Inquests

[surfmate]

Does anyone know of a website that allows a lookup for the existence of an inquest into an accidental death in 1880's

[RJ_Paton]

We don't actually have "inquests" in Scotland ..... all deaths are reported to the procurator fiscal for the area and any where it is deemed in the public interest may be subject of a "Fatal Accident Inquiry" which are carried out at the sheriffdom which covers the area where the person died.

In Scotland those records which have been retained are now kept at the National Archives of Scotland http://www.nas.gov.uk/

[ibi]

Fatal Accident Inquiries were only introduced in Scotland following the Fatal Accident Inquiry (Scotland) Act, 1895. This was specifically aimed at fatal accidents occurring in industrial employment or occupations.

The NAS site gives details of the extant records that they hold for earlier records.

Prior to 1895 the Procurator Fiscal, or even the Advocate General, may have ordered an inquiry into an accidental, sudden or unexpected death.

ibi

[Ninatoo]

Bringing this up to the top again because the link there doesn't work.  Can someone please fix it, or add a new one!

Thanks!

Nina

[Ros Fornaro]

Hi Nina,

Type Scottish Archives into google and you will find it.

Ros

[ibi]

Nina

http://www.dswebhosting.info/nas/ will take you to the catalogue search area for NAS.

NAS announced in their latest newsletter that following increased interest in the subject there’s going to be an on-line catalogue of Fatal Accident Inquiries for the period 1900 – 1977, - there’s already some material on-line.

ibi

[Ninatoo]

Thank you!

[Ninatoo]

There are two deaths in my tree which made me interested in this thread.

The first is for Mary O'Brien, who died in the Glasgow City Poorhouse of Burn Debility in 1889.  What bothers me about this death is that since 1886 she had been in and out of the poorhouse after her 'ill behaved" daughter beat her....it says so in the poorhouse report   The last time she was admitted, she suffered burns and blindness.....no cause given!!!  Given that the records already showed that she was being mistreated by her daughter, wouldn't you think someone might just ask how she got those burns?  And maybe an inquest was done?  I can't find a record at the site mentioned above, nor anywhere else I looked.  I would love to find out if her daughter was ever held responsible.

The second is for my ancestor Frederick Cotterill who died in an explosion in 1938 at the Great Western Laundry in Glasgow (apparently owned by the "Co-op".  I can't find any inquest report or other official record for that either, though I did find quite a few reports in The Scotsman when it was free a few weeks ago.  In it there was a report of an inquiry, where no-one would take the blame.  Since another man William Lowry also died I would think there must have been some official inquest into the accident.  Maybe I am just searching in the wrong places....or would there just be no record left of these two incidents?

Any help appreciated!

Nina

[ibi]

....snipped.............

The second is for my ancestor Frederick Cotterill who died in an explosion in 1938 at the Great Western Laundry in Glasgow (apparently owned by the "Co-op".  I can't find any inquest report or other official record for that either, though I did find quite a few reports in The Scotsman when it was free a few weeks ago.  In it there was a report of an inquiry, where no-one would take the blame.  Since another man William Lowry also died I would think there must have been some official inquest into the accident.  Maybe I am just searching in the wrong places....or would there just be no record left of these two incidents?

Any help appreciated!

Nina

Nina

I suggest you email NAS and ask for their advice, especially since I'm unsure if a record from 68 years ago will be open.......... but going back and checking the NAS Autumn 2005 Newsletter I realise, of course, that the FAIs were public inquiries so that no closure period applies !

In other words, assuming that the material has survived NAS should hold this material in SC36/30 which is for the Sheriff Court covering Glasgow, but note that there are 4,000 FAIs in the period 1900 - 1977 in Glasgow, "not previously catalogued in any great detail" ....... among around 25,000 for all Scotland.

I'm unsure from the exact wording in the newsletter if SC36/30 FAIs are amongst those already catalogued........

I see that there was 2 months between his death in April and the RCE date in June on the death register entry, which means that it's near certain that the Procurator Fiscal didn't supply the info for the RCE to the registrar until after the FAI, and there should be a reference to the place and date of the FAI in the RCE entry.

It's near certain that the Glasgow Herald would pick up on the results of the FAI, - The Great Western Steam Laundry was in Crow Road.

A cautionary note to end with, - the newsletter also states "....in most Sheriff Courts the coverage [i.e. survival] is patchy and there may not be records for some years' FAIs".

But then, even if this FAI falls into that category, I'll bet a substantial sum that there's good coverage in the Glasgow Herald.

ibi