Obituaries
These pages contain obituaries and brief biographies of notable miners leaders, inspectors and coal owners.Miners Leaders
Keir Hardie
The Late Mr Keir Hardie - From Miner To M.P. - Mr J. Keir Hardie, M.P., died in a nursing home in Glasgow yesterday. Following upon a breakdown in his health, he was ordered a six months' rest, and went to the Isle of Arran for a time. Recently, however; Mr Hardie went to Clarkston, where he resided with his brother, but a few days ago his condition became such as to necessitate his removal to a nursing home. Pneumonia developed, and he passed away peacefully yesterday. .Mr James Keir Hardie was' the son of working-class parents, and was born in Laigh Brannoch, Old Monkland, on August 15, 1856. When he was seven years of age he started work in a coal mine, and continued to work as a miner up to his twenty fourth year. In 1880, he was appointed secretary of the Lanarkshire Miners' Union, a position in which his fondness for organisation was first given scope. Two years later he became editor of the Cumnock News, a local weekly paper, having previously done a good deal of writing on topics of interest to miners and on labour questions generally. At that period, his interest in the working classes and their conditions began to extend over a wider range , and in order to devote himself more completely .to the work of furthering the interests of the men among whom he moved he severed his connection with the newspaper. In the year 1888, which was marked by a considerable extension of the labour movement, he appeared as Labour candidate for Mid-Lanark, and polled 619 vote as against 2917 given to the Unionist, Mr Bonsfield, and 3917 to Mr Phillips, who was returned in the Radical interest. In 1892 he successfully contested the constituency of South West Ham, and continued to hold the seat till 1895. During the Trade Union Congress, which met in Glasgow in 1892, a conference of working-class leaders from all over the country was held, and in it he took a prominent part. Out of the conference and subsequent proceedings the Independent Labour Party arose, and was launched with Mr Hardie as its leading spirit. From its very inception the party claimed a great deal of his attention and interest, and in 1900 he was elected chairman and chief organiser. In the year 1907 he visited India and Australia, and came into renewed prominence by reason of the hostile criticism , which many of his public utterances elicited, both in this country and abroad. He became M.P. for Merthyr Tydfil in 1901, and retained the seat until his death. At the General Election of 1906, he was recognised as the leader in the House of Commons of the then definitely constituted Labour party. He was editor and proprietor of the Labour Leader, and a frequent contributor to magazines and reviews , while he also made extensive use of pamphlets as a means of propagating his ideas.
That Mr Hardie owed much of his prominence to the fact that he was the first of the Labour group in the House of Commons is undoubted, and he was regarded as the pioneer of the party which represented a section of the community which, he held, had hitherto been inarticulate and impotent in the affairs of the country. He made his entry into Parliament clad in a tweed suit and cap, and was preceded to the House by a procession headed by a band, while Labour leaders all over the world hailed his advent as marking the dawn of a new era in politics. Mr Hardie's long connection with the Labour movement made him well known - perhaps it should be said notorious - everywhere , and his tenacity of purpose was one of the greatest assets which he as a leader possessed. All who came in contact with him were conscious of a striking and forceful personality in which the dominating traits were an intense zeal in the pursuit of his ideals. Whatever might be the opinions of his methods of propaganda, there could be little doubt as to the earnestness and determination with which he approached any task which he took in hand. In the early days when the Socialist movement in this country began to develop, Mr Hardie was something of a malcontent . He admitted allegiance to the Social Democratic Federation, which was then being heard through the voice of William Morris, and also to the Fabian Society, but did not wholly admire the methods of either. The former group, in the view of some of its critics, tended to become too abstract , while the latter devoting itself to educational work desired rather to spread its tenets quietly than to undertake aggressive constructive work. Impatient of abstractions, and keen on quick results, Mr Hardie adopted methods which were criticised even insider the movement , of which he was the central figure, a condition of things which lasted throughout his career. Indeed, the very fervour with which he prosecuted his aims actually militated against him in many instances; he approached things with such zest that he often failed to see that his methods were impracticable . His mind's eye only saw the desired culmination of his dream, and he took no account of the intervening processes of preparation. This tendency and his demand for short . roads to reform lessened the value of his political work, and even his usefulness to his own party. ¦ He had not the contemplative cast of mind , or the stability of the true reformer; he had not even the complete self-command which is the first essential of the successful agitator.
