I think they were collected as a result of a coroner's inquest if the Crown
was entitled to the deodand, or the manor court if the right had been
alienated by the crown with a manor. However the survival of corner's
records is commonly poor.
A deodand was any article that caused a death, for example a runaway horse.
Today (if not abolished), hit and run drivers would forfeit their car. I
think the right was ecclesiastical on origin, the idea being that the thing
that caused death would be sold for the benefit of the victim's soul. The
abolition was perhaps due to the seizure of the railway engine as a deodand.
I am not sure that deodands would easily arise in the course of mining,
because accidents were not usually caused by a chattel that could be seized.
Peter King
49, Stourbridge Road,
Hagley,
Stourbridge
West Midlands
DY9 0QS
01562-720368
[log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: mining-history [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of
James Fussell
Sent: 15 August 2010 21:35
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Deodand payments
I know it's not mining, but the jury at the coroner's inquest on those who
died in the Sonning Cutting accident on the Great Western Railway in 1841
laid "...a deodand of one thousand pounds on the engine, tender, and
carriages." "Deodands of £1100 in total were made on the engine (Hecla), and
the trucks, payable to the lord of the manor of Sonning, Mr R. Palmer. Early
reports suggested that Mr Palmer intended to share the money between the
injured and dependants of those killed, but this was denied by Mr Palmer,
who believed it was very unlikely that the deodand payments would ever be
made and that it would be unkind to raise false hopes amongst the potential
beneficiaries. In the event, both deodands were overturned and the money was
never paid." (That's from wickedpedia - but I do remember reading about it
in various books, including Rolt's 'Red for Danger')
On 15 August 2010 21:46, Lynne Mayers <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Just come across this word for the first time today (relating to the
> building of the Summit Tunnel on Manchester-Leeds Railway) = Common Law
> forfeiture to the Crown of machinery/animal etc which caused death - or
fine
> to same value - funds usually used as alms for bereaved family - repealed
> 1846. Does anyone have records of Deodand being claimed for fatalities in
> the mining industry?
>
> Thanks,
>
>
> Lynne
>
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