PETRIE, ROBERT [SSNE 6787]
Text source
Robert Petrie was the son of George Petrie, the provost of Montrose. His mother was Regina Edmonston. He was born on 9 September or 1 November 1614 and died 29 March 1690. Robert had at least two brothers: George [SSNE 6788] and William [SSNE 6708]
Robert Petrie was 14 years old when he came to Sweden following his father's death in 1628/29. Robert Petrie travelled along with his brother George, and they both went to be with their older brother William, already established in Stockholm.
Robert Petrie initially became a burgess of Stockholm in 1638.
In 1644 Robert Petrie moved to Arboga, calling his nephews (sons of George?) Robert and Jakob to join him and they too became burgesses of Arboga.
It is presumably this Robert Petrie, noted as 'the elder', who in 1668 attended the Riksdag for the burgess estate in Stockholm as a representative for Arboga.
Robert Petrie married Maria (Mararetha) Hoijer and with her had a son called Gabriel, although Granqvist notes Robert fathered 13 children, including one Robert Robertsson Petre who returned to Stockholm. According to Hellstrom, Robert Petrie's daughter Catharina married William Helleday [SSNE 787]. When Helleday died, sometime in 1679?, Robert took on the service of one John Guthrie [SSNE 2369]who had been in Helleday's service.
Some claim Robert Petrie as the founder of Brattfors steel works in Ockelbo, Gästrickland. Further it is claimed that from c.1675-1690 Robert Petrie, and his sons Robert and Wellam (William), operated Hofors bruk. William continued running the site until his own death in 1706.
G. Andersson states that Robert Petrie was in some kind of partnership with Sven Bröms at his steelworks in Ockelbo and that Bröms initially purchased Hofors nr.3 in 1676. A dispute arose between the two men and Petrie bought out Bröms, becoming sole owner of Hofors nr. 3 in 1680 and giving up his role at Ockelbo. According to Andersson, Robert Petrie died in 1690 and was succeeded at Hofors by his son William, who subsequently expanded the works.
Sources: Petrus Norberg, 'Gästriklands hyttor och hamrar' in Blad för bergshanteringens vänner (1959). This information, derived from a number of sources, was originally provided by Knut Fasting and updated by Georg Haggren. The information regarding Helleday and Guthrie comes from G. Hellstrom, Stockholms Stads Herdaminne (Stockholm, 1951), p.436, pp.588-9; Gillis Andersson, Gästrikland och järnet från järnåldersugnar till global verkstadsindustri, (AB Sandvikens Tryckeri, 2000), pp.70-1; Steve Murdoch, Network North: Scottish Kin, Commercial and Covert Associations in Northern Europe, 1603-1746 (Brill, Leiden, 2006), pp.187, 191, 193; Borgarstandets Riksdagsprotokoll, fore Frihetstiden (Uppsala, 1933), p.42. See also Paul Meijer Granqvist, Stockholmskt Borgarfolk (Stockholm, 1902) pp. 73-76 (thanks to Jan Helleday for this source).
Service record
- SWEDEN, STOCKHOLM
- Departed 1644-12-31
- Capacity MERCHANT BURGESS, purpose CIVIC, TRADE, COMMERCE
- SWEDEN, ARBOGA, HOFORS BRUK
- Departed 1690-03-29
- Capacity BURGESS, FOUNDRY OWNER, purpose COMMERCE, INDUSTRY
- SWEDEN, STOCKHOLM
- Departed 1668-06-10, as RÅDMAN
- Capacity CIVIC SERVANT, RIKSDAG, purpose BURGESS, CIVIC SERVICE