Peter Aitken

1792 - 1875  (83 years)

• Name	Peter Aitken
  Born	11 Jun 1792	Linlithgow Bridge, West Lothian, Scotland
  Gender	Male
  Occupation	1841  [1]
  	Agricultural Labourer
  Residence	1841	Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland   [1]
  Occupation	1851
  	Labourer
  Residence	1851	Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland
  Residence	1856	6 Bowyett, Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland
  	In 1856 the family resided at 6 Bowyett in the parish of Torphichen, along with William Aitken the illegitimate son of their daughter Janet and Andrew Cape
  Occupation	1861  [2]
  	Limestone Miner
  Residence	1861	6 Bowyett, Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland   [2]
  Occupation	1871  [3]
  	Dyker
  Residence	1871	Bowyett, Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland   [3]
  Occupation	23 Aug 1875	Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland
  	Stone Dyker
  Residence	23 Aug 1875	Bishopry Cottage, 7 Bowyett, Torphicen, West Lothian, Scotland
  _UID	74DA5E471C4D4801B9A3A2A6A6922734DC54
  Died	23 Aug 1875	7 Bowyett, Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland
  	Cause: General debility & old age
  Buried	26 Aug 1875	Torphichen Churchyard, West Lothian, Scotland
  Person ID	I6675	My Big Tree
  Last Modified	25 Oct 2022

  
  

  Father	William Aiken,   b. Abt 1751, Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland ,   d. 5 Mar 1821, Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland  (Age 70 years)
  Mother	Margaret Little,   b. Abt 1755,   d. 1832, Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland  (Age 77 years)
  Married	5 Dec 1779	Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland
  	The marriage of William Aitken to Margaret Little is given as 26 Jul. 1787, in the "Johnston Journal" but 5 Dec. 1779 in the OPR. Name: William Aitken Gender: Male Marriage Date: 5 Dec 1779 Marriage Place: Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland Father: James Aitken Spouse: Margaret Little FHL Film Number: 102990 Name: Margaret Little Gender: Female Marriage Date: 5 Dec 1779 Marriage Place: Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland Spouse: William Aitken FHL Film Number: 102990
  Family ID	F2181	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Janet Pearson,   b. 1792, Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland ,   d. 9 Jul 1888, Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland  (Age 96 years)
  Married	17 Jul 1814	Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland
  	Banns were called at Torphichen and once at Linlithgow. i.e. Torphichen where Peter was residing and Linlithgow parish where Janet resided. Name: Peter Aitken Gender: Male Marriage Date: 17 Jul 1814 Marriage Place: Torphichen,West Lothian,Scotland Spouse: Janet Pierson FHL Film Number: 1066638 Name: Janet Pierson Gender: Female Marriage Date: 17 Jul 1814 Marriage Place: Torphichen,West Lothian,Scotland Spouse: Peter Aitken FHL Film Number: 1066638
  Children	1. Marion Aitken,   b. 4 Sep 1815, Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland ,   d. 6 Nov 1885, Hilderston Hill House, Torphicen, West Lothian Scotland  (Age 70 years)   2. Margaret Aitken,   b. 19 Apr 1817, Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland ,   d. 6 Dec 1869, Bow Yett, Torpichen, West Lothian, Scotland  (Age 52 years)   3. Isabel Aitken,   b. 15 Mar 1819, Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland ,   d. 27 Jan 1885, Bishoprig Cottage, Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland  (Age 65 years)   4. Jane Aitken,   b. 1 Aug 1821, Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland ,   d. 2 Apr 1891, Mosgiel, Otago, New Zealand  (Age 69 years)   5. William Aitken,   b. 21 Jun 1823, Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland ,   d. 19 Jan 1844, Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland  (Age 20 years)   6. John Aitken,   b. 31 Mar 1825, Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland ,   d. 5 Apr 1903, Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland  (Age 78 years)   7. Robert Aitken,   b. 4 Apr 1827, Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland ,   d. 1833  (Age 5 years)   8. Peter Aitken,   b. 4 Apr 1827, Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland ,   d. 22 Oct 1910, North Mossend, Armadale, West Lothian, Scotland  (Age 83 years)   9. James Aitken,   b. 17 May 1829, Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland ,   d. 16 May 1916, Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland  (Age 86 years)   10. Janet Aitken,   b. 18 Mar 1831, Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland ,   d. 8 Apr 1889, 18 Rose Street, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland  (Age 58 years)   11. Robert Aitken,   b. 4 Feb 1833, Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland ,   d. 14 Apr 1872, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland  (Age 39 years)   12. Thomas Aitken,   b. 12 Jan 1835, Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland ,   d. 22 Oct 1922, Mosgiel, Otago, New Zealand  (Age 87 years)   13. Catherin Pearson Aitken,   b. 10 Jan 1837, West Lothian, Scotland ,   d. 4 Feb 1841, Torphichen, Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland  (Age 4 years)   14. Mary Ann Aitken,   b. 12 Dec 1838, Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland ,   d. 26 Oct 1907, East Benhar, Fauldhouse, West Lothian, Scotland  (Age 68 years)
  Last Modified	22 Aug 2015
  Family ID	F2184	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Headstones

  Peter Aitken 23 Aug 1875 Janet Pearson 9 Jul 1888 Catherine Pearson Aitken 4 Feb 1841 William Aitken 19 Jan 1844 Margaret Aitken 6 Dec 1869

  
  

