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SIB FOLK NEWSNEWSLETTER OF THE ORKNEY FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY ISSUE 37 MARCH 2006

The Moosie Tooer, part of the Bishops Palace Kirkwall

2 NEWSLETTER OF THE ORKNEY FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY Issue No37 March 06

I thought I would take thisopportunity to let our membersknow of the Orkney IslandsCouncil’s plans to have an ‘OrkneyHomecoming 2007’ in May 2007. Aswe would be very much involvedwith the family history enthusiastswe are already in the early stages ofplanning how to cope with thenumber of visitors who will arriveon our shores and the committeehas had two meetings so far todiscuss the arrangements.We would be very grateful if any of

our members who are ‘cominghome’ would let us know inadvance and we will do what wecan to make their visit a productiveone.We would also be grateful if ourlocal members would indicate theirwillingness to help show peoplewhere their ancestral home is etc.We are including a flyer in the

magazine for you to fill in showingyour interest. It seems a long way offbut we need to get our plans inplace so we are ready when the timecomes.As for this year’s meetings we plan

to have speakers Jim Hewitson inMarch and Elizabeth Briggs inApril and of course our AGM on 4thMay.Our ‘Summer Ooting’ will be toSanday this year the date is yet to beconfirmed, depending on boattimetables. As soon as we can fin-alise the details we will be postingthe information on our website, socheck out <www.orkneyfhs.co.uk>from time to time for the up-to-dateposition.

From the chaira plea for help and some dates for your diary . . .

Anne Rendall

Our cover pictureThe Moosie Tooer, as it is known locally, is the magnificent roundtower at the north west corner of the Bishop’s Palace Kirkwall.Practically nothing remains of the original building in whichKing Haakon of Norway died in 1263 after his defeat at theBattle of Largs.The Moosie Tooer formed part of the extensive reconstruction ofthe building by Bishop Reid in the mid 16th century. The 5 storeytower, while round externally, had rooms that wereapproximately square and included the Bishop’s own personalapartments. The tower has a cap-house with a small square roominside.

ORKNEYFAMILY HISTORY

NEWSLETTERIssue No 37March 2006

CONTENTS

FRONT PAGEThe Moosie

Tooer

PAGE 2From the Chair.

PAGE 3December MinutesHomecoming 2007

PAGES 4 Queen Victoria

PAGE 5Vedder.

The Seasons

PAGE 6The Death of James

Fea VI

PAGES 7 & 8Final part of the

Groundwaterexodus

PAGE 9Hints from Robert

Whitton

PAGES 10 & 11Understanding

Heraldry

PAGES 12 & 13The Oldest

Tombstone inOrkney

PAGES 14 & 15Uncle Billie

PAGES 16 & 17The Grays of the

North Isles

PAGE 18A Peek at Post Past

PAGE 19Can you help Ian

Corsie?

PAGES 20 & 21Robert Garrioch

PAGE 22Summersdale. The

Last Battle

PAGE 23Lorraine Louttit Hilton’s

Internet Journey

PAGE 24Membership Details

CHAIRMAN

3NEWSLETTER OF THE ORKNEY FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETYIssue No37 March 06

Chairperson, Anne Rendall, welcomedevery-one and wished them a HappyNew Year.

She reported that at the moment we werehaving a few problems arranging our Openmeetings but it was hoped over the next fewmonths that Sheena Whenham would beavailable to give us a talk on St Mary’s. TheWestray Young Heritage Group also wishedto come along to a meeting as they neededan audience to help them with their projecton Westray and Papa Westray place names.In April the Society is delighted to haveElizabeth Briggs from Canada and she willtalk to the Society on her work with theHudson’s Bay Archives in Winnipeg.

Anne also said that Dr Alison Brown fromAberdeen University was giving a talk in theStromness Museum on 20th January. Hertalk is entitled Treasures: Family Heirloomsand Fur Trade History.

Anne also announced that there was to be

In 1999 around 250 Canadians sailed intoStromness Harbour to a rousing welcomefrom the many descendants of their familieswho had left Orkney, in some caseshundreds of years ago.In January this year Max Johnston,president of the Great Canadian TravelCompany, who had helped organise theoriginal event, arrived in Orkney to beginpreparations for Orkney Homecoming 2007.He linked up again with Cameron Taylor,who was chief executive of Orkney TouristBoard when the first Homecoming tookplace and is now Chairman of OrkneyHomecoming 2007.Meetings were held with Orkney Archives;Orkney Family History Society; VisitOrkney; John Grieve of Discover Orkney;Kim Foden, Tour Guide and the OIC.Cameron Taylor said that the response fromthese areas had been “fantastic” and headded: “As part of the 2007 Homecoming,

Orkney Archives and The Family HistorySociety will be able to arrange specialevents. The Archive, within the new OrkneyLibrary and Archive building is obviouslymore accessible than it was, and the FamilyHistory Society also has its own base there.Both hope to be open longer and help morepeople with their research.”Following the original Homecoming therehave been a number of cultural exchangesincluding transatlantic tours byHadhirgaan in 2000 and 2005 and thehugely successful Saskatchewin FirstNations Coming Home event which saw agroup of Cree visitors in Orkney duringSeptember 2004.A tentative schedule for the 2007 event willsee visitors departing from North Americaon May 14, leaving Orkney on May 22.You’ll find more information on the websitewww.orkneyhomecoming.com where you canalso register for e-mail updates.

Second Homecoming being planned now.

Did you know?While many Orcadiansemigrated to Australia atleast one from Orkneywent as a guest of H.M.Government.William Sinclair wasPostmaster inStromness until he wasarrested in March 1851.He was tried in March1852 in the High Courtin Edinburgh andconvicted on the chargeof embezzling andsecreting letters.Despite 10 years of loyalservice and a ‘goodcharacter’ plea by thelocal minister, WilliamSinclair was sentencedto seven yearstransportation to beserved in Tasmania,Western Australia. Thetotal amount of Sinclair’sembezzlement wasbetween £1 and £2 andwhether he completedhis sentence or diedwhile serving it is notknown as nothing wasever heard of him again.

another Orkney Homecoming in May 2007and she asked if any members had any ideasfor events for the Society to arrange whenthe visitors are here. One of the days whenthe visitors are here is to be called “JohnRae Day”. It is also hoped that the OrkneyFamily History Society will work with theArchives Dept and will arrange to have theMacGillivray Room available to help visitorswith their research. It was agreed that theOFHS Committee should meet on 26th Jan..to discuss the Homecoming in more detail.

George Gray read out some queries fromnew members asking for help to trace theirancestors. There were requests frommembers searching Robertson/Robsons fromWalls, Irvines from Eday and Stronsay,Louttits from Rousay and many others.

Anne then introduced Betty Cameron whohad come to talk to us on Queen Victoria’stravels through Scotland. An account of hertalk appears elsewhere in the magazine.

Anne then thanked Betty for her mostinteresting talk and slides. She also saidthat it seemed as if Betty was talking abouther own family as she remembered all thenames and places so well.

The meeting finished with a cup of tea anda blether. Thanks again to Mags and Anniefor helping with the tea.

Minutes of the OrkneyFamily History Society OpenMeeting held on Thur 12thJan 2006 at 7.30pm in theSupper Room of theKirkwall Town Hall

4 Issue No37 March 06

This is a briefresume of the mostinteresting talkgiven by BettyCameron at ourmeeting on the26th January, onthe travels ofQueen Victoria inScotland.Betty’s talk wassupported by anextensive series ofslides of the eventsand while thearticle lacks thatvisual input wehope that it stillconveys somethingof the Royalcouple’s love ofScotland.

Queen Victoria was crowned in 1838and married Albert in 1840. Althoughthey travelled extensively in England

it was not until 1842 that they embarked atWoolwich on the antiquated royal yachtRoyal George for Scotland. The long journeywas unpleasant. The cumbersome sailingship had to be towed by two steamers andmost of the royal party were seasick.

Despite this poor start the visit toScotland was a success and the coupleimmediately fell in love with the country.They were favourably impressed with thearchitecture of Edinburgh where theyvisited the castle to view the Honours ofScotland. Prince Albert was greatly takenwith Perth which he said reminded him ofBasle in Switzerland. At Scone Palace theysaw the mound where the ancient kings ofScotland were crowned. The four poster bedand room where the Queen slept is still onview to visitors.

Of Taymouth Castle, where they stayed inthe new wing which was specially added forthe visit, the Queen wrote that ‘the welcomewas both princely and romantic’. The roomsof Drummond Castle she thought ‘small butnice’ and the visit to Stirling Castle wasmarred by the unruly crowd that the Queenfound ‘most alarming’.

The couple refused to tackle the journeyhome in the Royal George but settled insteadfor the less than royal steamship Trident .

By 1844 they were back in Scotland again,this time sailing to Dundee. On their way toBlair Castle they stopped for a meal at aninn where their small daughter charmed theonlookers by bowing and waving from theinn window.

Albert enjoyed the stalking at Blairwhere he shot a stag from the dining roomwindow. The holiday was pronounced‘relaxing’ tho’ some of the party thought thebagpipe music ‘overdone’.

1847 saw them both in Scotland again butthis time in the comfort of the new royalyacht, the Victoria & Albert and they arr-ived in Greenock to a rapturous receptionfrom the passengers on the dozens of vesselsthat had gathered to greet the Queen.

This visit took them to Dumbarton Rockand Castle, up Loch Fyne to Inveraray and

on to Lochgilphead where they sailed up theCrinan Canal in a small boat. After a nightin Crinan they visited Tobermory andFingal’s Cave. Albert and his brother tookthis opportunity to visit Glencoe, the site ofthe infamous massacre of the Macdonaldsby the Campbells in 1692, but the weatherwas dismal and they would see little. Thefollowing day they set out for Ardverikie (thehouse in the TV programme Monarch of theGlen). This was to be their holiday home forsome weeks. The Queen remarked ‘There islittle to say of our stay here, the country isfine but the weather is terrible’.

In 1849 they were in Glasgow for a muchawaited visit and after their official dutiesthey headed for Balmoral. Victoria hadrented Balmoral without having seen itbeing persuaded by the paintings of theAberdeen artist James Giles. The RoyalPhysician, Sir James Clark also recommen-ded the area as being beneficial in helpingboth Victoria and Albert’s rheumatism.Victoria purchased the 17000 acre estate in1852 and had the existing castle demolished.

William Smith was commissioned todesign the new building and it is known thatAlbert had a heavy input into the finaldesign of the castle that opened in 1855.

During the 1895 visit to Balmoral, CrathieKirk was dedicated in the presence of HerMajesty. The money gathered for the buildingof the kirk was helped by a bazaar held overtwo days in the castle grounds with the stallsstaffed by members of the royal party.

After the death of Albert the Queen visitedthe north of Scotland going as far west asLoch Maree then east to Dunrobin Castlenear Golspie.

It was her beloved Balmoral that becamea place of solace and in the later part of the19th century she was spending as much as 4months of every year at the castle - some-thing that did not please her ministers.

The Royal Family through the ages havebeen plagued by the ‘papparazzi’ and QueenVictoria was no exception. When outsketching on Royal Deeside with one of herdaughters some reporters were seen inhiding hoping to get a photograph of theQueen and Brown. He went off to investigateand see them off, and they left reluctantly.

Queen VictoriaQueen Victoriaand a lifetime love of Scotlandand a lifetime love of Scotland

NEWSLETTER OF THE ORKNEY FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY


of fishing, this too at night, butsurreptitiously as it was illegal. Peter Brasscame out from Kirkwall with one or other ofhis cronies for a night’s trout fishing. Thiswas done by means of a net, but how it wasmanipulated I cannot explain. All I know isthat it was illegal and that it seemed toafford Peter and his friends a great deal ofpleasure, although sometimes they would bewet to the skin. Father always went withthem and they took James Oddie’s boat.Sometimes they got a big haul of lovelytrout, and sometimes ‘not a bone’ as Peterused to say.