As a platform speaker, Mr Hardie was resourceful and effective, and the rashness of some of his statements was no doubt the result of a desire to drive home his point at all costs rather than of a desire to mislead. Wide reading, was often apparent, particularly in his conversation, while his foreign travels provided him with many arguments in favour of his points of view. He had a strong belief in. the receptive powers of the working class mind, and even when addressing an audience of workmen he did not hesitate to illustrate his point with a metaphor from science, or amplify it with a sonnet. There can be little doubt that he found inspiration for all his efforts mainly in an intense sympathy, with the class from which he sprang, and one of the most popular stories of him is characteristic. As he was entering the House of Commons one day a policeman stopped him. "Are you at work here, mate?" he asked. "Yes," was the laconic reply. "On the roof?" "No, on the floor," and he passed on without revealing himself. [Scotsman 27 September 1915]
William Small
The Late William Small, Miners' Secretary - Last night the public learned with deep regret that William Small, best known as the Lanarkshire miners' secretary, had died suddenly at his residence, Olivia Cottage, Blantyre. While family tea was being prepared, deceased was talking cheerily when he suddenly expired , death being attributed to failure of the heart's action. Small had a chequered career, commencing in the drapery line in Glasgow and continued in Cambuslang. At the time the late Alexander M'Donald died, Andrew M'Cowie, an enthusiastic Scoto-Irishman, thought he saw in Small a successor to M'Donald. Mr Small had not been successful in business, and he embarked on the uphill work of organising the Lanarkshire miners For over twenty years Mr Small devoted himself to keeping alive the. flickering flame of unionism amongst the miners, but somehow or other, as the present County Union became established on its present substantial basis, Mr Small appeared to be dropped aside. He was a man of very considerable ability, and he did good work in Blantyre as a member of the School Board and otherwise. He has left two daughters and three sons. He has died at the age of fifty-three. [Scotsman 24 January 1903]
Alexander McDonald
Death of Mr Alexander Macdonald, M.P. - Even to those who were intimately acquainted with the condition of the health of Mr Macdonald, M.P., for sometime past, the announcement that he died at his residence, Wellhall, near Hamilton, yesterday afternoon, will be received with great surprise and regret. For a considerable time the deceased has been far from well. Towards the close of the session of 1880 he was attacked with rheumatism aggravated by a bronchial affection , which necessitated his leaving London and returning to Wellhall, where he was attacked by other ailments. At that time his life was almost despaired of but he so far recovered as to be able to take part in some conferences of miners' delegates towards the end of the year and when Parliament resumed in January last he returned to London to attend to his Parliamentary duties. Even then, Mr Macdonald was feeling far from well; but he was anxious to take part in the Protection of Life and Property (Ireland) Bill, that he refused to adopt the advice of his friends and take a holiday in some warmer climate. After this bill became the law, Mr Macdonald was slow to leave London but he was prevailed upon to do so towards the end of July, only to return, however, as soon as the passing of the Land Bill appeared likely to be endangered by the action of the House of Lords. On his return to his residence in Scotland, he set on foot the agitation amongst the miners for an increase in their wages, and made a long speech on the subject at one of their meetings in Hamilton. At the late conference of miners, at Manchester, a week or two ago, over which it was intended he should preside, he was unable to be present owing to the condition of his health, and contented himself with sending a written address. A day or two later he was prevailed upon to go to Leeds, as his presence was urgently required in connection with the National Miners' Union, and much against the advice of his friends he undertook the journey. The effect of the fatigue in his enfeebled state of health was disastrous, for Mr Macdonald returned to Wellhall on Saturday week, suffering from jaundice. His medical attendant, however, hoped that he would have strength to battle with the disease, and little apprehension of a fatal result was entertained. So recently as Friday last, Mr Macdonald was able to leave his room, and spent some time in the grounds with his gardener. On Sunday he did not feel so well, and Dr Thomson, of Motherwell, who had been his medical attendant for many years, deemed it prudent to call in Dr Loudon, of Hamilton , to see him. Yesterday morning Mr Macdonald was able to attend to his correspondence in bed, and to dictate replies to several letters. As the day wore on, however, he became worse, and on Dr Thomson being sent for, it was resolved to have a further consultation with Dr London and Dr Dougan, Glasgow, in the evening; but death took place in the interval. The hon. gentleman's only surviving brother in this country, Mr Archibald Macdonald , Armadale, Bathgate, arrived in the afternoon. He had been seeing him on Wednesday, and was asked to remain, but was unable to do so. Mr Macdonald's. first expression on seeing his brother yesterday was, "Man, I have looked long for you," and added a wish that he might not leave him again. He then handed him an unopened American letter which, proved to contain the announcement that their brother James had died at Brazil, Indiana , on the l5th inst. On the letter being read,.he looked in his brother's face, saying "Well you have read it, and I will be the next to follow; no person can go before me." It soon began to be manifest that a serious change had taken place in his condition, and a few minutes past three he expired, his last moments being apparently passed without much suffering.Mr Macdonald, who was in the sixty first year of his age, was born in the farmhouse of Dalmaconter, New Monkland. His father, who for some years followed the occupation of a sailor, somehow gave up sea life and began work as a collier in Fifeshire. The conditions of mining, always hazardous, were very different in those days from what they are now. Like most of his fellows, young Macdonald was sent into the pit at eight years of age to assist his father. Even as a lad, according to his own statement, he was so much impressed with the fearful conditions under which the miners worked that he resolved to do his utmost when he grew up to bring about a change. It is probably due to the impressions which Mr Macdonald imbibed at this early period of his life, as to the hardships under which the miner worked, that in his later years he was apt, in advising the miners how they might improve their condition , to run counter to well-known economic laws. Being a lad of much intelligence and energy, he turned his attention to educating himself, and at a comparatively earl y age he had mastered a sufficient amount of knowledge to enable him to relinquish the life of a collier and turn to teaching Although, he had left mining as an occupation, he had still a warm interest in the welfare of those engaged in that calling, and he set himself resolutely to help the men in obtaining some better protection from the dangers attendant upon their work, and the amelioration of the lamentable mode of life they then lived under the truck system; It was during one of the struggles for the redress of some of their grievances that Mr Macdonald came prominently to the front among the miners . In a short time his zeal and practical knowledge led him to be appointed one of their principal representatives. Through his exertions unions were formed all over the country, and the miners contributing regularly they soon became wealthy and powerful. He was ultimately appointed secretary for Scotland in which capacity he frequently went to London for the purpose of urging members of Parliament and others to interest themselves in securing greater degree of safety for the miner, and there is no doubt that in this way he succeeded in bringing about much useful legislation. His labours, however, were not confined to Scotland. His services were often sought by the mining bodies of England, and in 1863 he was rewarded by being elected president of the Miners' National Union - an office he filled for the long period of seventeen years. He was subsequently appointed president of the Trade Union Parliamentary Committee. While still holding these positions, he was in 1874 returned to Parliament by the working men of Stafford as their representative , his expense being paid by a subscription amongst the miners of the United Kingdom. He prided, himself upon being a practical miner; and when recently characterised in a London paper as an amateur working-class member, he emphatically repudiated the assertion in a very characteristic letter in which he set forth his claim to being considered a working-class member. There can be little doubt that much. of the advice which Mr Macdonald gave to the miner was wrong and unwise, but that it had in view the social elevation of the miner need not be doubted. During the great period of activity in the coal and iron trades six or seven years ago, his influence was paramount amongst the miners but in later years a considerable change had taken place in this respect, and new advisers were springing up, though more recently Mr Macdonald's counsel was again being sought and acted upon. He was a man of considerable ability and great force of character, and in his own house there were few more genial men than Alexander Macdonald.
