CAVANAGH, John 1
- Born: 1 July 1854, Bothwell parish, Lanarkshire, Scotland 2
- Baptised: 30 July 1854, St Patrick's RC parish, Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, Scotland 1 2
- Died: 22 October 1877 at 8.45 am, Dixon's Colliery No 3 Pit, Blantyre, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Cause of his death was fire damp explosion.
General Notes:
John Cavanagh was baptized by Father Michael O'Keeffe on 30 July 1854. His godparents were Bernard McCafferty and Anne Martin. His given name was written as "Cornelius". This was crossed out and "John" was written over it. Both names are indexed in the records but there is only one entry. It is not known whether this was a cleriacl error or a change of heart on the part of the parents.
The 1861 census recorded John Cavanagh, aged 6 years, living with his mother and his sister at Brewster Ford, Holytown, Lanarkshire. He was aged 6 years.
The 1871 census for Holytown in Lanarkshire recorded John Cavanagh living with his widowed mother and his younger sister Mary at School Row. He was aged 15 years and unmarried, and had been born in Bothwell parish. He worked as an ironstone miner in a pit.
John was 23 years of age when he died in the mine explosion at No 3 pit in Blantyre. William Mann, a neighbour, was the informant of his death. John lived at 19 Miller Street. Blantyre. It seems that because his mother's name was Crow and because she was a widow, John was also know as John Crow, it being quite common in Scots communities for a widow to revert to her maiden surname. John's body was recovered about six weeks after the accident. In the list of the dead both of John's names: John Cavanagh and John Crow were listed separately. This gave a total of 216 dead instead of the actual 215 men lost as a result of the explosion. 1 2 3 4
Research Notes:
THE BLANTYRE MINING DISASTER
The explosion that took place at 8.45 am at Dixon's Pit in Blantyre, Lanarkshire, on Monday 22 October 1877, is sometimes called the Blantyre Disaster or even the Blantyre Calamity.
233 men and boys went down the pit that morning at about 5.30 am to start their day shift. Only 24 or them survived the firedamp explosion. It was caused by a lethal build up of firedamp and fine coal dust which could be as explosive as dynamite in certain circumstances. The disaster was the biggest colliery disaster in Scotland.
The site of the explosion is to be found in the present day layout of Blantyre on the Hillhouse Road halfway between the roundabouts at Douglas Street and the Industrial Estate.
An account of the Blantyre Mining Disaster and the life of the miners of that time and place can be found in
A Blast From The Past
by Andrew Paterson
pub 2005 ISBN 0-9550000-0-9
Medical Notes:
No doctor's certificate was given.
William Mann, a neighbour, of number 10 Hall Street, made his X mark before the registrar, George Harris, at Blantyre, on 1 November 1877, when informing him of John's death.
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