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Media Release – August 8, 2025

Nine Ships 1825 Places Memorial Plaque and Stone at St. Peter’s Cemetery to mark Peter Robinson Settlers and Descendents’ Grave. 

Nine Ships 1825 Board of Directors is pleased to announce that a memorial plaque and stone have been placed in St. Peter’s Cemetery in Peterborough, to mark the spot of an unmarked grave that contains Peter Robinson settlers and descendants. These bodies were moved to a portion of Little Lake Cemetery called St. Mary’s, that the parish had bought when Peterborough’s first cemetery, where Confederation Park now stands, was closed. Then St. Peter’s Cemetery opened in 1859, and they were moved there and put in a mass grave.

“At the time that they were moved, no family came forward to identify them and ensure that they had their own plot and headstone. Finally, they have the recognition they deserve with this beautiful fieldstone and plaque.” states Nine Ships 1825 Board Member Maureen Crowley.

The plaque reads: This fieldstone stands in silent tribute to the courage and hard work of the Irish settlers who made this community their new home. They hoped to build a promising future for their families and those who would follow. Their remains were formerly interred in the Peterborough Burial Ground, now Confederation Park. May they rest in peace here, beside their Scottish and English friends, knowing that their incredible legacy has been fulfilled.

Thanks go to Aaron Robitaille for the plaque design, Shaun Milne Signs for creation of the plaque, Paul Leahy Excavating and Brodie Leahy for providing the stone and moving the stone to St. Peter’s Cemetery, and the caretaker at St. Peter’s cemetery, Bill Carroll for installing the plaque.

The monument will be included as a stop on our Beyond the Ships Lists’: The Peter Robinson Settlers and their Descendants walking tour in St. Peter’s Cemetery Sunday, August 10 at 1pm. Tickets are still available, and cost $20 each. They can be purchased on Eventbrite or through www.nineships1825.com . In 1859, thirty-four years after the Peter Robinson emigration, St. Peter’s Cemetery opened for burials and has served the Catholic community in Peterborough City and County ever since, becoming the final resting place of some of the Peter Robinson emigrants and their descendants. On this tour you’ll learn their names, their stories, and the overall impact their legacy has had on our region in the 200 years since their arrival.

                For more information on the Peter Robinson Irish Emigration Bicentennial visit www.nineships1825.com.               

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Contact: Bicentennial Administrator 

Caption: Memorial Plaque and Stone, St. Peter’s Cemetery.
Memorial Plaque, St. Peter’s Cemetery.jpg