Mr Macdonald, who was never married acquired, shortly after his return to the House of Commons, the residence of Wellhall , where he spent most of his time between the sessions of Parliament. [Scotsman 1 November 1881]
Funeral of Mr Alexander MacDonald, M.P. - The funeral of Mr Alexander Macdonald, M.P., of Wellhall, took place yesterday. The funeral was made as private as possible, in deference to the wish of the deceased; but there were many signs of public interest in the ceremony, such as the presence of representatives of the various miners' associations and other trades unions with which Mr Macdonald had been connected, the presence of the large crowds of men and women along the route of procession, and the tolling of the Hamilton town bell. The interment took place in the New Monkland Churchyard, where his mother lies, and where he expressly wished to be buried. Shortly after ten o'clock the friends of deceased and the trades representatives assembled at Wellhall, the residence of deceased, where the body was lying. Religious services were conducted by Rev. Mr Watt, uncle of deceased, prior to the removal of the coffin, which had been covered with wreaths sent by the Miners' National Union and other friends. The service over, the cortege, which included the hearse, drawn by four horse, with postilion, and twenty-four carriages, was arranged, and proceeded slowly along the avenue to the Wellhall Road. The chief-mourners were :— Mr Archibald Macdonald, Armadale, Bathgate, brother of the deceased; Mr George Macdonald, nephew; Mr John Macdonald, nephew; and Rev. Wm. Watt, Norristown, Perthshire, uncle of the deceased.
The various miners and other trade associations were represented as follows :
Miners' National Union - Messrs B Pickard, vice-president; J Bryson, J Wilson, F Cowey, J Forman, J Toyne, J Nixon, treasurer; W Crawford, secretary.
Northumberland Miners - Messrs T Burt, MP, and R Young.
Durham Miners' Federation Board, including Miners, Mechanics, Cokemen, and Enginemen - Messrs N Wilkinson, W H Patterson, W Johnson, T Hindmarsh, T Hart, L Trotter.
Durham Miners' Association - Mr S Hill
Cleveland Miners' Association - Messrs T Dunn and R Rowland
Yorkshire Miners' Association - Messrs J Frith, W Parrott.
Lancashire Miners' Association - Messrs J Beech, T Ashton, W M'Kay, T Aspinwall
Cumberland Miners' Association - Mr A Sharp
Trades Union Congress (Parliamentary Committee) - Messrs H Broadhurst MP; John Inglis, and William Paterson, Glasgow.
Fife and Clackmannan Miners' Association - Mr John Weir.
From Stafford there were present Mr John Geddes, who had been Mr Macdonald's Parliamentary agent; Mr Horsfall, representing the Stafford branch of the National Union of Rivetters and Finishers, and the Labour Representation League; and Councillor Smith, another member of the Labour League.
Among other friends of Mr Macdonald there were present Mr john E Livesey, Wigan, Mr Thomas Halliday, Bolton, late president of the Miners' Amalgamation; Baillie Archibald, as representing the Town Council of Hamilton; Mr John Watson, of Earnock; Mr Simpson, C.E., Glasgow; Mr Lucas, writer, Glasgow; Mr M'Lachlan, accountant, Coatbridge, &c.
The cortege on emerging into Wellhall Road, turned towards Hamilton, and proceeded slowly between the lines of miners of the district, who had left off work in order to pay a last tribute of respect to the deceased. While the funeral procession was passing through Hamilton, most of the public places of business were closed, the window blinds of private houses drawn down, the town bell was tolled, and a large concourse of people lined the streets on either side. The procession passed through Motherwell and Holytown, and reached the New Monkland Churchyard early in the afternoon, when the coffin was consigned to the grave. [Scotsman 8 November 1881]
Michael Lee
Fife Trade Unionist's Death - Mr Michael Lee, who was for many years prominently identified with the Trade Union movement in West Fife, died at his residence, Rose Crescent, Dunfermline, yesterday morning. In his younger days, he worked in the pits in the Lochgelly district. He became a delegate to the Executive Board of the Fife, Clackmannan, and Kinross miners Union, of which he was chairman for a period, and latterly he was appointed to the permanent staff as disputes secretary, a position from which he retired in 1925. For some years he was chairman of the Fife Federation of the I.L.P. Miss Jenny Lee, who was Member of Parliament for North Lanark in the last Parliament, is a grand-daughter. Mr Lee was 80 years of age. [Scotsman 17 August 1932]Robert Smillie
Robert Smillie - Death of Veteran Miners' Leader - Colourful Career - Mr Robert Smillie (“Bob” Smillie) the veteran miners' leader, died in Dumfries yesterday in his 83rd year. He was a former president of the Scottish Mineworkers' Union, and also of the Miners' Federation of Great Britain, his presidency of the latter organisation extending from 1912 to 1921. From 1923 until 1929 he was Socialist F.P. for Morpeth. As the leader of several big national strikes of miners, he crossed swords with Prime Ministers and Government representatives. During the Great War, when he took his stand boldly as a Pacifist, he was offered in turn the Controllerships of food, coal, and shipping, as well as the Ministry of Pensions, but he declined to take them.
