Michael T Tracy

The Admiral and Mrs. Elizabeth (Ballingall) Peat Michael T Tracy

Elizabeth Ballingall was the daughter of Niel Ballingall (1750-1843), the Factor of Balbirnie, who spent her childhood at Sweetbank in Markinch Parish, Fife. She would marry David Pratt who was a wealthy Kirkcaldy manufacturer and they resided at Viewforth, near Bruntsfield, Edinburgh for the duration of their marriage. After the death of her husband, Elizabeth would marry Commander David Peat of the Royal Navy in 1843. The couple had no children and resided at Viewforth. The Commander was later appointed to the rank of Admiral in 1847. Elizabeth enrolled in the Edinburgh Ladies Institution where she learned how to sew and make fancy dresses in 1839. She most likely sewed in her spare time while at Viewforth. The Admiral was described as a gigantic man, strong and broad-chested, his manners described as rough and peremptory, and his temper short. This then is the narrative of the life and times of Elizabeth (Ballingall) and her husband, Admiral David Peat.