Peter Williamson. "Indian Peter" dressed as a Delaware Indian Early life[edit] Williamson was born the son of James Williamson in a croft in Hirnlay near Aboyne. He described his parents as "reputable though not rich" and at an early age was sent to live with a maiden aunt in Aberdeen.[1] Though little acknowledged in history, there was in those days a thriving slave trade in stolen children, most of whom were taken to North America. In January 1743, Williamson fell victim to the trade when he was kidnapped while playing on the quay at Aberdeen.[2] His autobiography gives his age as eight at the time. Some of the Aberdeen bailies were suspected of colluding with the traffickers; an estimated 600 children disappearing from the port when the trade was at its height between 1740 and 1746.[3] The Plantation[edit] Williamson was taken to Philadelphia and sold for £16[4] as an indentured servant for a period of seven years to a fellow Scot, Hugh Wilson.
Continuing life in America[edit] Return to Scotland[edit] Peter Williamson Feature Page on Undiscovered Scotland. Peter Williamson, also known as Indian Peter, lived from 1730 to 1799. He was kidnapped into slavery and later sued officials in Aberdeen for slave trading. The wider picture in Scotland at the time is set out in our Historical Timeline. Peter Williamson was born on his parent's croft near Aboyne in Aberdeenshire and brought up by an aunt in Aberdeen. In 1743 at the age of 13 he was kidnapped and taken as a slave, to Philadelphia, where he was sold for a period of seven years to a planter, Hugh Wilson, who had himself been kidnapped as a child. Hugh Wilson died in 1750 as Williamson's period of indenture was coming to an end, and left his possessions to him. Williamson remained in North America, and in 1754 married the daughter of a wealthy planter, who came with a dowry of 200 acres of land in Pennsylvania.
At the time Pennsylvania was on the front line of the French and Indian War, in which the British army fought against the French army and their native Indian supporters. Peter Williamson, remarkable for his captivity and sufferings - Look and Learn History Picture Library. Peter Williamson. Peter Williamson 1730-1799 Writer & Publisher One of the most famous eighteenth-century taverns in Edinburgh was Peter Williamson’s, (he was known as Indian Peter) a tiny pub hard up against the entrance to Parliament House.
A great place it was with the lawyers. The signboard, outside, had the inscription :—‘ Peter Williamson, vintner from the other world’ and the tale behind that is very strange. Williamson, Peter (DNB00) WILLIAMSON, PETER (1730-1799), author and publisher, son of James Williamson, crofter, was born in the parish of Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, in 1730. When about ten years of age be fell a victim to a barbarous traffic which then disgraced Aberdeen, being kidnapped and transported to the American, plantations, where he was sold for a period of seven years to a fellow countryman in Pennsylvania. Becoming his own master about 1747, he acquired a tract of land on the frontiers of the same province, which in 1754 was overrun by Indians, into whose hands Williamson fell.
Escaping, he enlisted in his majesty's forces, and after many romantic adventures was in 1757 discharged at Plymouth as incapable of further service in consequence of a wound in one of his hands. About the same time Williamson set on foot in Edinburgh a penny post, which became so profitable in his hands that when in 1793 the government took over the management, it was thought necessary to allow him a pension of 25l. per annum. Kay's Edinburgh Portraits. Peter Williamson was born of poor parents at Hirnley, in the parish of Aboyne, county of Aberdeen, North Britain.
When still very young he was sent to reside with an aunt in Aberdeen, as he tells us in his autobiography, " where, at eight years of age, playing one day on the quay with others of my companions, I was taken notice of by two fellows belonging to a vessel in the harbour, employed, as the trade then was, by some of the worthy merchants of the town, in that villainous and execrable practice called kidnapping; that is, stealing young children from their parents, and selling them as slaves in the plantations abroad.