Mr Smillie leaves a widow, six sons, and two daughters.
By the death of Robert Smillie there is removed one who, in the face of many obstacles, made himself a power in the world of British labour. His adversaries in politics, and industrial affairs will be among the first to admit that he owed the success of his career to qualities that were inherent in the man, and that he turned them to account with remarkable strength of will, consistency, and singleness of purpose. A Scotsman by descent, and reared in the lowliest ranks of life, he had given evidence of the possession of many of the traits supposed to characterise the Scots - caution; along with resolute and logical persistence in the line of policy and conduct which he had adopted as his own; taciturnity, except when there was occasion to speak. " dourness," in short.
Born of Scottish parents in Belfast in 1857, Robert Smillie had the minimum of the school education that fell to the share of lads brought up in the sphere and class to which he belonged. He started his working life as a riveters' boy in a Govan shipyard; but, disliking this occupation, he went into the mines, and for many years he laboured underground. He made his home in Larkhall, in the midst of depressing surroundings which, no doubt, by restricting his range of vision and sympathies, helped to confirm a natural bent towards pessimism and antagonism to the classes that were more highly placed and happily situated, There is a tradition of harsh treatment in the form of family eviction, suffered in his early career, that may have affected his social outlook.
Strength Of Character - By sheer force of character and ability, Mr Smillie slowly worked his way to a position that gave him to an unprecedented extent control of the miners' organisation, first of his district, then of Scotland, and finally of Great Britain. Personal magnetism or popularity had little to do with this rise. Smillie's was hardly a nature either to court or to win popularity, even among those whose cause he championed. He gathered about him more jealousy than personal liking on his way upwards. This is sharply indicated by the fact that during his early efforts to enter Parliament he was beaten in seven contests, although in every case he chose working-class constituencies, and repeatedly that in which he dwelt, Mid Lanark. When he was elected for Morpeth in 1923 he was too old to make a Parliamentary career, but he was always listened to with respect in the House of Commons until his membership ceased in 1929. But although he failed to obtain proof at the polls of the confidence of Labour, and of his right to speak on its behalf, the "Miners' Napoleon," as somebody has called him, knew how to make himself respected and obeyed in the sphere of industrial organisation, strategy, and tactics which he had made his own. He was the chief creator and shaper, and, finally, dictator of the Scottish Mineworkers' Union, of which he had been president since 1894; he was a main founder of a school of Trade Unionism strongly opposed to the old, and he became president of the Miners' Federation of Great Britain. Enlarging the scope of his influence and objects, as he shifted the centre of his activities from Larkhall to London, he had a large hand in the formation of the so-called "Triple Alliance."
Businesslike Methods - Although Mr Smillie could, on occasion, speak, and speak to some purpose , he was never seen at his best on the platform. He had a flair for diplomacy, as well as for organisation, and he knew and practised the virtue residing in silence. He often managed to keep the world of industry and politics guessing as to his immediate intentions, as well as his ulterior objects. If his theories were advanced, his methods were businesslike ; he was careful of showing his hand, or of putting his foot out further than he could draw it back again; in fact, he had a logical Scots head on his shoulders - which made him all the more formidable and dangerous Nobody ever doubted Robert Smillie's earnestness or his personal disinterestedness. His schemes for the nationalisation of mines and other machinery and materials of national wealth raised highly controversial issues, but he had persuaded . himself that they would bring about an upturn and reconstruction of society and industry that would put a final end to the evil conditions of which he had seen more than enough in his youth on the Clyde. A great opportunity of standing in the limelight came when, as the leading member of the Labour representatives on the Whitley Coal Commission of 1918, he conducted the cross-examination of the Duke of- Northumberland, Lord Durham, and other leading coal and land owners. On that occasion he revealed dialectical faculties with which he had not previously been credited, and deservedly strengthened his reputation and influence with a large section of the community which remained with him to the end of his active career. [Scotsman 17 February 1940]
David Gilmour