My brother Willie and Jimmie Oddie triedtheir hand at trout fishing too, but not often. Iremember going one night with Lily Oddie alongwith Willie and Jimmie but all we caught was a‘conger’. Lily and I had to be carried ashore pick-a-back when we returned from the fishing andthis Willie did, swearing heartily all the time.But I am wandering from the farm work.

Harvest was always a lightsome time -that was as if the weather was good and wegot the crop in early and the potatoes up.Some harvests were rainy and it was adreary job then, working ‘between showers’.And very often if it was a wet harvest, partof the potato crop was left in the grounduntil the spring. But it was the nice harveststhat I remember, and the lovely harvestmoons and the kye, almost bursting withfill, puffing and groaning as they lay down intheir stalls in the evenings.

When Willie was at Valdigar we workedtogether at harvest time. Vedder’s cropusually ripened before Valdigar’s so that itfitted in nicely. Maggie’s brother, Jim Eunsonof Grimster, took September for his holidaymonth for several years and he was fond ofworking in the harvest field. Sometimes hecame to Valdigar to help when we were thereand I have many happy memories of him. Heused to call me ‘little Belle’ and sometimes‘little brick’ and I looked on him almost as anolder brother.

After the harvest there were the ‘mucklesuppers’ and then winter. There were theusual Good Templar meetings, choirpractices and sometimes a singing class andan occasional magic lantern. and each yearwe had a concert in aid of public hall repairs.Sometime there was a wedding, and alwaysthe visiting between neighbours and someparties. Exciting? Well, it would not soundvery exciting to the youth of today, but it wassatisfying clean enjoyment to us. And so theyears were spent, with very little variation.

Ithink the spring time was the hardestseason on the farm. True there werecomparisons in the beauty and interest of

young animal life, but they made more work.Young calves could be very tantalising tohandle. Lambs were delightful - except whenthey persistently poached the ‘breer’ oryoung oats. Soon, however, it would besufficient to whistle on the dog, and backthey would scamper to their mothers.

There were no incubators in Tankernesswhen I was young so that chickens werehatched under a mother hen, and surelythere could be nothing prettier on a farmthan a brood of little chickens with theirfussy old mother, ruffling her feathers andclucking excitedly over them. Ducklings too,were hatched under a hen - and what asurprise was in store for that mother henwhen the ducklings took to the water!

Of all the jobs that I disliked most wasworking the peats. We had a peat cutting dayin the early spring, and about a week or twolater the peats had to be ‘laid out’ and thenwhen they were sufficiently dry they had tobe ‘raised’ and finally, before they werecarted, they were ‘rooed’. The ‘laying out’ and‘raising’ were back breaking jobs.

The summer season was not a heavy one.Certainly there were the turnips and the hay,and the men folk had the carting of thepeats, but there was always a while ofslackness in the farm work, when buildingrepairs were done and the sheeps’ wool waswashed and laid out to bleach on the heather.Between the hay and the harvest there was a‘breather’. Many a time the Oddies andDonaldsons foregathered at the burn thenand lay in the sun and talked.

The men often went fishing at night -sometimes all night. Father went cod fishingwith the Oddie men It was grand to go downand meet the boat between eleven andtwelve o’clock on a fine summer’s night. Thelast rays of the setting sun seemed to mergeinto the first streaks of dawn. Not a sound tobe heard except perhaps the startled cry of abird aroused from its slumbers. the grassladen with dew and moths flittingeverywhere: cattle lying in the corner of afield chewing the cud or stretched out asleep,and York my faithful dog always ready for ascamper, nosing for rabbits and mice in theditches. Then the sound of oars and the boatcame in sight at the neck of the Ayre, andsoon we were helping to haul it up and seethe fish counted and divided.

Later in the year there was another kind

the seasonsthe seasonsBy Isabella Thomlinson Muir

In part 8 of the storyof Isabella’s life inVedder she tells of anage when people tookpleasure from thesimpler things in lifeand where hard workbrought a sense ofsatisfaction andachievement.Even today in thestressful world inwhich we live,Orcadians celebrateand give thanks forthe harvest, theoccasion beingmarked by the ‘mucklesupper’ or ‘harvesthomes’ that are heldthroughout theislands in theautumn.

at Vedderat Vedder


Would have me Keep them in my Custody orKomit them to ane bodey Els, youl advise wthth

Mr Feas Widow wat j am to do and youlObligeSir Yours to ComandPlease to Direct Ph: BruguierGoldsmith at the Star jnMacclesfield Street NearSt Anns Church Soho London

Rather surprisingly James Fea’s mortalremains were not repatriated to Orkney norwas he buried in the parish of St Anne’s butin nearby St Paul’s Covent Garden, knownas the Actors’ Church.

An explanation however can be found inthe words written by William Lumisden,father-in-law of Robert Strange, dated May13, 1756, to John Fea, now styled VII ofClestrain, which read: “Great was the loveand friendship that was betwixt my daughter[Isabella] and him [James Fea] and as amark of it she insists that he may be interredwhere she proposes to lie if she dies inLondon.”

Isabella’s quite extraordinary depth ofaffection for James Fea is further confirmedin a letter, also written the day after hisdeath, by Robert Strange to John Fea, thatsaid: “Mrs Strange, who laments this loss asof a Father.” According to Isabella’s wishes,James Fea was buried at St Paul’s CoventGarden on Monday, May 10, 1756. Nomemorial stone has survived, if in fact onewas ever erected. Many years ago thechurchyard was paved over and today it isused by office workers and tourists alike as agarden of rest.

Sir Robert Strange [he was knighted in1787] died at Great Queen Street, Lincoln’sInn Fields, on July 5, 1792; his wife, Isabella,on 28 February 1806, aged 86, at her housein East Acton, west London: both were“buried in a family tomb” at St Paul’s CoventGarden. A fine marble memorial tablet isaffixed to the south wall inside the church[Sib Folk News, September 2005].

It can be seen that the wish made byIsabella Lumisden Strange, some fifty yearsbefore, came to be fulfilled as indeed she waslaid to rest close by her beloved husband andher good friend James Fea, VI of Clestrain.

James Fea, VI of Clestrain, wasundoubtedly one of the more colourfulcharacters in Orkney’s long and

turbulent history. His capture of theinfamous pirate, John Gow, his long runningcampaign against the Earl of Morton in thePundlar Process and his active participationin the ill-fated Jacobite Rebellion, are allwell documented. Much less however isknown of the final chapter of his eventful lifeand, more particularly, his friendship withRobert Strange and his death in London onMay 7, 1756.

We know that following the defeat atCulloden in 1746, Fea spent several years inEdinburgh and London pursuing variousclaims he made to the Government for thesubstantial losses suffered at the hands ofthe victorious Hanoverians, which includedthe destruction of the mansion of Sound, inShapinsay. It was during this time that hemet Philip Bruguier, a goldsmith of FrenchHuguenot descent, whose house inMacclesfield Street, Soho [present dayChinatown], may well have been used as ameeting place for those, including RobertStrange, who still harboured sympathieswith the Jacobite cause.

Apparently, other than a fainting fit a fewweeks before his death at Bruguier’s home,Fea appears to have enjoyed excellent healthfor a man in his sixties, as is supported bythe findings of an autopsy: “…his troublewas ane inflammation in the lower part ofhis belly. His lungs and heart were as youngand as fresh as a child.”

The following letter, written the day afterFea’s death, was sent to John Fea, the newlaird of Clestrain, who had been managingthe family’s estates in Orkney, during hisbrother’s long periods of absence in theSouth.

London May of 1756Sir

This his to acquainte you of the Death ofyour Brother James Fea who departed thisLife yesterday between fore and five jn theafter noon at My House. Mr Strange Mr Spence Mr Read Mr Wilson and Self haveorderd his funeral on Monday next, ShouldBe glad By the return of the Post wat youwould me do with his Effects wether you

Peter Russell, Member No 161, marks the 250th anniversary of the death of James Fea V1 with this intriguing tale

Didyou know?Most Orcadians will befamiliar with John Gow,the Orkney pirate.Orkney, however, hadanother 18th centurypirate—a bloodthirstyvillain by the name ofJohn Fullarton whoseexploits made Gow’s looklike amateur night. Fullarton was a mastermariner supposedly fromStromness. After a run ofbad luck he turned histalents to smuggling andeventually had enoughmoney to equip aprivateer. This eventuallyled to a partnership witha renegade Royal Navycaptain called Kepple andthe pair fitted out a pirateship in which theyattacked peaceful traders.Kepple was eventuallykilled but Fullarton carriedon maiming and killing.His end came when heboarded a Scottish vessel,the Isabella, afterencountering fierceresistance. This enragedFullarton who shot thecaptain but as he turnedto haul down theIsabella’s colours theCaptain’s wife, MaryJones placed a pistolagainst Fullarton’s templeand blew his head open.The Isabella’s crew,heartened, turned on thepirates and captured boththem and their ship. MaryJones was thereafterknown as the pirateslayer.


As mentioned in the last Sibfolk News,the McLeod family may have beencontemplating migrating to Australia

during the early 1880s, especially after theaccidental death of Barbara’s mother, AnneMorgan / Groundwater, (Muir) in 1881 inKirkwall and the fact that Edward,Barbara’s brother, was living there.My grandmother, Beatrice Lindsay McLeod,was born in Leith on 17th July, 1883.andsome nine months later, on the 25th April1884, the McLeods embarked on the LochVannachar in Glasgow bound for Melbourne.Family knowledge has it that they arrived inMelbourne on 17.7.1884, Beatrice Lindsay’s1st.birthday. ( Nana of Janette, Gordon,Robin & Alison Foulis and Helen, Murray &Airlie Bodie).From Melbourne they sailed by coastalsteamer to Sydney.The family were, (ref.: the passenger list):William Mc.Leod 35, plasterer, contracted toland in Sydney.Mrs. Barbara Mc.Leod, 38, Wife, and family :Henrietta 11, Ann 9, Robert 7, William 5,Edward 2 and Beatrice 1 .Another five children were born in Sydney:twins Barbara & James, 1885, John Muir,1888, Catherine Eddy 1891 and ColinCameron Fraser in 1894.During these years William worked hard toestablish what was to become a flourishingbusiness in Bondi. Eventually his sonsWilliam and Edward joined him in thebusiness, (ref. 1903 Australian Electoral Rolland later in 1904 & 1913 N.S.W. P.O.Directory the listing was William McLeodand Sons, Contracting Plasterers,Randwick).One family story relates how he was askedto design a new ceiling and plaster it for thechapel in the Bondi Catholic Seminary. Hewas moved to state that he was not aCatholic and the reply to him was but youare a fine Christian gentleman who willrespect our place of worship.William was an Elder of St. Stephen’sPresbyterian Church in Sydney from 1904for many years and as a child I canremember seeing his photograph hanging onthe wall of the Elder’s Meeting Room.About 1915 the family moved to the quicklyexpanding suburb of Strathfield but thebusiness remained in Randwick. They

named their new home “Reay”.On 28th December, 1918, Barbara died at‘Reay’ Mosely Street, Strathfield after a longillness, aged 73 years. She was buried at theWaverley Cemetery which is high on thehills overlooking the sea, not far from Bondi.Some years later, in 1932 William wasburied there with her.After Barbara’s death William withdaughter Catherine ( Kitty) had a trip backto England and Scotland but unfortunately Ido not know if he returned to the area of hisbirth or to Orkney to visit Alexander.Some family reasons for the McLeod familyimmigrating to Sydney may have beeninfluenced by the following:After Ann’s death, Donald Morgan & family(except for Alexander) went to Sydney.Extract from “The Orcadian”, Sat.23 June1883, p.4.‘Mr. Morgan sailed for Australia, leavingOrkney on Tuesday, June 19th 1883 onboard ‘St.Magnus’. There were tenOrcadians leaving for Sydney that day. Hewas joining his son Robert Morgan who hadbeen in business in Waverley, a Sydneysuburb and who had followed step-sonEdward Groundwater, who had preceded toAustralia some years ago. Mr. Morgan’s fivedaughters accompanied him as well as Mr.Frew, Mr Thomas Leslie and Mr. DavidGuthrie.He had come to Kirkwall, from Thurso, withthe late Mr. Robert Groundwater,watchmaker some 35 years ago andafterwards succeeded to the business, whichhe carried on with success.’Edward Groundwater, Barbara’s brother,had been in N.S.W. from about 1874/5 ( cannot find them on passenger lists ) as itwas thought that the warmer climate mightbe an advantage to Jeannie‘s bronchialproblems. He had married Jane Sutherlandin Kirkwall in 1869. They had a son Edward,born in Kirkwall in 1870 who lived for eightweeks and a daughter, Eliza Kellas, born inEdinburgh in March, 1873.In 1877, Jane/Jeannie died in the N.S.W.country town of Orange where Edward wasa watchmaker and jeweller. He was also atown councillor for many years .In 1880 Edward married ElizabethRichards, they had nine children from 1881to 1897 and have many descendants.