(Vide ' French and Indian Cruelty, exemplified in the Life and various Vicissitudes of Fortune of Peter Williamson, &c, dedicated to the Eight Hon. William Pitt, Esq. Written by himself. Third edition, with considerable improvements. The terror of Williamson, on hearing these appalling sounds, increased his speed. "July, 1762. " Peter Williamson, P. "N.B. Williamson-Woodby - Scottish Book Trade Index (SBTI) Indian Peter Williamson Aberdeen. Play our new game - Whack The Haggis!! Claim our Free Pens - we send 6 at a time. Child Slavery Kidnapping In the 1740s it was common practice for villains to kidnap young boys, aged from 6 years to teenagers, and sell them into slavery abroad, usually to America.
Such practice was called listing and the people behind it were called press gangs. A similar practice would occur years later to "recruit" people into the Navy - gangs of sailors would go looking for fit men, usually drunk at the time and bundle them aboard ship, usually after being coshed. Peter Williamson from Hirnlay in Aboyne was one such victim of listing in 1743. Registration to the Aberdeen Race For Life is now open. Graeme Milne in his book The Haunted North: Paranormal Tales from Aberdeen and the North East describes how The Green, on the bottom of the large steps on Union Street, had buildings that were used to house slave boys until they were shipped off abroad. Four years passed and Hugh died. More famous Aberdonians. Peter Williamson - Aberdeen Child Slave Part 5. With thanks to Mike Shepherd. Peter Williamson was kidnapped as a child in Aberdeen harbour and taken to the American Colonies where he was sold as a slave.
On gaining his freedom, he was kidnapped by the Indians, living with them and eventually escaping from them. He then spent three years in the British Army fighting against the French and the Indians, only to be captured again, this time by the French. As part of a prisoner exchange he was repatriated to Britain in 1757. In Plymouth he was released from the army with a purse of six shillings. This was enough to get to him to York, by which time he was penniless. He managed to persuade some local businessmen to publish his book, titled The Life and Curious Adventures of Peter Williamson, Who was Carried off from Aberdeen and Sold for a Slave. He had several hundred copies of his book with him, some of which he managed to sell on the streets of Aberdeen.
A warrant was issued for his arrest. Further litigation ensued. One entry read: LIX. James Bruce, Esq. of Kinnaird, and Peter Williamson - Kay's Originals Vol. 1 by John Kay. Unknown Scottish History :: The Tale of Peter Williamson. The Tale of Peter Williamson Before I start the tale of Indian Peter I must give a tip of my hat and hearty well done to the city of Aberdeen Scotland. On 11-06-07 the city of Aberdeen pulled back the curtain on a dark part of the cities history. At the Tolbooth Museum in Aberdeen, “Open to the Public” they had re-enactments of a very dark part of Aberdeen’s past history.
In the 18th century Aberdeen was a center for the kid-napping of children to be sold into slavery. During this dark time it is thought 1000 children were captured and shipped to the colony of America and sold as slaves on the block. Children from Aberdeen were taken, children from towns around Aberdeen were taken, no child was safe to walk the streets. Many Aberdeen merchants, city magistrates, sea captains and one Walter Cochran, town clerk deputy were involved. Now to Peter Williamson, young Peter was born about 1730 in the parish of Aboyne. About June 1758 Peter finally got to Aberdeen. The Diamond's Ace. Williamson was born in Hirnlay, Aboyne Parish, and some years later he was sent to live with an aunt in the flourishing seaport of Aberdeen.
There, while playing one day with his companions in the vicinity of the harbour, he was accosted by two ruffians who seized him; after a lengthy period of detention he was put on board a ship bound for the American colonies. There was a thriving trade operating in Aberdeen, a nefarious enterprise which for a long time avoided suppression and even operated quite openly through the direct complicity of several magistrates and leading citizens. Far-fetched as it might seem, this was people trafficking, eighteenth century style.
Individuals could quite competently bind themselves to a period of indentured service but the absence of the necessary element of consent and the lack of legal capacity of many of the youthful victims of this odious practice were technicalities which were conveniently overlooked. Footnotes: 2 Ibid, p. 38.