George the Herdboy Also Falls

Melancholy and Fatal Accident at Badbea Near Berriedale.  – A most melancholy and fatal accident, being the second which has occurred within a short period, occurred at Badbea, a hamlet situated near Berriedale, on the Duke of Portland’s estate. It appears that a boy, aged about 14 years, son of Wm. Sutherland, lotter, Gartymore, Helmsdale, was for the last few weeks in the employment of a lotter in Badbea, named Catherine Sutherland. 

On Wednesday forenoon the boy was sent to turn the cattle from the precipices, which are very steep and dangerous. About an hour after the cattle returned to Sutherland’s house, but not so the boy. The people getting alarmed, went in search of him, and sad to relate, he was found to have fallen over the cliff, a height we believe of upward of 200 feet. When found life was quite extinct; the body, and particularly the head was much bruised and shattered, so that death must have been instantaneous. Much sympathy is felt for the bereaved parents. It is a pity there is not a wire fence along these cliffs, which have so often been the cause of loss of life. 

 

The cliffs at Badbea. The grass grows over the edge so hungry cattle would be tempted to graze as close as possible to every last bite. George would have had to go round in front of the cattle to get them to move back.

My Comments:

Poor George the herdboy. Only 14. What a violent death. I can’t quite read who signed the death certificate but it could be Catherine Sutherland who was employing George. See the blog on 7 October 2014 for more information on Catherine. She would have been distraught.

It is indeed a pity there was not a fence along the cliffs. The Badbea families were paying rent to the Duke of Portland who was fabulously wealthy but as we have seen with the evictions, no consideration was given for the well being of the Duke’s tenants.

Northern Ensign. October 26, 1871