Sir Peter Coats of Auchendrane (18 July 1808 – 9 March 1890) was a Scottish thread manufacturer and philanthropist. He was co-founder of the firm J & P Coats, which later evolved into

Coats Group Coats Group plc is a British multinational company. The company provides products, including apparel, accessory and footwear threads, structural components for footwear and accessories, fabrics, yarns, and software applications. Coats is listed ...

Life

He was born in Paisley, the third son of James Coats and Catherine Mitchell, and is deeply associated with that town. He attended Paisley Grammar School and then the

University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...

, at first intending to study for as a minister. However he decided to follow his father as a thread manufacturer (largely in partnership with his younger brother

Thomas Coats Thomas Coats (1809–1883) was a Scottish thread manufacturer. Life Coats was born at Paisley 18 October 1809. He was the fourth of a family of ten sons. His father, James Coats, was one of the founders of the Coats Group of Paisley. In ...

). In 1850, he had a large mansion, Woodside House, built for him in Paisley. This was designed by Charles Wilson. He was knighted in 1869. Following his wife's death in 1877 he retired to Auchedrane near

Maybole Maybole (, ) is a town and former burgh of barony and police burgh in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It had an estimated population of in . It is situated south of Ayr and southwest of Glasgow by the Glasgow and South Western Railway. The town is ...

Ayrshire Ayrshire (, ) is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration county, in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. The lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Ayrshire and Arran covers the entirety ...

, and lived there for more than twenty years. He is fondly remembered in Maybole. He was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was establis ...

in 1881. His proposers were Sir

Daniel Macnee Sir Daniel Macnee Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, FRSE Royal Scottish Academy, PRSA LLD (4 June 1806, Fintry, Stirlingshire – 17 January 1882, Edinburgh), was a Scottish people, Scottish portrait painter who served as president of th ...

, Sir

Archibald Geikie Sir Archibald Geikie (28 December 1835 – November 1924) was a Scottish geologist and writer. Early life Geikie was born in Edinburgh in 1835, the eldest son of Isabella Thom and her husband James Stuart Geikie, a musician and music critic. ...

, Alexander Buchan and

Robert Mackay Smith Robert Mackay Smith FRSE (1802–1888) was a Scottish businessman, meteorologist and philanthropist. Glasgow University's Mackay Smith Prizes were founded by him in 1882. He was the Chairman of the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce and a Director of ...

. He died in the Mustapha Superieur quarter of Algiers on 9 March 1890 aged 81. His body was returned to Paisley for burial in Woodside Cemetery, west of the town centre. The bronze central tablet has been stolen from the grave but the inscription is visible in silhouette. The grave is paired with that of Sir

, flanking the statue to

James Fillans James Fillans (27 March 1808 – 27 September 1852) was a Scottish sculptor, poet and artist with a short but influential career in the early 19th century. Life Fillans was born in Wilsontown Ironworks, Wilsontown, Lanarkshire. In early life ...

Philanthropy

In the same vein as Carnegie, Coats believed that gain in personal wealth had to be balanced against good deeds in a public way. In 1870 Coats gifted his home town of Paisley a Free Library and Museum, the

Paisley Museum and Art Galleries Paisley Museum and Art Galleries is a museum in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Paisley, Scotland. It is currently closed for refurbishment and is due to reopen in 2026 with the title of Paisley Museum. It is located in the town of Paisley, Renfrewshire, ...

, built wholly at his expense, and intended for the improvement and education of all.

Artistic recognition

A statue of Peter Coats is paired with a statue of

in the centre of Paisley just west of the town hall. The pair were sculpted by

William Birnie Rhind William Birnie Rhind Royal Scottish Academy, RSA (1853–1933) was a Scottish sculptor. Life Rhind was born in Edinburgh on 27 February 1853 as the first son of sculptor John Rhind (sculptor), John Rhind (1828–1892), and his wife, Cath ...

.Paisley’s Public Sculptures: Leaflet published by Renfrewshire Council, 2008

Family

Sir Peter and his wife Gloranna McKenzie had twelve children, five sons and seven daughters. Their eldest son, Sir James Coats (1834–1913), was made a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

in 1905.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coats, Peter 1808 births 1890 deaths Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh People from Paisley, Renfrewshire Knights Bachelor 19th-century Scottish philanthropists