Former Miners' Leader - Late Mr David Gilmour - In the death of Mr David R. Gilmour, which occurred at Seamill, West Kilbride, there has been removed one of the founders of the Lanarkshire Minors' union, and one who in his day was well known in Trade union circles over a wide area. Mr Gilmour had suffered from indifferent health recently and was living in retirement in Ayrshire, of which county he was a native. Mr Gilmour worked in the mines in Ayrshire and as a young man moved to Central Lanarkshire, where he followed his calling in several of the collieries in the Hamilton district, which was afterwards the scene of his labours in the administrative work of the Lanarkshire miners' union, in which he took a prominent part. With the outbreak of war, differences of outlook made a change of opinion among the miners and those he was associated with but Mr Gilmour continued to hold their personal esteem. Mr Gilmour adopted the orthodox view of the war, and took the line of the co-ordination of all forces to fight it to a successful finish, in pursuance of which he acted as a labour adviser to the Ministry of National Service, the result of his convictions was his severance from the union which he had helped to found. In many struggles of the miners towards improved conditions he took his full share, and his work was distinguished by a tactful handling of many difficult and sometimes delicate situations. Nationally, he was recognised by his appointment on the Executive of the Scottish Mineworkers' union. In addition to his Trade union activities, Mr Gilmour served as a member of both Hamilton Town and Parish Council. In 1912 he acted upon a Royal Commission on housing. For his war services he was decorated with the O.B.E. [Scotsman 14 September 1926]
Robert Chisholm Robertson
Former Miners' Leader - Death of Mr Robert Chisholm Robertson. - The death occurred at Stobhill Hospital, Glasgow, yesterday, of Mr Robert Chisholm Robertson , at the age of 70. Mr Chisholm Robertson was one of the pioneers of Trade Unionism among the Scottish miners, and for several years was the Secretary of the Forth and Clyde miners' Association. A struggle arose between him and Mr Robert Smillie for the leadership, which ended in Mr Chisholm Robertson's defeat. He was regarded as probably the most polished orator that ever addressed the Scottish miners. Some years ago he retired from miners' affairs, and took up business in Glasgow. He was one of the first three I.L.P executive members elected for Scotland. In his later years, Mr Chisholm Robertson became almost anti-Socialist, and for at least ten years after his retirement he wrote frequently to the Press, criticising the Robert Smillie policy. He contended that the miners should concentrate on Trade Unionism and leave politics alone. Mr Chisholm Robertson contested Stirlingshire in the General Election of 1892. [Scotsman 14 March 1930]
John WIlson, Miner's Agent
Death of Mr John Wilson, Miners' Agent - The death is announced of Mr John Wilson, miners' agent, which took place at his residence in Portobello yesterday morning. Last summer Mr Wilson caught a chill, and phthisis being threatened, he took up temporary residence at West Linton, where he made good progress. A month or two ago, however, he became worse, and he was removed home to Portobello. Mr Wilson was a native of Broxburn, and from boyhood till the age of twenty-three worked as a shale miner in the employment of Broxburn Oil Company. He also studied with the view of entering the ministry. In 1887 a movement began among the shale miners, the object of which was to obtain better wages and shorter hours of employment. To that movement Mr Wilson gave his whole-hearted support, and the miners soon recognised him as their leader. A strike was entered upon, which lasted over six months, and the men, by reason of Mr Wilson's advocacy in all parts of the country, received a great amount of public sympathy and financial support. Eventually the men went back to work, under greatly improved conditions, and henceforth Mr Wilson remained as the paid agent of the shale miners, and latterly of the West Lothian coal miners as well. In Broxburn he also took a great interest in political and local affairs, and was for a considerable time a member of Uphall School Board. At the same time be was a prominent member of Edinburgh Trades Council, and he was induced to become a candidate for the Parliamentary representation of the Central Division of the city. Removing to Glasgow in 1895, Mr Wilson continued to lead an active public life, and attempted to enter Glasgow Town Council as a Labour candidate, but failed. [Scotsman 10 April 1912]
Mine Inspectors
Ralph Moore
The Late Mr Ralph Moore, Inspector of Mines - A notable figure in the mining world has passed away in Mr Ralph Moore, whose death took place on Saturday at his residence, 13 Claremont Gardens, Glasgow. Mr Moore, who was in his seventy fifth year, was for over a quarter of a century Government Inspector of mines for the East of Scotland, and in that capacity made many friends, both in this country and abroad, by whom he was much respected. Mr Moore was born near Newcastle-on-Tyne in 1822. Shortly afterwards his father Mr Robert Moore, took up the position of manager of Sir George Suttie's Prestongrange collieries near Tranent, and it was in that district, that Mr Ralph Moore, spent his early years. In 1840, at the age of eighteen, he left the east country for Glasgow, and entered the service of the Summerlee Iron Company as mining engineer. Ten years later, in partnership with Mr Alexander, the late inspector of mines for the West of Scotland, he started business in Glasgow as a civil and mining engineer. During this period the rising young engineer began to make his mark among his fellows, and the pamphlets on mining matters which he published about this time attracted considerable attention. In 1860 he published "A Geological Section of the Coal Fields in Lanarkshire," classifying the different coal series of the county for the first time. Some of his papers were read to scientific societies in Edinburgh, and Mr Moore was the recipient of several medals for these efforts. In 1862 he was appointed Government inspector of mines for the East of Scotland, a position which he filled for twenty-six years. On his retirement in 1888 he was presented with his portrait by a number of the coal and iron masters and managers. While Government inspector, Mr Moore was