| No. | Name | Age | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Alexander McSephney | 17 | run over by hutch |
Widower John McSeveny (49), coal miner, married widow Charlotte Campbell (39) both of Whitletts in the parish of St.Quivox at the Episcopal Trinity Chapel, Ayr on 23rd April 1858. Their son Alexander was born two years later at Whitletts on 17th April 1860 joining a large family of children, McSevenys and McKays, from both his parents’ previous marriages.
Following his mother’s death in 1868, Alexander lived with his half-brother Thomas McSevney and his family at Newton on Ayr; their father died seven years later.
Although it is not clear when young Alexander moved to New Cumnock, it is likely that he came to live with another half-brother William McSevney, coal miner, that lived at Stable Row, Craigbank with his family while another half-brother Thomas McKay, coal miner, and his family lived next door.
On the 31st January 1878 at Lanemark No. 1 pit 17 year-old Alexander McSephney (McSephnay) was run over by a loaded hutch on an incline and died immediately from his injuries. His half-brother William McSephney’s name appears on his death certificate.
The family continued to live in New Cumnock for some time and William’s grandson Lance Corporal David McSephney of the Royal Scots Fusiliers, born at Craigbank, was killed in 1918 at the Somme.
Note: The records of the family have various spellings of the surname including McSeveny, McSevney, McSephnay and McSepheny.
Acknowledgements
| Scottish Mining Web-site |
| Fatal Accidents |
| Maps |
| National Library of Scotland |
| http://maps.nls.uk/index.html |
| Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland |
| Map 1 : Craigbank |
| Scotland’s People |
| https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk |
| Old Parish Records, Births, Marriages, Deaths, Census Records, Valuations Rolls, Wills & Testaments |
NEW CUMNOCK HISTORY 