• Notes

  On 17 Jul.1814 Peter paid for the banns to be read. "Proclamation of Peter Aitken, in this parish (Torphichen) and Janet Pearson, in Linlithgow, twice in one day". In 1832 he paid 6/8 for the use of the "best mortcloth used to the deceased Marion Liddell", his mother-in-law. On the 1st Dec 1837, he was absolved by the Kirk Session at Torphichen, of the sin of drunkenness, using profane language and riotous behaviour but not before having held out for quite a while against the Session. The following comes from the research of Graham Marshall, with great thanks. " Peter was charged with the offences when he went to the minister, in Feb 1833, to arrange to have his son Robert baptised. The minister took the opportunity to report him to the Session ' in consequence of certain complaints as to the repeated instances of drunkenness as of late'. Peter Aitken initially refused to play their games which led to the Session appointing a committee comprising the Minister, the Session Clerk and four Elders to sort him out. Thus it was that Peter appeared before this Church Court in Torphichen on 25th March 1833 charged with one specific instance of his alleged offences and that on the night of New Years Day he had been in widow Arthur's house 'in a state of intoxication and of then or there having uttered profane oaths and of having conducted himself both in the said house and about the door in a riotous manner.' He admitted that he had been in the house but denied that he had been intoxicated or uttered profane oaths or behaved in a riotous manner. The Session then called witnesses to prove their case. First came widow Arthur (Agnes Walker widow of the late Thomas Arthur) who remembered Peter Aitken coming to her house about ten or eleven o'clock and that while he had been drinking he was in control of himself. It appears he sent her for a bottle of whisky and that she had brought him half a bottle and was sent for and found another, there is no mention of where she found them. It seems the company were willing to share Peter's first bottle of whisky but not so the second, referred to in the Session Minutes as 'spirits in a bottle'. He appararntly tried to persuade Norman McQueen to take a drink but there was something about it that persuaded Norman to throw it on the back of the fire which displeased Peter Aitken who threatened to ' pit him up in the reek'. There seems to have been a scuffle after that but there was conflicting evidence from the widow Arthur and others as to exactly what happened. John Brodie and Norman McQueen seemed to be involved asn so it seems was Peter. There seems to have been an attempt to take the disagreement outside which resulted in Norman being pulled into the house and Peter, being outside, hammering on the door to be let back in. John Brodie clearly had remained inside since he, it was claimed, had gone to the door and asked if they wanted him. It sounds as if William Aitken was also outside although the evidence hardly mentions him. Peter apparently answered 'No it was old Nany and young Nanny and Mary and that them to put them in the dam.' The second witness, Paul McFail refused to take the oath so the proceedings were postponed until the following day to hear more witnesses; Agnes Arthur the widow's daughter, John Marshall and Margaret, his daughter. Agnes seemed clearer than her mother about who was in their house on New Year's night. She told how Mary Gunn, Norman McQueen one of their lodgers, John Brodie another lodger and her mother were there when Peter Aitken came in with William Aitken (possibly his brother) but supported her mother's view that he was not drunk. She was also clearer about who left, listing Peter Aitken, William Aitken, Paul McFail and John Brodie. She, her mother and Mary Gunn then went to bed, however she later said she had been in bed all of the time and couldn't see all that happened. It seems that John Marshall came in towards the end of the incident and had the poker taken to him by Agnes who had risen from her bed to clear the house. His testimony added a touch of farce when he claimed to remember meeting Peter Aitken and going with him to James Aitken's (probably another brother) house then on to Philip Gunn's house but that he could not remember being in widow Arthur's house. His daughter Maggie cleared that one up when she told how she had collected her father from there and took him home. There is something ironic in the choice of date to hear the evidence for the defence - April first. Peter went first and he admitted using intemperate language but not fighting or being drunk. He called Philip Gunn who described Peter Aitken as 'except for himself, the soberest man in the company in his house on the night of the 1st of January'. The evidence seemed to have little effect on the Session Committee who referred it to the Presbytery who met two days later at Linlithgow where Peter argued that the evidence given for and against him was contradictory. But did acknowledge that he 'had in face of much provocation spoken one unguarded word for which he was sorry and resolved to be on his guard'. But that was not enough for the Presbyters who 'resolved without a vote to appoint a committee of three to examine the extract minutes of the Kirk Session of Torphichen and report to next meeting of Presbytery what facts appeared to them to be substantiated by the evidence.' The committee reported back in three weeks with a neat summary of what they saw as the evidence. They were 'clearly of the opinion that the evidence proves that Peter Aitken had been drinking freely in the house of Philip Gunn, that he came with others to the house of Widow Arthur and sent for whisky. But it does not seem proved that Peter Aitken was very much intoxicated; that it seems true that Peter Aitken did then use profane language and behaved in a riotous manner in the Widow Arthur's house and after outside of her door demanding admittance and that the witnesses brought by Peter Aitken do not in any respect rebut the evidence on the part of the prosecution.' The Presbytery agreed with the findings and referred it back to the Session for action who in their turn referred it to the Minister, His success in dealing with Peter Aitken was complete. He took only another two an a half years to persuade Peter to apologise to session. Whether Robert and his sister " (Roobert and Catherin children of Peter who were born in this time)" were then baptised is not recorded but normal service was resumed with the baptism of the next child, Mary Ann in 1938." In the 1861 census two grandchildren, William aged 5 and John aged 7 months were living with Peter and Janet In the 1871 census, grandchild William aged 18 was living with Peter and Janet His daughter-in-law, AINNIE Aitken, reported his death.

  
  

• Sources

  [S73] 1841 Census (Reliability: 3). [S12] 1861 Census (Reliability: 3). [S8] 1871 Census (Reliability: 3).