Janette concludesher article on theGroundwater exodus

Janette M Thompson. Member No 121

Did you know?On the 9th February 1877two Birsay men, PeterSlater and William Moardiscovered a bottleattached to a lifebuoy nearSkaill.To their astonishment theyfound that it contained amessage written on StKilda on the 22nd January.It had travelled theequivalent of over 200land miles in just over twoweeks.The bottle contained amessage that told of thewreck and rescue of ninemen from the Austrianbarque the PetiDubrovacki and that whilethey were all safe,provisions on St Kildawere running low and helpwas required.A telegram wasimmediately dispatchedfrom Orkney to theAustrian consul inGlasgow and by the 22ndFebruary a Royal Navyvessel, HMS Jackal wason her way to St Kilda.She arrived during a breakin the fierce storms thatwere sweeping the areaand rescued the Austriancrewmen and a visitor tothe island, a John Sandsof Ormiston, who had sentthe original message.All ended well, for theJackal had also broughtmeal, hard tack and abarrel of rum to replacethe scarce supplies thathad been shared with theAustrians.Later in the year furthersupplies of foodstuffswere delivered to theisland by the navy—giftsfrom a grateful Austriangovernment.


Previously, three of Robert’s siblings hadcome to Melbourne. None can be found onthe passenger lists of those years. It isthought that (Rev.) James Groundwaterarrived in Melbourne prior to 1860, as he ismentioned as a teacher of English fromEdinburgh University in the 1861-1863prospectus for Scotch College, EastMelbourne. In the 1865 prospectus he wasmentioned as having commenced a highschool in Carlton, (a suburb of Melbourne)with Rev. Wm. Smith .At some time, Thomas Groundwater andsister Isabella also came to Melbourne asthey are all on the Victorian Death Index.Thomas, cabinet-maker, bachelor died in1886, James, Presbyterian minister,bachelor, died in 1901 and Isabella aspinster died in 1905.Previously, Margaret Groundwater, daughterof Robert Groundwater and Isabella Spenceand cousin of Robert Patterson Ground-water, had arrived in Melbourne in 1851 andmarried a William Smith in 1852. Is thisRev. Wm. Smith? Another puzzle has been in the death noticefor Anne Muir, (1881) to please notifyAustralian and American papers. Why theAmerican papers ? Eventually I discovered that another two ofRobert’s siblings migrated to America—Johnand Samuel Groundwater, John prior to1842.On the 1860 American census, John ismarried to a Sarah of Scottish birth, with sixchildren ranging from 3 years to 18 years, allborn in N.Y. state. Sarah died in 1862. Johnis on the 1880 American census, living witha married daughter, Ellen and husband Wm.Wood, and family as well as brother Samuel,bachelor and a son Samuel.According to either the 1821 St.Andrewscensus and /or “The Smith Journal” anothertwo of Robert Groundwater’s siblings,namely Hannah who married AlexanderStewart had a son, Dr Wm. Stewart, whomigrated to Australia and Barbara whomarried James Elrick also migrated (1821 StAndrews census) to Australia or by 1892 allhad died, (Smith Journal) .So it appears for that Groundwatergeneration all but Robert, Barbara andHannah made the great move to foreignlands and even then many of their childrenmigrated .Barbara’s other brother John Groundwatermoved south as he was in Glasgow in the1881 census, evidently was back in Kirkwallwhen his mother died and from then he is amystery, except for the fact that a John MuirGroundwater died aged 46 years in 1895 inLeith. This could be the correct person. Washe married or not, did he have descendants ?Another mystery ?

It appears that there are very fewGroundwaters, by name, descendants frommy great great grandfather Robert’sgeneration.Of course Anne Muir’s second marriage stillhas some descendants in Kirkwall; HilaryHarcus and Agnes Scott and their families.This had ended up to be the story of anexodus of Groundwaters from Orkney,maybe a ramble but hopefully our readerswill see how one large family who have beenin Orkney for many generations can bymigration disappear from their country oforigin.So I conclude my stories of the threebranches of my father’s family .On this journey there have been manychallenges and hazards encountered,temporarily wrong conclusions, unansweredqueries, but it has not been as strenuous atrip for me as Wm and Anne Campbell,Capt. James Foulis, William and Barbara McLeod and family had endured.Best of all has been the new contacts , eitherby phone, slow mail or email, I’ve made withrelatives.

Research migrationof Scottish Familynames onlineLog onto www.spatial-literacy.org and click onFamily Names and you are one step further intracing the history and geography of surnamesacross the UK.The new surname profiler has geographical dataon more than 25,000 names. The project basedat University College London (UCL) will increasethis to 280,000 names in the future. The datacomes from the 1881 census and the 1998electoral register plus the surname records fromone of the major credit reference companiesnumbering some 45 million names.By looking at maps you can immediatelycompare the distribution of 25,000 surnames inBritain between the 1881 census and the 1998electoral register and reveal which areas havethe densest population of that name.You can also have a bit of fun by keying in theBlairs and the Beckhams etc and tracing theirorigins.In addition to mapping surnames across the UK,the project has also recorded the distribution ofcommon Scottish and British surnamesthroughout Australia, New Zealand, Canada andthe USA clarifying patterns of distribution.UCL Professor Paul Langley who worked on theproject with his colleague Richard Webber saysit is an academic resource that can also be a bighelp to the general public, especially thoseresearching family trees.

Didyou know? Most people are familiarwith the ghostly tale ofthe Flying Dutchmanthat for well over 300years has sailed roundthe Cape of Good Hopebringing misfortune toany vessel thatencountered her.One of the most famoussightings was made byPrince George, later tobecome George V, whenhe was a cadet on HMSBacchante in 1881.The ship’s log, in whichhe made the entry, ispreserved in the RoyalNavy archives. In bestFlying Dutchmantradition, the seamanwho originally made thesighting later fell to hisdeath from the fore-topmast crosstrees.There are dozens, maybehundreds of otherdocumented sightingsand among those is thatof the whaler OrkneyBelle while sailing nearIceland in 1911.The second matedescribed the giant sailsswelling in a nonexistent breeze and atone time the ships wereso close that he thoughtthey would collide. Asthe Flying Dutchmansailed by several of thecrew of the Orkney Bellesaw her name clearlyvisible on the stern.Again the prophecy ofmisfortune was fulfilledas the Orkney Belle wasone of the first ships tobe lost in action with theGerman Navy in 1914 atthe start of WW1.

When undertaking res-earch, if you have paid tolook at a page read all the other

entries in case there are other items ofinterest. For example there are 3births/deaths per. GroS page and in a smallvillage or on a small island most of thesepeople could be related. I have foundrelatives I have been unaware of in this way.However other sources can be fruitful for abit of lateral thinking but beware of rushingdown blind alleys.

While conducting some research, Iobtained from the National Archives ofCanada, a copy of a page from the shipsmanifest of the SS “Dutchess of Richmond”that sailed from Greenock on 2nd November1929 arriving at Quebec on the 26th Nov-ember. In 3rd class appears the follow-ingperson. I hope that someone finds this ofsome use. I was researching people calledRITCH but had I not read the entire page Iwould have missed the following relevantinformation.

McGillivray Annie aged 26 single bornKirkwall, Orkney, Trade or Occupation inyour own Country – Housewife – changed toHousework, Trade or Occupation do youintend to follow – Housewife . DestinationFiance, David Linklater, 29 Fairford Street,Moose Jaw, Father Mr John McGillivray, 9Garden Street, Kirkwall. Had $25 with her– a landed Immigrant.

Annie was the daughter of John MainlandMcGillivray a Baker Journeyman whomarried (b 14-1-1874) Jemima Craigie (b 23-11-1874) on 11th February 1898 atNorthfield, Holm. Jemima’s parents wereJames Craigie a Farmer and Mary McKinlay.John’s parents were James McGilvery a

boatman born Egilshay about. 1862and Helen Marwick born Rousay

about 1840.Further down the same page was :- Ann M Ritch aged 25 born Leith a

domestic both in own country and on arrivalDestination Employer David Linklater(details as above ) Father Mr William Ritch,Kitchen of Breeks, Deerness Orkney she had$50 with her – a landed Immigrant

Ann’s father was born in Deerness marriedin Leith in 1901 to Elizabeth WotherspoonPringle. The family moved back to Deernesspossibly around 1910 and her only brotherDavid Ritch was a Pharmacist and lived atLomond Street, Helensburgh.

Having read all this I might have given up,but I checked to find that another Orkneyfamily featured Elizabeth Reid aged 26 fromStronsay with her children James 15, Peter13, Margaretta 8, Jean 1 all born Stronsay.They were all travelling to meet with herhusband James W Reid whose address wasgiven as c/o General Delivery, Abbotsford,British Columbia. Her father in law wasgiven as next of Kin with an address atWhitehall Village, Stronsay. They wereLanded Immigrants and had $35 betweenthem. I think that John Reid’s parents werePeter Reid Born abt. 1842 who marriedBarbara Wallace from Sanday on 2ndNovember 1865. I stopped my research atthis point, thinking that apart from comingfrom Orkney this family had no relevance tomy research.

I would be interested to learn if anyoneknows what happened to Ann M Ritch, orher Employer, from these brief clues.Robert Whitton e-mail: [email protected] Currie, Midlothian.


Rosslyn Chapel whichnow features largely inthe book and film ‘TheDa Vinci Code’ wasfounded by Sir WilliamSt Clair, the last Princeof Orkney, in 1446. Sir William drew thedesigns on woodenpanels and they werethen carved in stone bymasons. Many of thedewsigns have masonicor religious connections.The chapel has longbeen associated with theKnights Templar, anancient order that goesback to the 12th century.A sealed vault in thechapel is said to containeverything from theHoly Grail to the skull ofJohn the Baptist.Some of the carvings inthe chapel are of plantspeculiar to America—produced some 50 yearsbefore Columbas madehis discovery in 1492.This gives somecredence to the claimthat an earlier visitor toAmerica was PrinceHenry St Clair whobecame an Earl ofOrkney in 1379.

Didyou know?

The St Clair angel

Sending an article? Read this for best resultsIf possible send or email article in ‘Word’. Itmeans that I can transfer the material directlyto the page without retyping. Oh happy me!Photographs Original is best. Or scan as agreyscale JPEG at approx size that it willappear in magazine and at 12 or highestresolution then send as email attachment. Do

not send photocopies.SAE please if you wantmaterial returned. Do not infringe copyright.Editor reserves right to amend any copy.Send to OFHS address on back page or emailto me at [email protected] or post to J. Sinclair, ‘Burnbrae’ 21 Burnside, Kirkwall.Orkney KW15 1TF. United Kingdom. Editor.


Iwas interested to see in Sib Folk News,Issue 33, articles illustrated by a shieldof arms (Irvine) and a crest badge

(Leask).Until recently I had little idea that therewas much heraldry in Orkney. However, Inow find that there is an heraldic historystretching over more than six centuries. Ihave also found that there is confusion aboutheraldry and how it is used, and thought itmight be useful to have a little heraldry‘starter pack’ on the subject.

