RMS Tayleur - Enquiries

Enquiries

There were four official enquiries: The inquest, held at Malahide; The Board of Trade Inquiry under Captain Walker; The Admiralty investigation was held by Mr Grantham, Inspector of Iron Ships; The Liverpool Maritime Board tried the fitness of Captain Noble to command. There are contradictions between these enquiries.

Numbers of lives lost vary, as do the numbers given as to how many were on board. The latter are between 528 and 680, while the dead are supposed to be at least 297, and up to 380, depending on source. Out of over 100 women on board, only three survived, possibly because of the difficulty with the clothing of that era. The survivors were then faced with having to get up an almost sheer 80 foot (24m) cliff to get to shelter. When word of the disaster reached the Irish mainland, the City of Dublin Steam Packet Company sent the steamer Prince to look for survivors. Recent research by Dr Edward J Bourke names 662 on board.