Kim Latimer contacted me in August 2015, saying, “I am trying to find out any information on my husband’s great grandparents Peter Latimer 1884-1946 and Jane Hutchison 1891-1972. The census states they lived in midfield cottages Auchentibber and most of the family was from Blantyre.”
This is a family line, I have now investigated. Let’s begin a little further back in time though with John Latimer who was born in Forfar in 1849. At the age of 25 on 14th September 1874, he was in Blantyre and married Mary Marshall, a 19 year old from Cumbernauld. They chose Blantyre as their home and settled down at Auchentibber, then a thriving mining community. John was a limestone miner so his choice of residence was perfect. Before his death in 1920, he is known to have lived at Newfield Cottages, Auchentibber Road and Craig Row, three homes all very close to each other.
John and Mary were obviously intent on having a large family. Indeed they had 18 children, 4 of whom died in infancy! Their eldest two sons were Robert and James Latimer, both born before John and Mary had married. However it was their brother, Peter Latimer that is the subject of Kim’s initial enquiry.
Alexander Latimer
Peter Latimer was born on 22nd March 1884 at Auchentibber. I found no trace of the family living at Midfield Cottages, but did find from the 1891 census, the Latimer family were living at Newfield Cottages, (later to become Daisyknowe Cottages, then later again to Braehead). At the time of writing this, Braehead is scheduled for demolition at the top of Auchentibber Road on the left side. It is situated near Newfield Farm, which at the time had several quarries nearby. You can read about the history of Newfield / Braehead here
https://blantyreproject.com/2015/04/06/braehead-cottage-auchentibber/
In 1891, however, little 7 year old Peter wasn’t at home with his family at the time of the census. Instead he was at his uncles homes, the Marshalls, at Peesweep, near the Auchentibber Inn. Peter’s brother Alexander is pictured with his wife of surname Collegian.
By 1901, seventeen year old Peter was recorded as living at home with his parents at Newfield Cottages, along with 8 of his siblings, aged between 3 and 24. Peter was a working man, despite his young age, employed as a coal miner.
On 16th July 1920, at his home at 11 School Lane, Peter married his next door neighbour Jane Hutchison, then living at 10 School Lane, Kirkton, High Blantyre. Their bans were read out in the Church. Peter was 36 years old, Jane was 29. Jane was a Blantyre girl through and through. Her coal mining family had lived at Dixon’s Rows at Hall Street, Stonefield, where she had been brought up. With both families sharing common ancestry of coal miners, they must have had a lot in common.
Latimer family
Children followed quickly. John Latimer (1921 – 1994), Alexander Latimer (1923 – 1985), Mary Marshall Latimer (1925 – 1946), Catherine Latimer (1928 – 1928), and Peter Latimer (1934 – 2012). I am assuming Kim is now related to this particular Peter Latimer (whom I think had 2 sons and a daughter). Peter Latimer born 1934, died in recent years so I stopped investigating at this point, for the sake of the privacy of the family.
Peter Latimer Snr (who was born in 1884) died in 1946, aged 62 at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. His wife, Jane lived until she was 81, passing away in Northumberland, England, in 1972. I have to add, this is an extremely large family. Going back just 2 generations will cause MANY branches of Latimer families who will exist today.
Families the Latimers married to, include Shanks, Young, Craig, Morrison, Sullivan, McDonald, McIntyre, Colligan, Tonner, Barr and Clelland. From the start of this story with John and Mary, there must now be many hundreds of living descendants.
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