Since 1672 in Scotland all Arms arerecorded in the Public Register of All Armsand Bearings in Scotland, and stillmaintained by the Court of the Lord Lyon.The Lord Lyon King of Arms, by authority ofThe Sovereign, is responsible for grantingnew Armorial Bearings (coats of arms orArms) and matriculating existing Arms (re-recording of Arms by descendants of existingarmigers). (The Law of Heraldry in Scotlanddetails how Arms are granted and may beused and these laws are strictly enforced. Itis unlawful to usurp someone’s Arms; theyare incorporeal and heritable property andprotected by law. Infringements can and willbe prosecuted by the Procurator Fiscal to theLyon Court. Thus, where images of Armswhich are not one’s own are beingreproduced, the name of the person whoseArms they are should be stated.)

Arms are inseparable from name for theyidentify persons of, and within, a family.They cannot generally descend to personswho do not bear the same surname thoughthey may be borne as subsidiary quarteringsby a descendant of an heraldic heiress. Armsare made up of several elements – shield,helmet, mantling, wreath, crest and motto.In a few exceptional cases the Arms will alsohave supporters – beasts or figuressupporting the shield – or may show badgesof office (e.g. Lord Lyon King of Arms) or ofhonours (e.g. Knights of the Thistle)suspended beneath the shield.

Arms for people of the same surname willall be based on the undifferenced Arms ofthe head of the family. For instance,Sinclairs have ‘Argent, a cross engrailedSable’ – a white shield with a black crosshaving a series of semicircles removed on

each sides (Fig 1); Stewart/Stuart Arms haveon a gold field, or background, a ‘fess chequyAzure and Argent ’– a broad blue and whitechequerboard band across the middle of theshield (Fig 2); Balfours, a chevron (an invertedV said to represent rafters) and one or moreotters’ heads (Fig 3); while Irvines have hollyleaves, singly or in bundles (Fig 4).

Arms descend to the heir in eachgeneration unchanged, while juniordescendants bearing the same name inherita right to record the Arms with a smallcadency difference, or charge, to show theirposition within the family. Thus, normally acoat of arms will pass unchanged fromfather to eldest son in each generation.During the lifetime of the father, the heirhas a courtesy right to bear the arms withan addition known as a label placed on theshield (Fig. 5). This is temporary, and isremoved on the father’s death.

While in Scotland it is not possible for twopeople to have the same heraldic identity,wives and daughters have a courtesy right intheir husband/father’s Arms, and cancontinue to enjoy the Arms throughout theirlife. Arms are inseparable from nametherefore daughters do not usually succeed toArms as they generally take a differentname on marriage. If a daughter of anarmiger marries an armiger she may impaleher father’s Arms with her husband’s, thatis, join the two coats of arms side by side inone shield, the husband’s Arms being placedon the left as you look at the shield.

Bruce Gorie. Member No 961

Fig 1 Fig 2 Fig 3

Fig 4 Fig 5

that today you will belucky to pick up anOrkney chair for lessthan £600-£700 but atone time they wereknown as the poorman’s chair.Over 200 years ago aNorth Ronaldsay mandecided to make a chairwith driftwood for aframe and a curved backmade of straw; amaterial that mostcrofters were adept atusing for baskets, mats,ropes, bedding, shoesand furniture.Soon the design wasbeing used throughoutthe islands. His and herversions developed; hiswith a drawer to holdtobacco, fish hooks, abible and, if he waslucky, a bottle of whisky.As furniture becamemore affordable andavailable the practice ofmaking Orkney chairsgradually died out. In 1956, however, aKirkwall craftsman wasasked to construct anOrkney chair to mark theoccasion of the QueenMother’s visit to theislands.This revived interest inthe chair and today anumber of Orkneycraftsmen are againproducing what hasbecome a most soughtafter piece of furniture,not only here butthroughout the world.

Didyou know?

Issue No37 March 06 NEWSLETTER OF THE ORKNEY FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY

^ T h e Letters Patent, (Patent means 'open' or 'public') the legal document granting the Arms, specifies the 'destination' - person or people who can succeed to the Arms. These destinations are sometimes relatively narrow, (e.g. only to the descendants of the grantee, and sometimes very wide, e.g. to the heirs of the grandfather). Where a family line dies out or, in the case of a business or organisation, ceases to operate, the Arms revert to The Crown and cannot be used unless regranted by the Lord Lyon. Examples of this are the Arms of the Orkney County Council which were granted to Orkney Islands Council, while Kirkwall & St. Ola Community Council received those of the Royal Burgh of Kirkwall. In both cases special coronets were added to identify the new authorities.

Going back to the Arms of Irvine shown in SFN 33, these appear to be the Arms of Lt. Col. Gerard Irvine of Castillfartagh, County Fermanagh, recorded in the Public Register on 1st September 1673. It is believed that his branch was extinct in 1690. (However, as mentioned above, that does not mean that the Arms can now be used by anyone.) David Irvine of Drum, Chief of the Name of Irvine of Drum, has similar Arms but with three bundles of holly, each of three leaves, and without the broad horizontal band (a fess) across the middle of the shield (see Fig 4).

The crest badge for Leask shown in the same edition is the crest of Madam Leask of Leask, Chief of the Name of Leask, placed within a strap and buckle and with her motto on the strap. This is the style of badge or brooch worn by members of a clan or family to show their allegiance to the Chief. Chiefly Arms should not to be used by clan members in any other way.

A Collection of Armorials of the County of Orkney by H. L. Norton Smith, published in 1902, lists 80 families whose Arms have been found in Orkney, mainly on gravestones. Few of those listed below might be classed as native Orkney families (shown in italics). Many came to Orkney through links with either the Earldom or Bishopric estates or the Church. In the 1920s and 30s J. Storer Clouston wrote several articles on Orcadian heraldry in the Proceedings of the Society of

Antiquaries of Scotland and of the Orkney Antiquarian Society. From these and other sources I believe many other examples can be added to the list. Alexander Alison Baikie Balfour Balfour-Kinnear Bellenden Blair Bothwell Broun Bruce Buchanan Burroughs Clouston Cok Covingtrie Craigie Cruickshank Douglas Drever Drummond Dundas Elphinstone Fitzmaurice (Earl of Orkney) Irvine-Fortescue Foulzie Gibsone Grahame Grant Groat Halcro Hay Hebden Henryson Henderson Hepburn Honyman Hutton Irving Iverach Johnston Kinnear Kynnaird Laing-Weir Law Leask Leigh Liddell MacKenzie MacLelland Maine Marwick Maxwell Meason Middlemore Millar Moncrieff Monteith Moodie Mowat Munro Murray Nisbet Omond Pottinger Reid Richan Scollay Shaw Sinclair Smyth Stewart Strange Sutherland Taylor Thomson Tod Traill Traill-Burroughs Tulloch Watt Winchester Young

The early 20th Century saw a revival in interest with a number of Orcadians recording Arms - Col. Robert Scarth of Binscarth, his cousin, Col H. W. Scarth of Skaill and Breckness, and James Halcro-Johnstone of Coubister. In more recent years Eoin Scott of Redland and George Marwick, Lord Lieutenant of Orkney, among others, recorded Arms.

For further information on heraldry in Scotland I would warmly recommend that you seek out the following books: Scots Heraldry by Sir Thomas Innes of Learney; Scottish Heraldry by Mark Dennis, or The Lion Rejoicing by Charles Burnett and Mark Dennis. I do not know how readily available these may be but check your local reference library.

Bruce Gorie works at the Court of the Lord Lyon in Edinburgh. M

Don't forget—we need your help with the next'Homecoming' We are looking for members with local knowledge, who would be prepared to spend a little time with our overseas visitors in May 2007, to help them find their ancestral homes, perhaps discover distant relations or simply learn something about the area that their forebears left all these years ago.

1 This could well be the highlight of their visit. Even a day or two of your time • could mean a lifetime of memories for our overseas cousins. J Please read the leaflet enclosed with this magazine; fill out the coupon and

return it to us. We will contact you as soon as the plans for Homecoming 2007 are a bit more advanced .

Did you know? 'Violin. James Omond, Stromness, (Scotland) 1898. Robust workman-ship and a rich Scottish varnish characterises this particular instrument. There is little evidence of repair, and the instru-ment has been 'set up' properly, giving it a velvet-like tone quality. Price.$9500'. So reads the online advertisement from G.B & J Ray, Fine Violins, USA. Who was James Omond of Stromness? Well he was born in Orkney in 1833 and he became a school teacher in Stromness. Ill health for-ced him to give this up and in order to maintain his family he turned his hand to a variety of crafts, without success. Eventually he discovered that he had an aptitude for fiddle making and before long he was pro-ducing instruments for sale. Such was his en-thusism that he studied the work of the the mast-ers; Paolo, Stradivari, Stainer etc and by the end of the 19th century his instruments were gaining awards of medals and diplomas throughout Europe. In his lifetime he made some 200 fiddles yet never charged more than £10 for an instru-ment and in most cases much less.

It is known that many of these were sold in Orkney. . . . now what about that old fiddle in your attic? You might be in for a pleasant surprise.

13NEWSLETTER OF THE ORKNEY FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY12 NEWSLETTER OF THE ORKNEY FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY Issue No37 March 06 Issue No37 March 06

Where is this stone to be found? What is its age?For whom was it erected? What does it contain?These are questions which very few can answer,

but which many might be glad to have answered. Thepurpose of this article, then, is to answer these questions.

Doubtless many will expect to find this stone amongthe many grand old tombstones preserved in St MagnusCathedral, and will be sadly disappointed to learn that itis neither there,nor on the mainland, nor yet in the NorthIsles. As the South Isles are not supposed to have manyplaces or buildings or articles of Man’s antiquarianinterest to the tourist, very few of them visit these isles.This, however, is to a large extent a great mistake. Trueyou will not find in the South Isles a cathedral, as inKirkwall; a circle of stones, as in Stenness; a palace, as inBirsay; a circular church, as in Orphir; a St MagnusChurch, as in Egilshay; or a castle as in Westray; but youwill find other objects no less interesting. At present onlyone of these need be mentioned. The oldest tombstone inOrkney is to be found in South Ronaldshay, in the SouthParish, in the vestry of StMary’s Church. Its date is1554, which is six yearsbefore the Reformation inScotland. Thus it belongs tothe Roman Catholic periodand is a memory of adignitary of the Roman Catholic Church.

Now, the oldest tombstone in St Magnus Cathedral -and, so far as is known, throughout Orkney - is said to be1595. The South Ronaldshay tombstone then is about 40years older than the oldest in Kirkwall; and we are safein saying there is no other stone in a better state ofpreservation than this one; it is almost perfect andintact,not a letter, not a symbol, not a corner having beendestroyed. Some years ago - before St Mary’s Church wasrepaired and before the graveyard was walled in - thisstone had a narrow escape from being broken into pieces.A workman who had undertaken to repair the churchseemed to think he had some special authority to pulldown and break anything and everything that stood inhis way, no matter how ancient, and was ready andanxious to use his hammer against this stone, as he haddone to other stones. This would be iconoclast wasrestrained, however, from wreaking his vengeance on thisand other stones, principally through the interference ofMr James Thomson, Quoys, and the late Mr John Allan,Burwick. They received permission to remove the stoneand affix it to the inside wall of the vestry, where it nowstands in its antiquity and beauty.