able to take an active interest in improvements in mining, and it was chiefly owing to his exertions that improved mechanical ventilation was introduced in Scottish collieries. After his retiral he made several professional visits to the United States in connection with the proposed formation of public companies. He had an extensive correspondence in America with mining people, some of whom had gone from this country, and others he had met there. In the course of his long connection with mining in Scotland, he saw great changes, and his diaries contain many reminiscences of the state of the colliery districts in his early days. As an instance, he relates that when he went to Tranent originally the coal was brought up by ladders, and women were employed in that work. In the formation of the Mining Institute of Scotland Mr Moore took a prominent part, and he was president of the Society for two terms; but mining matters did not absorb all his activity. He took a deep interest in all that pertained to engineering, and was a member of the Institute of Engineers and Shipbuilders, of which body he at one time was vice-president. A paper on cable tramways which he submitted to that society secured for him the society's gold medal. In ordinary public matters Mr Moore took little part, but during a residence at Rutherglen he was returned for the Town Council of that ancient burgh, and he was likewise a Justice of the Peace for Lanarkshire. Mr Moore is survived by his wife and a. grown-up family. [Scotsman 16 November 1896]
J.M. Ronaldson
A Mine Inspector's death In A Train - At Cambuslang Railway Station yesterday afternoon, on the arrival of a Glasgow-bound train from Strathaven, an elderly gentleman was observed reclining against one of the carriage windows. It was seen that something was seriously wrong, and Dr James Wilson, Cambuslang, who was summoned, pronounced life extinct, and death to be due to heart failure. The body was identified as that of Mr John Martine Ronaldson, Inspector of Mines, residing at 44 Athole Gardens, Kelvinside, Glasgow. He was aged about sixty and was known all over Scotland. Mr Ronaldson was born in County Tipperary sixty years ago, but his parents removed to Scotland while he was still a child, and his boyhood was spent in the parish of Dunbar. He was educated in the Free Church school there, and at Edinburgh Institution. On leaving school he went to learn mining engineering under Mr Archibald Hood at Rosewell Colliery, Whitchill. An industrious and studious lad, he prepared himself for the Government examination for assistant inspectors of mines, and at the examination in London he passed with credit. He was appointed in February 1875 assistant to the late Mr. William Alexander, Inspector of Mines for the West of Scotland district, and in February 1886,on the death of that gentleman, he was appointed to the charge of the district. He investigated many accidents in his district, which included all the Hamilton coalfields, and extended from Ballachulish in the north to the English-Borders, containing about 64,000 miners. From 1888 to 1800 he was president of the Mining Institute of Scotland. A member of the Westbourne United Free Church, Glasgow, he took a deep interest in Church matters and also in work among children. He was president of the Scottish Society for the Humane Treatment of Pit Ponies. [Scotsman 23 November 1909]
Coal & Iron Owners
See also:William Dixon
The North British Mail announces the death, in London, of Mr William Dixon of Govan Ironworks. [Scotsman 25 February 1859]
James Baird
The Late Mr Baird of Cambusdoon - After a few weeks' illness there has just passed from our midst a man who, through a career of well-directed and successful industry crowned by many works of practical benevolence had come to occupy a prominent position in society: we refer to James Baird of Cambusdoon, who died at his Ayrshire residence yesterday morning. Some five or six weeks ago while in London, Mr Baird was attacked with bronchitis, having caught cold after returning from a short visit to Paris. He was attended by Sir George Burrows and Dr Covey, and after three weeks' illness recovered sufficiently to come home to Cambusdoon. Here, however the ailment assumed a more serious form, being complicated with disease of the kidneys and bladder, which grew gradually worse. About a fortnight ago the symptoms became so alarming that medical aid was again called in. Dr Wield, Ayr, was first sent for, and when he saw the nature of the case he requested the assistance of Professors Buchanan and Gairdner, Glasgow. These gentlemen were unremitting in their attendance, and everything that medical skill could devise was done to grapple with the malady and allay the pain, which is said to have been intense. After a few days' treatment, Mr Baird rallied a little, and some hope was entertained that he might recover; but within the past few days his condition again assumed a more critical aspect, and the medical gentlemen almost anticipated the result which has supervened. On Sunday the patient was able to be out of bed, and seemed to enjoy his meals. His old jocular manner, in spite of his illness, occasionally peeped out, and he conversed freely with the company in the house. Monday morning found him apparently a good deal better, and when Professors Buchanan and Gairdner left in the forenoon they fancied that the disease had abated. In this, however, they had been mistaken, for an unfortunate change took place soon after. When they returned to Cambusdoon in the evening they found Mr Baird unconscious, and at a quarter past two yesterday morning he breathed his last in presence of his wife, Mr Whitelaw, M.P., Dr Wield, and Mr Miller (his factor).
