Coroner's Reports???

[biddy]

New Member here,and really hoping for your expertise on this subject.My gggrandfather William Wedlock(variants) coal miner, died, accidently and so an inquest was reqired.13 years later,his son Thomas,also a miner,died in the Birkenshaw colliery.I have both Death certs.,but would like,if possible the reports.Any ideas?Also,how can I locate any shipping lists of folk leaving Ireland during the famine, in my case around 1849-50,and arriving in Scotland.Thank you.

[StewL]

Hi Biddy

I am sure someone with more knowledge on the subject will come along and assist you.
In Scotland those inquests are carried out by the Procurator Fiscal.
On their death certificates was there a notation on Register of Corrected Entries, which is a separate report.
The death certificates should be on GROS for a small fee, and if there is a RCE there should be a link to it for another small fee.

[AndrewP]

Hi Biddy,

Records from the Procurator Fiscal's office should end out in the National Archives of Scotland. On searching for the two names that you have given, there are no results in the 19th century that look likely to be them.

http://www.nas.gov.uk/onlineCatalogue/

If you have other spellings to try, have a go putting them in the NAS search page (address above) and see how you get on.

As for crossings between Ireland and Scotland, you are unlikely to find any records. The crossing was short, little over 20 miles for the shortest crossing between what is now Northern Ireland (Larne or Belfast areas) and Scotland (Portpatrick area)*. From 1801 to about 1921, Ireland (the whole of) was part of the United Kingdom, so there was no 'immigration' records to show for a movement within what was effectively the same country.

* A shorter crossing exists from Ballycastle to the Kintyre peninsula, of about 12 miles. However this was not the main crossing as Kintyre is a rural area with long road connections to the industrial areas of Scotland that most of the Irish people were heading for.

All the best,

AndrewP

[carlineric]

There are two websites that you could look at for more information on the accidents - http://scottishmining.co.uk and http://www.cmhrc.co.uk. I had a look at both sites but could not find anything on the information given. If the accident happened after 1914 it may not be included in the databases as the inspectors reports do not include names of those killed or injured and the Scottish Mining website relies on newspaper report and other secondary sources for the information.

Eric

[Lindsay]

We had the death of Thomas Wedlock reported yesterday, so I assume this was you. It took a bit of lateral thinking to locate the death certificate and RCE as the name registered was Woodlock (this is why we ask for the names used in death certificates to be used ). Thomas actually died of cold and exposure on the railway sidings so we would not be able to confirm this is related to the colliery without any further details.

I’m not completely sure there was a fatal accident inquiry for this as the RCE only mentions a doctors opinion but 1895 was the first year for fatal accident inquiries so if there was one, there was a good chance of newspaper reports of the inquiry due to the novelty. I would suggest you explore local newspapers for both deaths.
Lindsay
Scottish Mining Website

[Elwyn 1]

Also,how can I locate any shipping lists of folk leaving Ireland during the famine, in my case around 1849-50,and arriving in Scotland.Thank you.

There are no shipping records for journeys between Ireland and Scotland. It was then, and still is now, just a short domestic ferry crossing and no passenger records have ever been kept for that type of journey.

[Currie]

Hello Biddy,

Regarding the possibility of newspaper reports:

What were the exact dates and places of death?

What were the exact causes of death recorded?

Where was their address at the time they died?

What were the name variations that you know of?

All the best,
Alan

[biddy]

the replies are unreal. thank you all so much for the input.I didn't pay enough attention to the writing on the side of the death crt. but will do. will also check out the newspapers.Strange as it may seem,my GGGrandfather also died accidently,by falling from the Yett Bridge,Crosshead.His body was found late the following day.That was on Jan.22 1882.Another coal miner.It would be interesting to get that report also,was he coming home from the pit or the pub?With all due respect.Again thanks to all of you.I see many of you add the families you are researching.will just do that here.

[carolineasb]

Hi,

Even if there is a notation for an RCE on the Death Certificate, this does not necessarily mean that an FAI was conducted. An FAI is usually only conducted "in the public interest" or rather to stop something happening again like accidents where health & safety rules can be updated. They are not that common.

Caroline

[Falkyrn]

Fatal Accident Inquiries are, as Caroline has said, relatively rare in Scotland even today with less than 100 per annum. FAI's are generally held where
1. It is in the public interest .... basically to establish if any lessons can be learnt from the incident to prevent any future recurrences
2. Where legislation requires one.

In Scotland there are no Coroners or Inquests as there are in England (or countries whose legal systems can be traced back to English Law) and the Procurator Fiscal for the area is responsible for the investigation of all deaths. The death of a person in a public place as described in the posts would be one which would be reported to the PF.

a) The PF can accept a report that marks a death as non suspicious and where the death has already been reported to the Registrar have an entry made in the RCE confirming this information or if the death has not been reported have an entry made.
b) The PF can also order a one or sometimes two doctor post mortem examination and if satisfied that the information is correct revert to option a) if not satisfied then option c) kicks in
c) treat the death as suspicious and have a full investigation carried out (this option can also kick in where evidence shows it to be the main one)
d) following the closure of the investigation if deemed in the public interest hold an FAI to establish if anything can be learnt from the incident