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Peter Gordon - Watchmaker
Peter Gordon was born in Mortlach, Dufftown on 25 October 1833. He was the eldest son of John and Isabella Gordon and was to become a successful watchmaker, first in Huntly and later in London. He served as an apprentice under his uncle, William 'watchie' Gordon, watch and clock maker in Dufftown. He later travelled to London and worked as a 'journeyman' watchmaker under a Mr Robertson in Kingsland Road, Hackney, returning to Huntly in 1859 when he established a watchmaking and jewellers shop at 1 Duke Street, Huntly. According to an advert in the Huntly Express, in August 1873 he moved to larger premises, ‘to that shop opposite no. 4 Duke Street’.
While in Huntly, he served for three years on the Police Commission and subsequently served for 15 years with the London Scottish Regiment, obtaining the long-service medal in 1895. He married Elizabeth Ragg on 2nd June 1861 in Dufftown and they were to have 8 children. The census for 1871 shows the family living at 1 Duke Street, Huntly. Peter owned several other properties in Huntly, namely, 6 & 8 Old Road, Huntly and 38 & 40 Duke Street, Huntly, and made 'considerable money' from his business interests there.
In late 1868, possibly November, Peter & Elizabeth employed a domestic servant by the name of Mary Ann Addison. Shortly after, Peter began an affair with her which appears to have continued until June 1875. As a result Mary became pregnant and on 8 February 1876, she gave birth to an illegitimate male child at Burnside Street, Portsoy. Mary was 31 years old at the time of the birth..
The child was named Charles. The 1891 census records a Mary Ann Addison, age 46, living at Braeheads,Portsoy with a Charles Gordon, age 15, and another child, Alexander Addison, age 5. .
In March 1876, Mary Ann Addison had begun court action against Peter to obtain maintenance for the child. Once his wife became aware of the affair and resulting child, the couple separated. The 1881 census records Peter as living as a lodger at 38 Duke Street Huntly, in the house of Isabella & David Collie. Also listed is Mary Taylor, age 2 years, boarder.
Eventually in August 1880, Elizabeth moved to Canada taking their children with her, to be near her only living relatives. She settled in Port Dover, Ontario.
Peter, left on his own, moved to London in 1883 to commence business there and he appears to have taken over the shop at 482 Kingsland Road, Dalston that belonged to Mr Robertson and where he had worked previously. He employed a large number of assistants.
In 1888 Elizabeth began divorce proceedings, citing adultery following the affair between her husband and Mary Ann Addison. In the official divorce papers Elizabeth alleged 'cruelty, violence and insult'. She claimed that following the birth of their youngest child in 1875, Peter ordered her to leave the house and threatened to burn the house down around her unless she left. Clearly all was not well in the Gordon family household. The divorce was finally granted on 27 June 1889. Elizabeth eventually moved to America with her 8 children, arriving in the USA in 1889. The 1900 USA census records her living in Northampton, Massetchusetts, with her 2 youngest children John & William.
Peter continued to live in London until his death in 1916. The 1891 census shows Peter living at 482 Kingsland Road, Hackney with Sophia J Dunbar, servant/housekeeper, age 50. 10 years later the 1901 census shows him living at 1 Woodlea Road, Stoke Newington, aged 67, with a 'domestic servant' Sophia Jane Dunbar, aged 60.
Peter died on 13 September 1916, aged 83, in Hackney Hospital and, despite aparently having considerable wealth earlier in his life, was buried in a common grave in Abney Park Cemetery, Stoke Newington on 16 September 1916..
The impression one gets from the story of Peter is that having served his apprenticeship, he became a successful and wealthy businessman and a respected member of the community in Huntly, where he owned several properties. However, an affair and an illegitimate child resulted in divorce and probable disgrace within the family and wider community. Following the divorce, he appears to have sold up in Huntly and moved to London where he continued working into his old age..
The fact he was buried in a common grave in London would suggest he had lost the wealth he had created and had been to some extent ostracised from the family in Scotland, as one might expect him to have been buried in Scotland. However, it is reported that some relatives from Macduff attended his funeral. This would probably have included my grandfather George, who corressponded with his Uncle Peter throughout the early part of the 1st World War. We have several postcards that George wrote, addressed to Peter at 1 Woodlea Road, Stoke Newington.
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Rainham Builders
1833 - 1916 (83 years)