BURSIE, PETER [SSNE 5060]

Surname: BURSIE
First name: PETER
Title/rank: FACTOR
Nationality: SCOT

Text source

Peter Bursie (1575-1649), Scotsman, worked as a councillor and postmaster in Jonköping. He was known as Peter 'Skotte' Bursie. He also worked as a commercial factor in Sweden in 1640. That year he was to send artillery and other armoury items to Vadstena castle. He may have been related to Hans Bursie [SSNE 5059], another military factor in Sweden at the time. Peter appears to have been married (probably to a Scotswoman) before he then twice married Swedish women, the first being Margaretha Pedersdotter, widow of Thomas Stewart [SSNE 4836], and then Elin Törne. Peter had several children, and as he and Elin died within two years of each other Thomas, Catharina, Peter and Johan were taken into care by the apothecary Kilian Treutiger. Their daughter, Margaretha [SSNE 6259] married Captain George Livingstone [SSNE 2981] and their grandson Thomas [SSNE 4352] was ennobled with the name Hubbestad. His son Hans Petterson Bursie became the factor for the munition factory in Jonköping from 1639. A Thomas Bursie [SSNE 6477] later appeared as a councillor in Jonköping and was probably his son.

Sources: A letter can be found in 'Krigskollegium Kancelliet ; Adressatregistratur till Krigskollegiets Registratur 1631-1654', "om några artilleri och rustkammarpersedlar som till Vadstena förordnas skola 7/3/1640". See also Svenska Adelns Ättartavlor, vol. 5, p.53; H. Marryat, One Year in Sweden, including a visit to the isle of Gotland (London, 1862), p.492; Steve Murdoch, Network North: Scottish Kin, Commercial and Covert Associations in Northern Europe, 1603-1746 (Brill, Leiden, 2006), pp.221-222; Krigskollegium kansli Inkommna handlingar Brevböcker 1666, del 1, 1667:2 no.1181. To Krigsråd 5 May 1667. Reference is made to Captain George Lievingstein in a letter signed by Margaret Bursie in which she adds in a Scots hand "god bles zour lordship may zour lordship pitey me" - quite remarkable for a woman born in Sweden of a Swedish mother to be literate in Scots. Additional information from Goteborgs tomtagare website at http://www.gbgtomter.se/

Service record

SWEDEN, JONKÖPING: Arrived 1640-01-01; Capacity COMMERCIAL FACTOR, POSTMASTER, COUNCILLOR, purpose TRADE, COMMERCE, CIVIC