The two things of special note about this stone are theinscription and representation. Strange to say, it isbelieved that no one, either in South Ronaldshay orOrkney, knew the meaning of the inscription or coulddecipher the letters and words, unless Mr James

Thomson, Quoys. MrThomson is an anti-quarian of no mean order;in fact there are very fewin Orkney to equal orsurpass him in bothgeneral and particularinformation about thecounty - especially aboutold families and anti-quarian lore. He hasvisited all the places of interest in these islands. It was inJuly 1841, that Mr Thomson met a learned gentlemanpassing through the island on his way south, and afterspending a good time over it, the stranger was enabled todecipher the description so far, but not wholly. Until lastsummer we believe, the inscription has never been fullymade out. The reason of the difficulty in making out theinscription must be attributed, first, to the kind of letters,which are a peculiar old english character, but very neatly

cut out; the second, it is inlatin, many of the words beingcontracted; and third, thestone itself is so situated thatone cannot get round it andthe light shining on it israther meagre - in fact there

is little to encourage one to prosecute the study of itunless out of curiosity. The inscription is not right acrossthe stone, but around the border of it - as is the case inalmost all the stones of that period. Further, the lettersare not cut into the stone but cut out, orraised. This also corresponds with the stonesof that period. Very few of those who havewritten histories of Orkney, or who haveprofessed to tell us all the interesting andantiquarian objects to be found in theseislands, have referred to this stone, whichshows that very few know anything about it.However, one modern writer has ventured tomention it; and here is the astonishinginformation he has supplied us with. In‘Rambles in the Far North,’ the Rev. MenziesFerguson, M.A., says - ‘In the Church of StMary, in the South Parish (SouthRonaldshay) there are several very ancienttombstones with very curious inscriptions.One or two of these bear old Danishcharacters, and point to a period somecenturies ago, when Christianity andChristian art had cast aglow of culturedfeeling over the rude dwellers in that barrenisle. The italics are ours to let the reader seethe number of generalities the author hasindulged in. He seems to be certain of only

one thing, namely thatthe inscriptions on thestones are of ‘Old DanishCharacters,’ and in thathe is wrong. He is quiteat sea about the numberof stones, about theirdates, about the meaningof the inscriptions, andalso whether the in-scription is in Danish,

Latin or English. Certainly his impression of this stonehas been something of the nature of a ramble or jumble.One would have thought from his words that he had notbeen at the place or seen the stone, and that hisinformation has been picked up from some second handsource; but in describing another stone, called the StMagnus, he tells us that he ‘saw a peculiar stone withpeculiar history.’ So much for the first attempt to describethe oldest tombstone in Orkney.

Here, however, is first the latin inscription, and then thetranslation. Let the reader remember that the letters inthe stone are Old English, and that the inscription isaround the stone - not across it, as here:-

HIC JACETVENERABILIS VIR DNS HOGO HALCRO

RECTOR DE RONALDSAPREBENDARI SCTI MAGI

AC VICART DE WALIS.QUI OBIT TTO AUGTH, A D M V LIV

Here liesA venerable man, Sir Hugh Halcro,

Rector of Ronaldshay,Prebendary of St Magnus,

And Vicar of Walls,Who died on the third day of August, in the year of

our Lord, one thousand five hundred andfifty four

The representations on the stone, to which wehave referred, are three. At the top there is a largecup, most likely representing the communion cup,which in the Romish Church, was never given tothe laity, but only to the priests; in the middle thereis a large cross, which is the well known symbol ofthat church, as it is of the Christian faith; and atthe foot, there is a beautiful shield with thearmorial bearings of different families. There maybe some difficulty in giving the relative bearings ofthe shield - that is, to tell exactly what part of thefamily each part of the shield represents; but threefamilies are supposed to be represented. On thedexter or right side of the shield there stands thelion rampant, which is believed to be that of theSparr family (Earls of Strathearn and Orkney); on

the sinister side or left side are two bars and two crescents,which are believed to be those of the Craigie family; while atthe base there is a mountain with the letters H. H. on eachside of it, which is believed to be that of the Halcro family.The lion does not stand upon mountain, but is free from it.There is no motto on the stone.

The Halcros are an old and honourable family in Orkney;and their headquarters seems to have been in the SouthParish of South Ronaldshay. There are some Halcros livingthere who claim to be descendants of Sir Hugo. In the days ofSir Hugo they seem to have reached their zenith, for theyhad large estates and a chapel, and while Sir Hugo heldthree important offices in the Romish church, his brotherMacolm Halcro held the office of provost. In fact, althoughthere had not been any other trace of the Halcro family, theexistence of such a stone, as above described, and the titlewhich is given to the person, as well as the offices he held,clearly proves the high and honourable position of thatfamily. The ruins of the Halcro chapel are still to be seen, andthe estate, or rather part of it, now goes under the name ofHalcro farm. It is said that one of the Halcros went with anumber of men to the field of Bannockburn to assist Bruce inhis desperate fight with the English and that when Brucehad his doubts about the probable result of the battle, Halcrosaid - ‘We’ll put it to a venture.’ This saying is believed tohave been used by this Halcro as his motto ever afterwards;but the whole story of Halcro being at Bannockburn is morethan doubtful. There is another story but of a later date,supposed to be about 1655; it has appeared in differentforms, and is believed to possess a foundation of truth. It iscalled ‘The Heiress of Halcro.’ It is a romantic love story, andthe lady’s name is said to have been Esther Halcro.

Sir Hugo’s brother, Malcolm, held the office of provost inthe Romish Church, and at the same time possessed landsboth in the South Parish, South Ronaldshay, and inCaithness. From an old charter, dated 1553, we learn that hebought land from Patrick Mowat, laird of Buchollis andFreswick, Caithness. According to the terms of the charter,the land was to be held by Malcolm Halcro, but failing him,to be held by his two natural sons, Hugh Ninian andEdward, and failing them, to be held by the nearest heir ofthe house of Halcro. Although Malcolm Halcro had takenholy orders in the Romish Church, and was under the vow ofcelibacy, yet marriage among even respectable priests wasnot an uncommon event in those dark times. The marriagecould never be legal, and the children were, in the eyes of thelaw and the Church, natural or illegitimate; still the state ofsociety did not regard such marriages as a sin or shame.When Sir HugoHalcro died in 1554, he is said to have beensucceeded by his cousin, Hugh Halcro, in 1555. then by aHenry Halcro, and afterwards by a succession of Hughs,until the last Hugh married Barbara Graham of Graham-shall in 1666, but left no children, and the estates weredivided between two married sisters by whom they weresoon after sold.

I am indebted to Ingrid Mackenzie, Member No 752, for this article. Itwas taken from a faded newspaper cutting that her father had kept froma long forgotten article in the Orcadian or perhaps the Orkney Heraldand appeared under the pseudonym ‘Agathon’.I would assume that ‘Agathon’ specialised in historical subjects and washaving a little joke in choosing that name. He would have been aware ofthe quote attributed to this famous Greek dramatist—’Even God cannotchange the past’.Can any reader reveal the true identity of ‘Agathon’? Ed.


the 12,000 ton cruiser HMS Cressy as aleading seaman but was almost immediatelyrecalled to the depot. A few weeks later theCressy and two other cruisers were sunk offthe Belgian coast with heavy loss of life. Hisnext ship was the Duchess of Devonshire,an armed boarding steamer, working in theEnglish Channel.

Towards the end of 1916 great-uncle Billiewas posted to Scapa Flow where he joinedHMS Negro, a 1,025 ton ‘M’ class destroyer,the vessel on which he was to have his mostnerve-racking experience. In December thatyear Sir David Beatty, Commander-in-ChiefGrand Fleet, decided to take the fleet outinto the North Sea and the events thatfollowed are best told in Shearer’s own wordsas reported by the Orkney Herald, April 4,1934: “We left the Fleet somewhere north ofthe Fair Isle to escort another vessel (theHoste, a 1,666 ton flotilla leader) back to theFlow. It was a dark night, freezing cold andstormy. We were just off Fair Isle when ithappened. The fellow we were escortingdropped a depth charge, whether throughcarelessness or otherwise nobody ever quitefound out, but anyway we planted our bow onto it and it blew us up as completely as if wehad been torpedoed. In fact we supposed itwas a torpedo at the time.

“An attempt was made to launch the boats,but it was no use. It was evident that theNegro was done for, and we saw that theship we were escorting had also received thebenefit of the explosion and was sinking fast.She had her searchlight on and I saw hergoing down from the fo’c’sle of theNegro…………Our masts were broken andtrailing overboard, and we were settling inthe water. It was apparent we might go atany moment. I jumped just a few minutesbefore the Negro went down, and it looked asif I was out of the frying pan into the fire. Thewater was icy, and it was all I could do tohang on to the bits of wreckage that wasfloating about.

“It was half-an-hour before I was picked upby the Marmion (also an ‘M’ class destroyer),which came to our rescue. She was just intime. Another ten seconds would have fin-ished me. Only thirty-four of us were saved

It is noteveryone whosurvives being

twice blown up atsea during war-time, and yet thisis precisely whathappened to mygreat-uncleWilliam “Billie”Shearer from theparish of Orphir.He was born onMarch 18, 1879at the Cot of

Roadside, a seven-acre holding in the districtof Smoogro, which his grandfather, AndrewGroundwater, leased from Dr Charles Still ofBurgar, a retired army surgeon. Later thesame year the family moved to a small housenear Loch Kirbister, called Aikislay, whereWilliam’s parents, William Muir Shearer andMary Groundwater, were to have elevenmore children, the second of which wasMargaret, my paternal grandmother.

While still only 15 years of age youngWilliam decided to enlist in the Royal Navyand joined HMS Caledonia (built 1802), theboy cadet training ship, that was anchoredoff Queensferry on the Firth of Forth, nearEdinburgh. He served 11 years with theFleet, three of these being spent patrollingthe temperate waters of the Mediterranean.In 1901 he was stationed at HMS Wildfire,the RN Gunnery School at Sheerness inKent. Towards the end of his time in thenavy he was stationed at Chatham when hemet his future wife Winifred Ann Brooks, acotton spinner from Preston in Lancashire.They were married at Bromley, Kent, in 1905and set up home in Leith. For a time heworked in the docks but then obtained moresecure employment with the Post Office inEdinburgh. Some eighteen months later hewas transferred to Blackburn, also inLancashire, where they raised two sons andthree daughters.

At the outbreak of the First World WarShearer was called up along with thousandsof other reservists, and from the verybeginning Fortune smiled on him. He joined

William Shearer RN

By Peter Groundwater Russell, Member No 161

Didyou knowthat a football matchheld at Bignold Park,Kirkwall once attracted acrowd of 6,500spectators?The occasion was in1942 when a ScottishCommand XI played ateam of locally basedService players.The Scottish Commandsquad fielded some ofthe giants of football in asquad captained by MattBusby who was aPhysical TrainingInstructor at Flotta.The regular ScottishCommand line-up was:-In goal John Moodie(Raith Rovers); backsJimmie Carabine (ThirdLanark), Jack Howe(Derby County), AlecMillar (East Fife); halfbacks Bobby Hardisty(Wolves), Alec Sharpand George Sutherland(both Partick Thistle),Jock Thomson(Everton), captain MattBusby; forwards BobbyCampbell (Falkirk),Tommy Walker (Hearts),Peter Simpson (EastFife), Archie Gourlay(Partick Thistle), AlbertJuliussen (Huddersfield)and Alec Herd(Manchester City).The Scottish Commandsquad went on to beattheir opponents 10-1.


out of a crew of eighty-five. The heart-rending sounds of drowning shipmatescrying out for their mothers will haunt mefor the rest of my days.”

After this traumatic experience Shearerwas given ten days survivor’s leave. Hisnext posting was on the P.20, a 613 tonarmed patrol boat, which was engaged onescort duty with the Dover Patrol. Earlyin 1918 he joined the crew of HMS Scott,a 1,801 ton Scott class flotilla leader, oneof the most modern and largest vessels ofher class that saw service in the FirstWorld War. She was commanded by theHon. William Spencer Leveson-Gower(pronounce ‘Loosen-Gore’), who curiouslyenough, had been captain of theMarmion. It was while he was on theScott, as a gunlayer, that great-uncleBillie was ‘blown up’ for the second time.

