Peter Baillie

Peter Baillie was a merchant and politician born into a banking family that made its fortune in sugar, slavery and shipping in the West Indies.

His father, Evan Baillie of Dochfour, was a landowner in Scotland with commercial interests in Bristol including the firm of Evan Baillie, Sons & Co and plantation with some 2,000 slaves on his Caribbean lands. Peter was educated in France, and afterwards he joined his father in Bristol from where they ran business with the West Indies. In 1806 Peter became a partner in Bristol Old Bank.

The following year Baillie was appointed Member of Parliament (MP) for Inverness Burghs. Being of poor wealth, Peter made voyages in 1811 to Ireland and Madeira but he died the same year at the age of 40.

He was married to Elizabeth Pinney, daughter of John Pinney, a wealthy West Indies merchant.