Henry Cadogan Rothery
Encyclopedia
Henry Cadogan Rothery was an English
lawyer
and commissioner of wrecks (now known as the Receiver of Wreck
), especially remembered for chairing the inquiry into the Tay Bridge disaster
in 1879.
. His father was William Rothery
, chief of the office of the King's Proctor in Doctors' Commons
. Henry was educated at St. John's College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A.
in 1840, as nineteenth wrangler in the mathematical tripos, and M.A. in 1845. After leaving the university he entered Doctors' Commons, and from 1842 practised in the ecclesiastical
and admiralty court
s. On 26 November 1853 he was appointed registrar of the admiralty court. Soon after, he became registrar of the Privy Council in ecclesiastical and maritime cases. In 1860 he was made legal adviser to HM Treasury
in questions and proceedings arising out of the slave trade. On account of his large experience gathered in the court of Admiralty
, in 1876 he was appointed commissioner to inquire into the causes and circumstances of shipwrecks, and to conduct investigations into casualties at sea. He began his duties towards the close of 1876. His inquiries indicated many preventible causes of maritime losses. His judgments on fire at sea in coal-laden vessels, on certain methods of stowing grain, on ship stability
, and on overloading were especially valuable.
He chaired the public inquiry into the Tay Bridge disaster
, when an express train was lost by the collapse of the 2 mile long bridge across the Tay estuary on the night of December 28, 1879. He was assisted by the Chief inspector of Railways, William Yolland
and William Henry Barlow
, President of the Institution of Civil Engineers
. The inquiry sat initially in Dundee
to hear eye wintness accounts of the accident, and then at Westminster Hall in London
for expert evidence. They produced their final report in June 1880, and concluded that the bridge was "badly designed, badly built and badly maintained". Although they all agreed on the root causes of the disaster, his fellow judges Yolland and Barlow produced their own final report which hesitated in placing the blame on the chief engineer, Thomas Bouch
. He himself died a few months after the inquiry reported in June 1880. The reports were made in a remarkably short time considering the wealth of evidence they had to consider. The remains were demolished and a new bridge built alongside the old with a double line of tracks.
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and commissioner of wrecks (now known as the Receiver of Wreck
Receiver of Wreck
The Receiver of Wreck is an official who administers law dealing with wreck and salvage in some countries having a British administrative heritage.-Countries having a Receiver of Wreck:...
), especially remembered for chairing the inquiry into the Tay Bridge disaster
Tay Bridge disaster
The Tay Bridge disaster occurred on 28 December 1879, when the first Tay Rail Bridge, which crossed the Firth of Tay between Dundee and Wormit in Scotland, collapsed during a violent storm while a train was passing over it. The bridge was designed by the noted railway engineer Sir Thomas Bouch,...
in 1879.
Life
Rothery was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. His father was William Rothery
William Rothery
William Rothery , was chief of the office of the king's proctor in Doctors' Commons - a society of lawyers practising civil law in London.-Career:...
, chief of the office of the King's Proctor in Doctors' Commons
Doctors' Commons
Doctors' Commons, also called the College of Civilians, was a society of lawyers practising civil law in London. Like the Inns of Court of the common lawyers, the society had buildings with rooms where its members lived and worked, and a large library...
. Henry was educated at St. John's College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1840, as nineteenth wrangler in the mathematical tripos, and M.A. in 1845. After leaving the university he entered Doctors' Commons, and from 1842 practised in the ecclesiastical
Ecclesiastical court
An ecclesiastical court is any of certain courts having jurisdiction mainly in spiritual or religious matters. In the Middle Ages in many areas of Europe these courts had much wider powers than before the development of nation states...
and admiralty court
Admiralty court
Admiralty courts, also known as maritime courts, are courts exercising jurisdiction over all maritime contracts, torts, injuries and offences.- Admiralty Courts in England and Wales :...
s. On 26 November 1853 he was appointed registrar of the admiralty court. Soon after, he became registrar of the Privy Council in ecclesiastical and maritime cases. In 1860 he was made legal adviser to HM Treasury
HM Treasury
HM Treasury, in full Her Majesty's Treasury, informally The Treasury, is the United Kingdom government department responsible for developing and executing the British government's public finance policy and economic policy...
in questions and proceedings arising out of the slave trade. On account of his large experience gathered in the court of Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
, in 1876 he was appointed commissioner to inquire into the causes and circumstances of shipwrecks, and to conduct investigations into casualties at sea. He began his duties towards the close of 1876. His inquiries indicated many preventible causes of maritime losses. His judgments on fire at sea in coal-laden vessels, on certain methods of stowing grain, on ship stability
Ship stability
Ship stability is an area of naval architecture and ship design that deals with how a ship behaves at sea, both in still water and in waves. Stability calculations focus on the center of gravity and center of buoyancy of vessels and on how these interact....
, and on overloading were especially valuable.
Tay bridge disaster
Tay Bridge disaster
The Tay Bridge disaster occurred on 28 December 1879, when the first Tay Rail Bridge, which crossed the Firth of Tay between Dundee and Wormit in Scotland, collapsed during a violent storm while a train was passing over it. The bridge was designed by the noted railway engineer Sir Thomas Bouch,...
, when an express train was lost by the collapse of the 2 mile long bridge across the Tay estuary on the night of December 28, 1879. He was assisted by the Chief inspector of Railways, William Yolland
William Yolland
William Yolland CB, FRS was an English military surveyor, astronomer and engineer, and was Britain’s Chief Inspector of Railways from 1877 until his death...
and William Henry Barlow
William Henry Barlow
On 28 December 1879, the central section of the North British Railway's bridge across the River Tay near Dundee collapsed in the Tay Bridge disaster as an express train crossed it in a heavy storm. All 75 passengers and crew on the train were killed...
, President of the Institution of Civil Engineers
Institution of Civil Engineers
Founded on 2 January 1818, the Institution of Civil Engineers is an independent professional association, based in central London, representing civil engineering. Like its early membership, the majority of its current members are British engineers, but it also has members in more than 150...
. The inquiry sat initially in Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
to hear eye wintness accounts of the accident, and then at Westminster Hall in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
for expert evidence. They produced their final report in June 1880, and concluded that the bridge was "badly designed, badly built and badly maintained". Although they all agreed on the root causes of the disaster, his fellow judges Yolland and Barlow produced their own final report which hesitated in placing the blame on the chief engineer, Thomas Bouch
Thomas Bouch
Sir Thomas Bouch was a British railway engineer in Victorian Britain.He was born in Thursby, near Carlisle, Cumberland, England and lived in Edinburgh. He helped develop the caisson and the roll-on/roll-off train ferry. He worked initially for the North British Railway and helped design parts of...
. He himself died a few months after the inquiry reported in June 1880. The reports were made in a remarkably short time considering the wealth of evidence they had to consider. The remains were demolished and a new bridge built alongside the old with a double line of tracks.
Personal life
He married Madelina, née Garden, in 1851 but the couple had no children. He retired in the early summer of 1888 and died at Ribsden, Bagshot, SurreyBagshot, Surrey
Bagshot is a small town in southeastern England. It is situated in the northwest corner of Surrey within the county's Surrey Heath council district, close to the border with Berkshire, and is also in the diocese of Guildford. In the past Bagshot served as an important staging post between London,...
.