Peter Slater

BMDB data

     Peter Slater was born cir. 1847 Maxton, ROX, SCT.⁶
     Peter Slater married Catherine Ross, daughter of Angus Ross and Margaret McDonald, on 9 Nov 1866 33 Abbotsford Pl, Tradeston, Glasgow, LKS, SCT, exact datefrom igi, confirmed by mar. cert which provides place detail: Dist 664/9 #478 where Peter Slater is described as a journeyman tailor, single, 20, s/o Robert Slater, salmon fisher and Elspeth m.s. Sinton, and new wife Catherine Ross as a dom. serv, single, 22, d/o Angus Ross, farmer and Margaret m.s. McDonald. Both were given as living 10 Crawford St, Glasgow. Wit: Thomas ?at?? (assumed to be Thomas Slater, brother of Peter) and Elizabeth Manderson.^7,3,4,8
     Peter Slater died on 3 Jul 1870 Lessudden / St Boswells, Par. of St Boswells, ROX, SCT; less than 3 wks after son Robert and only 4 mths before youngest son born. Cert reads: Peter Slater 3 Jul 1870 2:20 pm aged 23 (NB h/stone transcript says 24) at Lessuden, St Boswells. Occupation tailor, s/o Robert Slater, fisherman and Euphemia m.s. Sinton of pthisis of some mths duration. Mar. to Catherine Ross. Inf. Catherine Ross, wife, her mark. (Two separate transcriptions, which have been rechecked, have given 1870 as the date for this death, which contradicts h/stone, and the information that he was the informant for his son's death in Jun 1871, I have to therefore assume the h/stone is incorrect, as is the date of dth for son Robert, assuming 1870 for the latter.)^3,9,10

Census/Where lived/Occupations

     Peter Slater appeared on the census of 30 Mar 1851 Village, Maxton, Par. of Maxton, ROX, SCT, in the household of Robert Slater and Euphemia Slater.¹¹ Peter Slater appeared on the census of 1861 Lessudden / St Boswells, Par. of St Boswells, ROX, SCT, in the household of Robert Slater and Elspeth Sinton as son of Robert.^6,12 Peter Slater was a tailors apprentice in 1861 Lessudden / St Boswells, Par. of St Boswells, ROX.⁶ He was a journeyman tailor when dtr Margaret born (Oct 1866), and also when married in Nov 1866 10 Crawford St, Glasgow, LKS, SCT.⁴ By Oct 1870 at Lessudden / St Boswells, Par. of St Boswells, ROX, Peter Slater was shown as a master tailor on birth of son Peter.⁷

All the other info

     Peter Slater was commemorated with James Slater and Margaret Turnbull Maxton, ROX, SCT; H/stone #130 reads: "IMO James Slater who d. at Ploughland 18.1.1865 aged 76 yrs Margaret Turnbull w/o James Slater who d. at Maxton toll 25.12.1855 aged 67 yrs also Robert Slater son of Robert Slater who was drowned in the River Tweed 8.5.1857 aged 7 yrs and 9 mths also of Peter Slater his son who d 3.7.1871 aged 24 yrs" Next door grave is that of James/Margaret's son Robert Slater and his wife Elspeth/Euphemia Sinton.¹⁰ A brief timeline for this family shows a traumatic few years. Starting with the birth of dtr Margaret, nearly a month shy of their marriage in Nov 1866, followed by the births two years apart in 1868 and 1870 of two sons the family was complete. Tragedy seems to have struck early however as the eldest son, Robert, died Jun 1870 aged 2½ of tuberculosis which he had contracted a year earlier. Father Peter died, also of tuberculosis, a few weeks later in Jul 1870. This was 4 mths before the birth of their last son, Peter. Widow Catherine only outlived her husband by a few short years, dying of bronchitis in 1876. I suspect that the younger son also died young as I could not find him in the 1881 census aged 10, plus or minus 5 years. Margaret may have survived to marry however as I believe she was a nurserymaid aged 14 in 1881, by which time she would have been an orphan for 5 or 6 years.¹³