Bathgate railway accident, McTague

[Seoras]

I've been going through what I have on my 4xG grandmother and noticed below the registration of her death, this one. It's not related to me but might be of interest to someone. Also my curiosity is pricked. It's for a Peter McTague/McTaig, looks to be 53 and unmarried and living in Livery Street Bathgate. No parents mentioned.In the informant column it says 'from information of the procurator fiscal'. Would there have been an inquest or possibly a newspaper report.

[JMStrachan]

A Scottish procurator fiscal is a bit like an English coroner, so yes there'd have been an inquest. There might have been a report in the local newspaper.

[Seoras]

Hi JM, I figured there would have been an inquest. Just scanning newspapers at the moment to see if I can spot anything.

[Forfarian]

Actually, no, there would not have been an inquest, because an inquest is a procedure in English Law (and the law of many countries whose legal system is based on English Law), but not in Scots Law.

Wikipedia says, "There are no inquests or Coroners in Scotland, where sudden unnatural deaths are reported to, and investigated on behalf of, the Procurator Fiscal for an area. The Procurator Fiscal has a duty to investigate all sudden, suspicious, accidental, unexpected and unexplained deaths and any death occurring in circumstances that give rise to serious public concern. Where a death is reported, the Procurator Fiscal will investigate the circumstances of the death, attempt to find out the cause of the death and consider whether criminal proceedings or a Fatal Accident Inquiry is appropriate. In the majority of cases reported to the Procurator Fiscal, early enquiries rule out suspicious circumstances and establish that the death was due to natural causes." (Full article on the subject at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inquest)

So there might have been a Fatal Accident Inquiry, but more likely not if it was fairly obvious what caused the death. However in such cases the relevant space in the death certificate is sometimes left blank, and the cause of death is recorded in the Register of Corrected Entries. (Was there an RCE with this one, a Sheoras?).

I have failed to find any report in 'The Scotsman'.

[Seoras]

Hi Forfarian, thanks for explaining that. This is in the margin, the first line does appear to say see the register of corrected entries.

[Forfarian]

It does indeed. That means that there will be a separate document which, in this case, will probably not tell you much more, given that the cause of death has been written in the body of the certificate.

There is a a Peter McTague, aged 20, born Ireland, a soldier in Edinburgh Castle, in the 1841 census. The majority of the soldiers there were born in Ireland, and the rest in England, so it looks as if it may be an Irish regiment stationed in Edinburgh.

I thought there might have been a report in the West Lothian Courier, which was first published in 1873, but there is no mention of Peter McTague or McTeague in the online index at http://wlhas.westlothian.gov.uk:8080/ipac20/ipac.jsp?profile=

[Seoras]

I couldn't find anything in the papers either Forfarian. I did wonder if he might be Irish from the surname. It was just one of those entries you come across from time to time, lumped in with your own, that pricks your interest. Seemed a sad end, unmarried and no parents mentioned.
Thanks for you help with it.

[hanes teulu]

Falkirk Herald, 14 Nov 1874
BATHGATE RAILWAY ACCIDENT
At the Upper Bathgate Station on Thursday a serious accident occurred to a platelayer named Peter M'Taig. It appears that M'Taig, while carrying out certain operations on the line, heard an engine coming in his direction, and in order to get out of its way he stepped over to another set of rails. He had no sooner done so, however, than another engine, which was coming in the same direction as the first, passed over him, whereby one of his arms was severely bruised. Fortunately he sustained no other injury. The wounded man was conveyed to the Poorhouse where Drs Kirk and Doig attended to his injuries

[Forfarian]

Well found, hanes teulu.

But that begs the question how he came to die of it if he suffered only bruising of his arm.  It must have been much more serious than that - and conversely, if it was really only bruising, why did the Herald describe it as a serious accident?