On August 15, 1918, while on patrol offthe Hook of Holland, the Scott and theUlleswater (a 921 ton ‘R’ class destroyer)were both torpedoed by a Germansubmarine. The Scott was in the act ofrescuing survivors from the Ulleswaterwhen she herself was hit and actuallysank before the ship she was attending.

“This was a picnic compared with theNegro affair,” said Shearer. “Only twenty-nine of the Scott’s 164-strong crew werelost. The rest of us were picked up quiteeasily, as it was a fine day and the sea wascalm. The tragedy of the Scott, as far as Iwas concerned, was that I lost mybagpipes, but the captain heard ofmy loss, and presented me with anew set, which I still possess.”Captain Leveson-Gower wasmarried to Lady Rose Bowes-Lyon, daughter of the 14th Earlof Strathmore, which madehim an uncle of theQueen. He died in 1953,the year of hercoronation.

Shearer had learn-ed to play thebagpipes during hisfirst spell in the Navyand his skill as a piperwas a byword in theBlackburn area, where over aperiod spanning more thanforty years he performed thetime-honoured ceremony of“Piping in the Haggis” at BurnsSuppers. He always took greatpride in his appearance andlooked resplendent in the fullhighland dress of Clan Gunn, whosemotto, “Either peace or war,” seemedespecially appropriate.

After the cessation of hostilities

he returned to work for the Post Office inBlackburn and remained in its employuntil reaching the age of fifty-five, whenhe elected to take early retirement. “Ithas always been my intention topermanently reside in my native islandswhen I retired,” he told a reporter on theOrkney Herald, March 31, 1934. “I amreturning to Orkney because I am, andhave always been, an Orkney lover. I havefrequently visited the county duringholidays from my work, and have manyfriends in my native parish andthroughout the isles.”

They rented a wooden dwelling thathad originally served as officers’ quartersat Houton during WW1 from WilliamLiddle, called Cornersquoy, in the remotedistrict of Clestrain in Orphir, which isover six miles from Stromness and twiceas far from Kirkwall. It is not entirelysurprising to learn that city-bornWinifred was unable to adapt to living insuch an isolated place. Apparently shewould spend many a lonely hour lookingout of the window, not at the majesticgrandeur of the hills of Hoy but in the oft-forlorn hope of seeing the postmanmaking his way from the distantStromness-Kirkwall road to deliver amuch awaited letter from her family andfriends in faraway Blackburn. Almostinevitably, William Shearer’s lifelongdream of being back in Orkney was soonshattered and in less than eighteen mon-ths of their arrival in the islands, the dis-

enchanted couple ret-urned to Lancashire.

Grand-uncle Billiedevoted the rest of hislife to his grand-children, the localPresbyterian Churchand in passing on hispiping skills to ayounger generation. Hedied at Blackburn in1956. Although hismortal remains werelaid to rest among the“dark, satanic mills” ofindustrial Lancashire,his soul will dwell for

ever in his beloved Orkney.He was a talented artistand his fine watercolour

of the ill-fated Scott isgiven pride of place in the

home of one his grand-daughters, whostill lives in Blackburn. It is a

poignant reminder of a brave, unassumingman who served his God and his countryand his local community with suchdistinction.

William in the fullhighland dress ofClan Gunn

that the first Women’s’Ba’ was played inKirkwall on ChristmasDay 1945?About thirty womentook part, divided moreor less equally betweenthe Uppies and Doonies.Orkney’s males,however, registered theirdisapproval by stealingthe Ba’.Eventually it wasrecovered and theUppies went on to claimthe victory with the Ba’being presented to MrsMargaret Yule.That same year a newrecord was set for theBoys’ Ba’, the wholething being over in fourminutes.

Didyou know


Thomas Reid in Eday. This connection ofMargaret as John Gray’s sister is difficult tomake as the printed IGI shows WilliamGray’s daughter as Mary rather thanMargaret, presumably due to poormicrofilming of the original OPR.Now what about the connection between theGrays in Papa Westray and Eday and thosein Westray? Unfortunately, William Graywho married Barbara Allan, died before theintroduction of statutory registration ofbirths, marriages and deaths in 1855 andconsequently his parents are unknown.We do know that Barbara Allan wasborn in Westray as were the children.The parents of William Gray may beJames Gray and Jane Hercus althoughthis cannot be proved.However, there is a Gray connection betweenPapa Westray and Westray through MaryRobertson, the wife of William Gray and BarbaraAllan’s son, also William Gray. (Fig II)

There is a story that the first Grays inWestray came from Caithness and built ahouse at Gretna Green in Westray. That isnow so far back that it is probablyimpossible to verify. The problem that manygenealogists face! The story does not seemimplausible, as there is a congregation ofGrays in South Ronaldsay and Burray.It has not proved possible to establish anyconnection between the Grays in the Southand those in the North but are all the Graysin the North Isles of common stock? Lookingback through the censuses, we find Grayspredominantly in Westray although also inPapa Westray and Eday.A connection has been established betweenthe last two through the children of WilliamGray and Barbara Allan (Fig. I). Their sonWilliam Gray married Mary Robertson andthe Grays in Papa Westray are descendedfrom them. Similarly, William’s brotherJohn Gray also married and the Eday Graysare descended from him.

Barbara Allan Born: 1784 in Westray

John Allan Born: 1760 in Westray

Margaret Bews Born: 1758 in Westray

Barbara Allan Born: 1784 in Westray

William Gray

William Gray Born: 1806 in Westray Died: 1891 in Papa Westray

Mary Robertson Born: 1798 in Westray

John Gray Born: 1807 Died: 1864 in Eday

Margaret Gray Born: 1809 in Westray Died: 1885 in Eday

Thomas Reid Born: Abt. 1804 in Eday

John Gray married more than once althoughhe had a preference for wives named Janet.He had three children to his first marriageto Janet Scott. A fourth child, Peter Gray,appears in the 1851 census at Cocklehouse,Eday but in no subsequent census there.Peter left Orkney and when he married inStonehaven in 1871, his parents were givenas John Gray and Janet Reid. This mightexplain some of the age discrepanciesbetween the different censuses for JanetGray. When John Gray died the problembecame worse as his spouse is stated to beJane Miller or Eunson.John Gray’s sister, Margaret Gray married


William Robertson

Isabella Gray


William Gray Born: 1806 in Westray Died: 1891 in Papa Westray

GRAYSin theGRAYSin the North Isles North Isles

W estray PapaW estray

Sanday

EdayRousay

By Mike Rendal. Member No 325

Did you know?One of the mostimposing buildings onthe now abandonedisland of Stroma in thePentland Firth was theKennedy Mausoleumreferred to by BishopForbes writing in hisJournal of 1762 as theplace where the ‘deadbodies of men, womenand children, aboveground, entire, and to beseen for 70 or 80 yearsfree from all corruption,without embalming orother art, but owing it tothe plenty of nitre that isthere’. It has also beensuggested that theamount of salt in theatmosphere helped topreserve the bodies.The Bishop also tells ofhaving spoken toWilliam Sutherland ofCaithness, who hadvisited the mausoleumwith Murdoch Kennedy,a grandson of JohnKennedy who had builtthe tomb. Murdochplayed a trick onSutherland by setting hisfoot on the partlymummified body of hisfather, causing it to‘spring up speedily’before letting it reposeas before. Sutherland’s reaction tothis does not appear tohave been recorded.

George Gray

Margaret Seatter

Henry Gray

Born: 1743

Margaret Gray

Born: 1744

George Gray

Born: 1747

Mary Gray

Born: 1750

Catherine Gray

Born: 1750

Isobel Gray

Born: 1751

Robert Gray

Born: 1754


The main descendants are from George Gray(b. 1747) who married Jean Reid, IsobelGray (b. 1751) who married William Rendalland Robert Gray (b. 1754) who marriedMarion Meil. The IGI does also record child-ren to Jean Liddell who may be the wife ofHenry Gray (b. 1743) and John Hercus, whomay be the husband of Mary Gray (b. 1750).The other groupings of Grays in Westrayaround this time were:

● John Gray and Barbara Gray and their family whom we have mentioned previously● Archibald Gray who married HannahMeil and subsequently Marjory Petersen. There are quite a number of descendants of Archibald although not necessarily with the Gray surname.● James Gray and Jane Harcus who may be the parents of William Gray who married Barbara Allan

By the time of the first census in 1841,almost all of the Westray Grays are thoughtto be descendants of George Gray andMargaret Seatter.Readers interested in further information onthe Grays in the North Isles and havingaccess to the Internet may want to have alook at a website (http://genealogy.northern-skies.net/gray.php?number=1) covering thefamily grouping and their descendants whoare spread throughout the world. This alsoincludes a genealogy of the Allan familyoriginating in Westray.

Mary Robertson’s mother was in factIsabella Gray from Westray. Unfortunately,Isabella, who was at Nether Ouseness inWestray at the time of the 1851 censusappears to have died prior to 1855. Her agewas given in 1851 as 84, indicating that shemight have been born around 1767. Whileconjecture, the only likely candidatesaccording to the IGI for her parents areJohn Gray and Barbara Gray, whosedaughter Isabella was baptised on 17thJune 1770.Looking now at the Grays in Westray, theindications are that they are likely to be allrelated although again this is going so farback that there cannot be certainty of this.The principle group of Grays aredescendants of George Gray and MargaretSeatter. The IGI indicates some sevenchildren between Henry who was born in1743 and Robert in 1754. (Fig III)

James Alexander Mainland was born in Rousay orEgilsay on 27th February 1863, the son of WilliamMainland and Barbara Stevenson. Rebecca Walls was

the daughter of Thomas Walls and Mary Irvine, and wasborn in Eday on 13th November 1866.James and Rebeccawere married in Westray in 1890, and in the 1891 censuswere recorded at School House, Westray, where they had astore. James’s parents were nearby at Clifton. James andRebecca stayed in Westray for several years, then moved toWyne (Wyre?) for a few years. In 1904 they emigrated toCanada with their children, and homesteaded near Leross,Saskatchewan, about 100 miles northeast of Regina.James and Rebecca had 10 children, all except the youngestborn in Scotland:Mary Irvine Mainland, born about 1892. She married aneighbour, Jim Lochtie, in Dec. 1910, and had threechildren. She died of flu on 9th Nov. 1918 in PortCoquitlam, British Columbia.Barbara Mainland, born about 1893, married J. P. Suttill inJuly 1910, still living in 1975.Rebecca Mainland, born about 1894. She became a nurse,and married a neighbour, William Brennan, in 1923. Theymoved to Windsor, Ontario.James Mainland, born Westray, 2 June 1895, a private inthe Saskatchewan Regiment, Canadian Infantry, died inFrance 27th Sept.1918William Walls Mainland, born about 1898, a private in theSaskatchewan Regiment, Canadian Infantry, died inEngland 11th Jan. 1919Thomas Mainland, born about 1899, still living on the farmin 1975John Mainland, born about 1901, died of flu, 1918/1919Lily Mainland, born about 1903 (twin of Rose), still living onfarm in 1975Rose Mainland. born about 1903 (twin of Lily), died of flu,1918/1919Irvine S., born in Sask. in 1905, still living on farm in 1975Rebecca Walls also died in the flu epidemic of 1918/1919.She went to British Columbia to help her daughter Mary,but caught the flu herself and died a week after Mary, on16th November 1918. Mother and daughter are buried sideby side in St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Cemetery, NewWestminster, B.C.James Alexander Mainland died in 1939.

Mavis Gray, Member No792 from Winnipeg sentthis article about someOrkney people who wereneighbours of her mother’sfamily in Saskatchewansome years ago.