The history of the Baird family, is remarkable, as showing how much can be accomplished by indomitable energy and perseverance. We have not to go far back to find Mr. Baird's ancestors in the position of farmers - and that in a very humble way - and now it is perhaps no exaggeration to say that the family may be regarded as about the wealthiest in Scotland. James Baird was born at the little village of Kirkwood, near Coatbridge, in the early part of 1803, so that he had at the time of his death attained his 74th year. His father, Alexander Baird, leased a small farm on the Drumpellier and Rosehall estates, and also acted as the local miller. He was a shrewd, clever man, and though his means were limited, he resolved to give his family - ten in number, of whom James was the fifth - the benefit of a good education. James was accordingly sent to the pariah school of Old Monkland,where he received elementary instruction at the hands of Mr Cowan, then parochial schoolmaster. Young Baird can scarcely be said to have manifested any special aptitude for study ; but as he grew up, his father had been gradually working himself into a better position, and instead of being set to work when his school education came to a close, the lad was sent to Glasgow University to acquire some knowledge of the higher branches. The characteristics which had shown themselves in the sturdy little schoolboy at Old Monkland did not leave James Baird when he went to college. His jovial, rollicking disposition made him a favourite with fellow students, while it probably had some effect in preventing him from making much progress in study. What he wanted of booklearning , however, was amply compensated for in after life by a fund of common-sense and mother-wit which might be regarded as hereditary. His stay. at the University was of brief duration, and on leaving it he was taken into partnership with his father and elder brothers, who by this time had commenced to deal in coals. Shortly afterwards a day level pit was started by William, one of the brothers, at Rochsolloch, and, though worked in a very humble way, this soon paid itself and began to yield a fair profit. This may be described as the commencement of the family connection with mining, and so successful had it proved that the father and brothers were encouraged to form a partnership for the working of mines at Maryston and Gartsherrie. During these years young James paid great attention to the practical management of the concern, and even then showed qualities which might be expected to make their mark in the commercial world. In 1829 , if we mistake not, two furnaces, of the primitive character then in use were built at Gartsherrie, and from that humble beginning sprang the famous firm whose ramifications now extend through so many mining districts. The erection of these furnaces was a fortunate step in the family career, for they turned out so profitable that additional blasts were soon erected, and were followed in later years by the commencement of iron works in different districts of Ayrshire. Neilson was at this time engaged in perfecting his hot blast, and to James Baird he doubtless owed a good deal of the success which attended its introduction. In 1835 or 1836, Alexander Baird, the father of this enterprising family, died, and the extensive concern which had by that time grown up was left in the hands of his sons. James, who had shown himself a thoroughly practical man, undertook the active management, and to his vigour and clearheadedness much of the success of the firm is attributed. Year by year the business extended, new pits were opened, additional blast furnaces put up, and the number of employees largely increased, till now the Gartsherrie works turn out about 100,000 tons of pig iron yearly, and give employment to between 3000 and 4000 persons. In 1846 the firm purchased ground at Stevenston, in Ayrshire, where they erected eight furnaces, known as the Eglinton Iron Works. Their next acquisition was the Blair Ironworks in 1862, followed by the purchase , in 1856, of the Lugar and Muirkirk and, in 1864 , of the Portland Ironworks , all in Ayrshire . The total number of furnaces connected with these various works is 42, and in December last 29 of these were in full blast, producing on an average 700 tons of pig-iron daily. Altogether, there cannot be fewer than 10,000 men and boys employed by the firm, a fact which of itself conveys some idea of the present extent of an undertaking that sprang from so humble a beginning. Up till about 1862, Mr James Baird continued in the active management of the concern ; but since that time , though retaining his interest, he has retired, from the business, Mr Alex. Whitelaw, M.P., occupying his place at the head of affairs.
Though Mr Baird's attention must have been largely absorbed in business, he nevertheless found time to concern himself in political , educational , and social questions. In 1851 he contested the Falkirk Burghs in the Conservative interest in opposition to Mr Loch, factor to the Duke of Sutherland, and was, after a keen contest, returned by a majority of 55. He had not sat a year in the House of Commons when a dissolution took place, and he had again to seek the suffrages of the electors, his opponent on this occasion being Mr Anderson, London. Curiously enough, Mr Baird was returned by exactly the same majority as he had secured in the previous election. He seldom spoke in the House; indeed the atmosphere of Westminster did not seem to be altogether congenial to his tastes and in 1857 he retired from Parliament, Mr Hamilton of Dalziel, and afterwards Mr Jas. Merry, succeeding in the representation of the burghs. After his withdrawal from Parliament, Mr Baird devoted much attention to religious and educational questions; and it is well known that his money was freely given to build churches and schools in different parts of the country. In educational matters he was a staunch supporter of the so-called "use-and-wont " platform ; and an emphatic utterance in favour of religious education made by him in the City Hall, Glasgow, in December 1871, was followed soon after, by the foundation of "The Baird Lectures" for the defence of orthodox teaching and the exposure and refutation of error and unbelief. The act of Mr Baird's life, however, with which perhaps his name will be chiefly associated hereafter was the foundation, in 1873, of the "Baird Trust," to administer the substantial fund of £500,000 bestowed by him for behoof of the Church of Scotland, Whatever view may be taken of this munificent donation to the Church, there can be no doubt that Mr Baird' s intention was the furtherance of religion , though it is perhaps to be regretted that the application of the money should have been hampered by conditions distasteful to not a few of the more liberal members of the Establishment.
Various guesses have .been made as to the amount of the deceased gentleman's wealth and the income likely to accrue yearly to his firm. It is impossible in the meantime to give any idea of Mr Baird's private fortune; but it is believed that in prosperous years the profits derived from the concern of which he was so long the head exceeded a million sterling. As a landed proprietor, Mr Baird occupied a prominent position. In 1853, he paid £22,000 for the estate of Cambusdoon in Ayrshire, and four years afterwards £90, 000 for Knoydart in Invernessshire. Six years later he purchased the estate of Muirkirk at a cost of £135,000 and he inherited from his brother the estate of Auchmedden, in Aberdeenshire, which cost about £60,000. Mr Baird was also the possessor of smaller properties in Ayrshire, while other members of the family own estates in different parts of the country valued at no less than two and a-half millions sterling. A Depute-Lieutenant of Ayrshire and Inverness-shire, he took an active part in county business, on which he brought to bear the same sagacity and energy which had so largely contributed to his own success in life. In private life Mr Baird was a genial, kindhearted man. His manner, to those who did not know him, might appear bluff and uncourteous, but underneath his somewhat rough exterior there was a warm heart, and in a quiet, unostentatious way he employed a part of his wealth in educating poor children, and assisting persons in distress. As a public man he never showed any aptitude for speaking, his utterance being disjointed, and his style anything but elegant. If , however, any one tried to poke fun at him, the chances were that Mr Baird's ready wit turned the laugh against his assailant. He had a fund of quaint stories, which it was his delight to retail in society. He is also said to have been particularly fond of reading Burns' poetry, of which he could recite many passages; and nothing pleased him more, when he had friends at Cambusdoon, than to point out spots which the Ayrshire bard had hallowed.
