that the deceased was in the employment of Messrs W. Black & Sons, coalmasters, Airdrie, at No. 1 pit of Southfield colliery, Slamannan. On the date referred to he was engaged in making some small repairs on a waggon standing on a siding at the colliery, and was working underneath the waggon. Whilst he was so engaged the waggon under which he was working was set in motion by being struck by other waggons in the course of shunting operations then going on. The wheel of the waggon passed over deceased's arm and leg, causing injuries from which he died in the Royal Infirmary, Glasgow on 18th November. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the evidence, adding that in their opinion the coalmasters ought to have had a better system of shunting, whereby such accidents could not take place. They were further of opinion that it was wrong for a man repairing a waggon to be in below the waggon when shunting operations were going on in the neighbourhood. [Scotsman 28 November 1896]

2 October 1900

Kilsyth Mining Fatality – James Cleland, 23 years, Church Street, was killed in Dumbreck Pit late on Tuesday. Deceased, who was a brusher, was “redding up” a fall on the road, when another fall came away from the roof and crushed him to death. [Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser October 6 1900]

11 December 1900

Kilsyth - Fatal Colliery Accident - William Lindsay (31) miner, Church Street, died in the Royal Infirmary on Saturday from internal injuries received during the week in Dumbreck Pit by a fall from the roof. [Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser 22 December 1900]