1860 Turk St. Apt 11San

Nov 20th 50Dear JessieHere we are again with Xmas just around the corner. How time does go by [lot of personal sentences follow]

1860 Turk St. Apt 11San Francisco15Calif.

Nov 20th 50Dear JessieHere we are again with Xmas just around the corner. How time does go by [lot of personal sentences follow]

We were up in British Columbia last June. Jack had three weeks and I stayed three more and enjoyed it very much. I

met Nellie Lennie in Vancouver. She was out visiting her sister Mimie. I had not seen her since she was a girl. She

looked very well, bright and cheery as she used to be and not dull like Mimie. She left her home in Oct. and hopes to

come back again. I believe she is well left by her two husbands, has a big home in the West End of Edinburgh. She says

it is too large and is going to sell it and buy a smaller one. Also met Bessie Morgan. She was out on a holiday from

Edmonton, Alberta where she lives. She is the image what her mother was now she has grown stouter. We had lunch

together and a nice little chat about old times. She was leaving for Seattle next day. She has cousins on her mother’s

side at Chillawack a little ways out of Vancouver. She is a widow and has a married daughter and is as jolly as ever. She

and I were in school class together. It was sad about her sister Chris. She had St Vitus same as her brother Alex for

many years and eventually it affected her mind and after her husband passed away she had to be sent to an institution

but was not there very long till she died. She was a very poor thing with the St Vitus like what her brother Alex was

when I was home in 1936. Bessie came to see her once and the Dr told her not to come again as it could do no good

and was only a trial for her to see her. I guess she may have been two years in the home before she died. She lived up

country in B.C. in the Apple Country. They had an orchard. She had a son and daughter, both married. I have met them

both, very like the Morgan family with fair hair and skin. I met them at Andrew Ledahs’ house. Then there is Aggie too in

Edmonton. She is married to Jim MacGregor, father used to be keeper at the prison, remember, a great big stout fellow.

Their son Hamish was in Kirkwall during the last war and visited Ruby Morgan his aunt. I met them all two years ago

when I was coming back from New York. I came home through Canada and stopped off at the different places. Saw

Annie Knight in Ontario, the Mowats in Winnipeg also Dod Seatter and his wife Dolly Muir and a few people in Edmonton

that I knew. Dod Windwick who served his time with Charlie McGregor, Jim McGregor. I met one of the Gunn boys from

Glaitness, Pete one of the youngest boys who used to deliver the milk. Dod Windwick had a party while I was there and I

met them all and we had a grand eve. Pete is an engineer on Canadian Pacific Railways and is a bachelor. He reminded

me of his brother Robbie, a great big fellow but very nice. Met Bill Sutherland and his wife [Mrs Skeene] in New

Westminster. They came to B.C. from Winnipeg as the winters were too hard on them. They live with one of their

married daughters. They have a lovely large house and they have a bedroom and sitting room to themselves and are

very comfortable. Bill is very frail, has had two strokes. I would not have known him. Love Barbara

Dear Jessie Nov 26th 51[personal sentences]I always hear from Jean Lutek, she sends me regular budgetof news, also Mrs Kemp, Nellie MacKay and Lillah. It makesme very happy to hear from you and all your home news. Iget the Orcadian and Peoples Journal from Meg Scott. Hermother has had some sickness must be quite a trial too forMaggie Jean with all the rest of her work. Jack and I had anice trip to British Columbia in summer, saw many oldfriends. We visited Bob Wilson in Naniamo [Isa Wilson’sbrother] who used to be purser on the St Ola. He is a finefellow and his wife is very jolly and kind. His brother Jimwho was in Vancouver passed away. He served his time inGeorge Rendalls. They were delighted to see us. I guessyou may know that Maggie Milne passed away in SantaBarbara. Her husband had gone to work as usual and aneighbour came in at 11.30 and found her dead on the floor.She had a heart condition for many years. I will miss her onmy visits down south. I always stopped to see her on myway from Los Angeles. She was always so jolly and kind andBill her husband is a fine fellow. His eldest son and wifehave moved in with him. He has a large house and likes hisdaughter in law. They are getting on well together so he islucky not being alone. Barbara

Dear Jessie Nov 26th 51[personal sentences]I always hear from Jean Lutek, she sends me regular budgetof news, also Mrs Kemp, Nellie MacKay and Lillah. It makesme very happy to hear from you and all your home news. Iget the Orcadian and Peoples Journal from Meg Scott. Hermother has had some sickness must be quite a trial too forMaggie Jean with all the rest of her work. Jack and I had anice trip to British Columbia in summer, saw many oldfriends. We visited Bob Wilson in Naniamo [Isa Wilson’sbrother] who used to be purser on the St Ola. He is a finefellow and his wife is very jolly and kind. His brother Jimwho was in Vancouver passed away. He served his time inGeorge Rendalls. They were delighted to see us. I guessyou may know that Maggie Milne passed away in SantaBarbara. Her husband had gone to work as usual and aneighbour came in at 11.30 and found her dead on the floor.She had a heart condition for many years. I will miss her onmy visits down south. I always stopped to see her on myway from Los Angeles. She was always so jolly and kindand Bill her husband is a fine fellow. His eldest son and wifehave moved in with him. He has a large house and likes hisdaughter in law. They are getting on well together so he islucky not being alone. Barbara

1860 Turk St. Apt 11San Francisco 15 Calif. Aug 26th 52Dear AnnaI have just come back from British Columbia after six weeksin that lovely country. I had a letter from Anna Allan, youknow her. She lived in Pretoria St, they had a shop acrossfrom Swanneys. She is in Racine, Wisconsin on a visit toher three brothers who are all married and live there. Shehad a lovely trip across sailed from Liverpool. I had a lettertoo from Jessie MacKay an old friend of mine, sister of Billwho was in the Post Office. She lives 18 miles out ofBoston. She flew home first of June and Nellie and hersister Teena who lives in Glasgow met her at the PrestwickAirport and they all went home to Orkney by plane. She waslast home 22 years ago.

I had intended stopping off at Portland to see Tom Hourstonbut I changed my mind it was too hot, 103 and that is plentyhot. They have had a heat spell of over a 100 for 25 daysand no let up in the state of Texas, many have died andcattle are suffering badly and crops all burnt up, which is agreat loss. They had a very bad quake in Bakersfield justthis side of Los Angeles. The buildings were alreadyweakened by the last one which happened only a few weeksback in a place near by, were badly damaged. 12 blockswill have to be rebuilt all public buildings, hospitals are atotal loss, but strange to say little loss of life, only two killedand about thirty injured, which is remarkable considering theseverity of the shock. Barbara

1860 Turk St. Apt 11San Francisco 15 Calif. Aug 26th 52Dear AnnaI have just come back from British Columbia after sixweeks in that lovely country. I had a letter from Anna Allan,you know her. She lived in Pretoria St, they had a shopacross from Swanneys. She is in Racine, Wisconsin on avisit to her three brothers who are all married and livethere. She had a lovely trip across sailed from Liverpool. Ihad a letter too from Jessie MacKay an old friend of mine,sister of Bill who was in the Post Office. She lives 18 milesout of Boston. She flew home first of June and Nellie andher sister Teena who lives in Glasgow met her at thePrestwick Airport and they all went home to Orkney byplane. She was last home 22 years ago.

I had intended stopping off at Portland to see Tom Hourstonbut I changed my mind it was too hot, 103 and that is plentyhot. They have had a heat spell of over a 100 for 25 daysand no let up in the state of Texas, many have died andcattle are suffering badly and crops all burnt up, which is agreat loss. They had a very bad quake in Bakersfield justthis side of Los Angeles. The buildings were alreadyweakened by the last one which happened only a fewweeks back in a place near by, were badly damaged. 12blocks will have to be rebuilt all public buildings, hospitalsare a total loss, but strange to say little loss of life, only twokilled and about thirty injured, which is remarkableconsidering the severity of the shock.Barbara

Jack & BarbaraDrummond(nee Harcus)

Jessie Ann Wishart1873 to 1953

Jessie Marwickand husband

Our thanks to MarionMcLeod, member no.58, for sharing theseletters from BarbaraDrummond (neeHarcus).Barbara lived nextdoor to Marion’sgreat-aunt JessieWishart in Victoria St,Kirkwall and theywere close friends.Marion would beinterested in findingout who BarbaraHarcus was.

Dave and AnnaMarwick,(nee Wishart)


Leonard was the youngest of the threechildren of Malcolm Corsie and Agnes Kidd.Isabella (Aunt Ella) lived all her life in thearea of Edinburgh, and my father Malcolmwas a Civil Servant whose main moves hadtaken him and his family to Durham,Morpeth and Ripon.For reasons that I have never discovered, myfather showed no interest in his ancestors,nor in the multitude of Corsie aunts, unclesand cousins, whose existence must have beenknown to him. Leonard, however, was intouch, in Canada, with his cousin TomCorsie, who seems to have befriended him onmany occasions, and was aware of otherrelations in North America.In the 1970s Leonard commissioned agenealogist to go through the data thenavailable. He put this information togetherwith what he knew already, and produced afamily tree consistent with what one mightnow extract from “Rousay Roots”. This putsthe earliest reliable dated Corsie ancestorsas Hugh Corsie and Christian Sinclair in1798. Before that we seem to have the wellknown black hole of the missing records, andno way of bridging it.Leonard and his wife Luella visited us manytimes. He set down what he knew aboutevery relation he could think of, and left itwith me. He also had an amazing recall ofpeople, places and circumstances fromchildhood onwards, but particularly of hislife in Canada. I urged him to write it alldown and eventually I received ininstalments a unique and irreplaceableaccount of a pretty tough struggle to reachrelative prosperity.Some time after I became the custodian ofall his material I learnt of the existence ofRousay Roots, and I am indebted to RobertMarwick for letting me have just about the

last copy in his possession.I realised that although I could add nothingin the way of ancestors, I did have a bit moreinformation about Hugh Corsie’sdescendants. This is included in a Corsie filewhich is with the Society.The first things that struck me about myline of descendants were the sheer numberof them, and the longevity of many. (Goodnews for present generations). The reasonfor the number was obvious: my great-greatgrandparents (William Corsie and AnnLeonard) had a large family, nearly all ofwhom followed suit! What also struck mewas the absence of information about asecond line which also began with HughCorsie.I have used William Corsie as my anchorpoint because sufficient is known about himto put his photograph on the Rousay Rootsweb site, and I have the original accountfrom The Orcadian of his and Ann’s Dia-mond Wedding party in 1913. He was bornon August 24 1830 to Malcolm Corsie andIsabella Louttit, the second of five children.This Malcolm Corsie was born on 17November 1798 to Hugh Corsie andChristian Sinclair, and died on January 181878. He had a brother, John, bornNovember 21 1800 – and that is all that isrecorded.My specific request to anyone who may beable to help is that if anything is known ofJohn, and of his descendants, if any, I shallbe very pleased to learn about it.I am well aware that not everyone wishes tobe included in a Family Tree as extensive asone covering the descendants of William andAnn, but I would very much like to hearfrom anyone who might be able [email protected]

It was my Uncle Leonard who first stirredmy interest in the Orkney background ofour family. To a boy growing up in

Northumberland in the 1930s he representedadventure, and was thought about with a touchof awe, for he had emigrated to Canada severalyears before I was born, and I was 16 when Ifirst met him in 1947 on his first return visit tohis homeland in twenty years.

Can you helpIan Corsie fillin the gaps?

Can you helpIan Corsie fillin the gaps?Ian Corsie. Member No 1367

Didyou know?On the afternoon ofApril 29th 1770 LtJames Cook of the‘Endeavour’ droppedanchor in Botany Bay.During his brief visit, anOrcadian seaman Forbus(Forby) Sutherland diedfrom tuberculosis andwas buried on the 1stMay just above the high-water mark on the beachof the bay.The approximate sitewas located in 1923 andrecorded by the RoyalAustralian HistoricalSociety.The death was recordedin the ship’s log andCook noted that he hadnamed the northwestpoint ‘Point Sutherlandin the sailor’s memory.Forby Sutherland,originally from Flotta inOrkney, has thedistinction of being thefirst European known tohave been buried inAustralia.