Mr Baird was twice married. His first wife Charlotte, daughter of the late Mr Robert Lockhart of Castlehill, died in 1857, five years after their union. In 1859, he married Isabell Agnew Hay, daughter of the late Admiral Hay, who survives him. There has been no issue of either marriage. [Scotsman 21 June 1876]
George Grant-Suttie
Death of Sir George Grant-Suttie - We have to announce the death of Sir George Grant-Suttie which occurred on Wednesday at Grantham-house, Putney. The late baronet was the only son of Sir James Grant-Suttie, fourth baronet, by Katherine Isabella, second daughter of Sir. J. Hamiltoun, of Bangour, and was born on the 1st of August, 1797. For some years he served in the Scots Fusilier Guards. He married, in 1829, Lady Harriet, seventh daughter of Francis, seventh Earl of Wemyss, and by her, who died May 30,1858, he had a family of four sons and two daughters. He succeeded to the baronetcy on the death of his father, Sir James, in 1836, and was appointed Deputy Lieutenant of Haddingtonshire in 1854. The late baronet's father, Sir James Suttie, assumed the additional surname and arms of Grant on the decease of his aunt, Janet Grant, Countess of Hyndford, when he inherited the estates of Preston-grange. He is succeeded in the baronetcy by his eldest son, James, born in 1830. [Times 21 June 1878]
William S. Dixon
Death of Mr W. S. Dixon, of Glasgow - Mr William Smith Dixon, the leading partner of the firm of Dixon & Co., of the Govan and Calder Ironworks , died at his residence, Grosvenor Place, London, yesterday morning. Mr Dixon had been in delicate health for some time, and he only recently returned from a long sojourn on the Continent, when the illness which has ended fatally began. As the superior of Govanhill, a rising suburb of Glasgow, Mr Dixon presented it, jointly with Crosshill, with a handsome Burgh Hall, at a cost of about £10,000, It was the intention of the deceased to be present at the opening ceremony, but delicate health prevented his presence on that occasion. Mr Dixon was a landowner both in Lanarkshire and Linlithgowshire, and a Deputy-Lieutenant for Lanark and Ayr. [Scotsman 17 June 1880]
John Watson
The Late Sir John Watson, Bart. Of Earnock. - A notable man in Sir John Watson, Bart of Earnock , passed away yesterday morning at the ripe age of 79. Up to the last he was hale and hearty. A few weeks ago he proceeded on a short holiday tour in the North, but the heat wave was too much for him. He was prostrated during the passage in the Caledonian Canal and at once returned home. Dr Crawford, his local medical adviser called in Dr Gemmell, who did not consider that there were any alarming symptoms, and on Sunday Dr Heron Watson, on being telegraphed for, on his arrival corroborated the views of the local and Glasgow doctor, and indicated the belief that a rest for ten days would put matters right. Notwithstanding, the patient never recovered his vitality, and he passed quietly away yesterday morning.
Sir John was the architect of his own fortunes. He was born in Kirkintilloch on the 9th of July 1819, and was therefore in the seventh-ninth year of his age. His father was a builder and contractor, but afterwards engaged in mining pursuits with considerable success, in which he was followed by his son. His lot was not altogether a successful one, but by indomitable perseverance he commanded success, and became one of the pioneers in the development of the Lanarkshire coalfields. In a limited sense the heyday of his career was when he was developing the coalfields of Wishaw and Dalziel under respectively Lord Belhaven and Mr Hamilton, now Lord Hamilton. His greatest success was when he acquired in the early seventies the estate of Neilsland, following up this triumph with the acquisition of that of Earnock. Up to that time there were doubts as to whether it would have been possible to have, at the great depths which were then little known in Scottish mining experience, to work the coal at a profit. With his wonted shrewdness Sir John, when he opened up the Earnock - which, it may be stated, is likely to go on tor 150 years at least - laid down the most advanced mechanical appliances. He was the first in Scotland and second in the United Kingdom to introduce electric light as an adjunct of mining. He was nothing if not thorough in all matters relating to his business concerns. He was popular, and deservedly so, in all his private relations. On acquiring the estates of Neilsland and Earnock, Sir John spared no money in the way of planting and improving the farms, the steadings of which were mostly rebuilt. He was twice married, his first wife being Miss Agnes Simpson, daughter of Mr. R. H. Simpson, coalmaster, Rutherglen, by whom he had two sons and eight daughters, all of whom are married. He is survived by his second wife, a daughter of Mr Peter M'Kenzie, editor of the “Reformers' Gazette.” He received the Baronetcy from Lord Roseberry in 1895. He is succeeded by his eldest son, Mr John Watson. [Scotsman 27 September 1898]
Archibald Russell
The personal estate of Mr Archibald Russell of Auchinraith, and of Glasgow coalmaster, a generous supporter of the Church of Scotland, who died on tho 19th of April, aged seventy-three years, has been valued at £569,170. [Scotsman 3 September 1904]