Iam a novice when it comes to researchingfamily trees, but my appetite was welland truly whetted when I found my

great-grandfather’s birth certificate amongsome papers belonging to my mother. Thissimple piece of grey paper with copperplatewriting in faded brown ink stated thatWilliam Tait Garrioch, son of John Garrioch,Carter, and Catherine Tait was born atVictoria Street, Kirkwall on the 15th day ofDecember 1862. It made me curious. I hadseen photos of my grandmother with herparents and knew she had been born onStronsay where her father William workedas a farm labourer, but I did not knowanything about her grandparents. So Ilogged on to the Scotland’s People website,determined to find out a bit more aboutthem. However, it is all too easy to get side-tracked when looking at census records andI started to get more interested in William’selder brother Robert instead. It is veryinteresting comparing the lives of the 2brothers and seeing how life dealt them verydifferent hands.

My great-grandfather William had a longand happy marriage. He had 6 children, allof whom married apart from one. Tragically,this son was killed while falling asleepdriving a road roller, and was crushed underthe wheel. My grandmother adored herbrother Davie and was greatly saddened byhis death. That apart, William’s family hasprospered. The descendants of this farmlabourer on Stronsay have spread out overthe world, settling in Germany, Mexico,Canada and New Zealand as well as themainland of Scotland and Orkney.

His elder brother, Robert, however, didn’thave the stability in his life that Williamhad, and through no fault of his own, as faras I can tell.

Robert was born on 6 May 1849. Hemarried Mary Holland on March 21 1871.He was a farm servant aged 21. She was aspinster aged 25, whose father was a farmer.Their daughter Emma was born 11 dayslater on April 1. The 1871 census, whichtook place on April 3rd, shows that theywere living with Robert’s parents, John andCatherine, at 88 Victoria Street Kirkwall.Also there on that day were Robert’s sisterMary aged 10 and his brother William aged8 (my great-grandfather.) His mother-in-law, Eliza Holland, was a visitor. No doubtshe had come to see the new baby. Whatpuzzled me on the 1871 census was the fact

that their daughter was called Mary and Icould find no trace of this Mary later on. Byluck, I discovered an Emma Garrioch livingon the same farm as Robert’s mother-in-lawin the 1881 census and worked back fromthere to trace her birth. She was indeedRobert’s first daughter. As the census thatyear took place on April 3 and Emma’s birthwas not registered until April 20, it isprobable that they hadn’t yet decided on aname, so they gave the baby the provisionalname of Mary, after the mother.

Robert and Mary went on to have 2 morechildren. A son, Robert, was born on 10August 1872 in Bridge Street, Kirkwall anda daughter Mary was born on 10 November1877 in Scapa Road, Kirkwall. By the timeof Mary’s birth, Robert was no longer a farmservant but a general labourer, possiblybecause the harvest would have beenfinished by that time and there was lesswork to do on the farm. (If there were anyother children in between, I haven’t foundthem.) Sadly, Robert’s wife died just 8 daysafter the birth of her third child due to“debility after parturition” - there must havebeen complications after childbirth.Presumably the services of a wet nursewould have been required and had to be paidfor, reducing the meagre wage he would havebeen getting and thus adding to the family’sproblems. So at the age of 28 Robert wasalready a widower with 3 children to supportand in the space of 6 years had movedlodgings at least 3 times.

In the 1881 census Robert was back livingwith his parents in Young Street, Kirkwall.His father’s occupation was given as“formerly Carter”, so the implication is thathe was not working. Also in the householdwere my great-grandfather William, by thistime aged 17 and an agricultural labourer(unemployed.) Robert seemed to be the onlyman in employment. His occupation wasgiven as general labourer. He wouldprobably have had to support his parentsand brother, as well as son Robert anddaughter Mary. Daughter Emma was bythis time with her grandmother ElizaHolland and her uncle James Holland ontheir farm, presumably having gone thereafter her mother died.

In 1882 Robert married Catherine Rosieon 17 October. His age on the marriagerecord is 31, instead of 33. Perhaps hethought he was a better catch if he deducteda couple of years! Catherine was 27.

ROBERT GARRIOCHTHE TRIALS and TRIBULATIONS OF

By Elizabeth Copp. Member No 1350

that bere bannocks havebeen eaten in Orkneysince neolithic times?Bere is an ancient typeof barley once known asbygg a name still usedfor barley in Norway.Bere bannocks aretraditionally eaten withlots of butter, Orkneycheese and ideallywashed down with a fewglasses of one of theOrkney beers availablenow throughout the UK.While bere bannocks areavailable from mostgood bakers in Orkney,many Orcadians prefer tomake their own.If you feel like getting thegirdle out ( If ourAmerican readers findthis confusing substitutea frying pan, or is itskillet, for a girdle) andtry making your own.First you will need a sup-ply of beremeal so con-tact the Birsay Trust atwww.birsay.org.uk/baronymill.htm They operatethe last working watermill in Orkney whereberemeal is stillproduced and where youcan purchase smallquantities online. This issupplied together withsome old Orkneyberemeal recipies and itcan be sent to Canadaand America and mostEuropean countries butit appears thatrestrictions in Australiado not permit the importof even small quantitiesof any type of cereal.

Did you know


Her occupation is difficult to make out,but her father was a widower so I presumeshe was looking after him. She obviouslyfound Robert attractive and was happy tolook after his young family as well. 7months later, their daughter, MargaretAnne, was born on 10 May in Victoria Road,Kirkwall. Margaret Anne got a sister,Isabella Craigie Garrioch, 2 years later on22 July 1885. Sadly, just 7 months later,Catherine died of consumption in theBalfour Hospital. Once again, Robert waswidowed and this time he had 4 children tosupport. I presume that his son Robert, whowould have been 14 in August of that year,would have left school to find employment tohelp the situation.

Because the marriage and death ofCatherine come between censuses, it is noteasy to find out where Robert then went andwhat his employment was. However, just 4years after the death of his second wife, hemarried for the third time on 13thNovember1890 at Lighthouse, Holm, toRobina Lanskill. (That is the spelling of hername on the certificate, although herfather’s name is spelt Lanskail.) Robert’soccupation was given as farm servant, soperhaps he travelled to Holm to work on afarm and met her there. His age on themarriage certificate was 42 even althoughhe was really 41. Robina was also 42.Perhaps he didn’t want her to know he wasyounger! Robina was a domestic servantand a spinster, but the 1881 census of Holmand Paplay showed Robina living atLighthouse as the head of the family with 4children, ranging in age from 13 to 2. It wasbrave of Robert to take on another 4children, but at least he made an honestwoman of her!

This period of his life was the most stable.He did not move house again, for on the1901 census, he was still at Lighthouse withRobina. It may well have been the mostspacious accommodation he had lived in,forin the 1901 census the number of roomswith windows is given as three. (Anotherfamily living nearby had only 2 windows.) Iwould imagine his previous lodgings were ina house, whereas Lighthouse was a but andben with land. Robert died there from heartdisease on 18 March 1912 at the age of 62.His occupation on the death certificate isgiven as farm servant, so perhaps he wasstill working when he died. I like to thinksome peace had come into his life, for he hada lot of heartache.

Thanks to Hazel Goar I have been able tofill in some gaps about Robert and hisdescendants. By sheer coincidence, Hazelwas in the Family History Room when Iwent there last summer to make enquiriesabout the Garriochs.* When I mentioned mygreat grand uncle living at the Lighthouse,

Hazel told me that she had been in thehouse as a child and had been givenchocolate wafer biscuits by Bertie Garrioch,who I later discovered was Robert’sgrandson by his daughter Isabella. Isabelladid not marry. I was very touched whenHazel sent me a photo of Bertie as a youngman, leaning on his scythe in a field oflupins. This photo appeared on an Orkneycalendar some years ago. I was looking atmy second cousin once removed, whoseexistence I had been unaware of untilrecently.

So Robert’s family had very differentfortunes from those of William’s family. Lifeis a funny old business and there is a lot ofluck in life. Some people just happen to getdealt a difficult hand and I do think thatRobert got more than his fair share ofsadness in his younger life. I’m not sayingthat Robert was an angel, but it seems to methat he always did the right thing bymarrying his women, even if he did leave itrather late in the case of his first wife! WhenI told my son about Robert’s rather latemarriage to his first wife and the birth of hisdaughter 11 days later, he just laughed andwondered if there was a connection with theharvest! This certainly ties in with the dateof the birth in April. Mary was a farmer’sdaughter and Robert was a farm servant.Perhaps Robert had been working on herfather’s farm at the harvest and their eyesmet as she was bringing the men their piece!Who knows! That would involve someresearch into where Robert was working andI don’t know if that is possible but it is fun tosuppose!

I still hope to find out a bit more aboutRobert’s father John Garrioch and his wifeCatherine Tait, so if there is anyone outthere who knows anything, please get intouch with me. My e-mail address [email protected] *There are variations on the spelling of this name in myfamily. On the Stronsay census the hand written entryspells William’s name as Garrick, unlike the spelling onhis birth certificate of Garrioch.

Bertie Garrioch

Didyou knowthat provided you cookthem properly spootsmake a tasty bite?What is a spoot? Thespoot is the razor clam,so called I suppose be-cause it looks like an oldfashioned closedcutthroat razor.How does one catchthem? The short answeris with difficulty. They liejust below the tide line sothe very low ebbs thatoccur in the spring areideal. One walksbackwards clutch-ing along knife of bread knifelength but sturdier. Thevibrations from your feetcauses the spoot toburrow downwards re-markably quickly. Itsdeparture is indicated bya little depression in thesurface of the sand. Oneimmediately plunges theknife into the sand at anangle endeavouring tomake contact with theshell and stop the spootescaping. The sand isquickly scooped awayand the prize seized.As in the catching, thecooking must be donerapidly. Pour boilingwater over the spootsand remove them onlyfrom the shells that open(most will). Most peopleeat only the fruit i.e. thewhite smooth part anddiscard the rest. Pourabout two tablespoons ofolive oil into a pan andheat, then with the heathigh drop the spoot intothe oil and fry for about30 seconds rolling itabout so that it cooksevenly. Enjoy them withbere bannocks—butthat’s another story.


As the Earl’s army stepped ashore atOrphir they encountered an old Orkneyspeywife. The Earl asked her how he wouldfare in the battle. In reply she handed himtwo balls of wool, one red, the other blue.

She told him to choose one sayng that thelonger of the two balls would show the victor.

She then took the end of each ball andwound them together to make a new ball.

To the Earl’s horror his colour was first tocome to an end. However another omen ismentioned—the first blood spilled willdetermine the loser of the battle.

To ensure that this prophecy would cometrue, the Earls men ruthlessly slaughtered ayoung herd boy who was standing close by.The witch attempted to stop them but it wastoo late. To their dismay she revealed thatthe boy had belonged to Caithness.

The battle took place at Summerdale,where the parishes of Stenness and Orphirmeet. It was a complete victory for theOrcadians who were no doubt assisted bytheir patron saint, Magnus, who fortuitouslyappeared and aided them on the day. TheEarl, together with hundreds of his men, wasslain. William was captured and was oncemore sent across the Pentland Firth.

Now the wrath of the Scottish Crownwould descend on Orkney. But no; it appearsthat the politicians descended instead.

It was known that King Christians suc-cessor to the throne, King John of Denmarkand Norway had pledged himself by oath toregain the isles pawned to Scotland. Theoutcome of the recent battle showed clearlywhere the Orcadian sympathies lay. Whatwould be the result if James Sinclair soughthelp from King John? Appeasement ratherthan revenge was the answer.

James Sinclair was bought off with aknighthood and a feu charter on the islandsof Sanday and Stronsay. No action was takenagainst Edward or the other leaders of theinsurrection. The burgh charter granted toKirkwall by James III was confirmed byJames V in 1536. And they all lived happilyever after. Well not really; for some strangereason that has never been explained SirJames Sinclair committed suicide . . . .or didhe?

When it was arranged that thedaughter of King Christian I ofDenmark and James III of Scotland

should wed, Christian agreed to pay 60,000florins in respect of her dowry; 10,000 incash with the Orkney Islands pledged untilthe balance was forthcoming.

It was essentially a ‘pawn’ arrangementand the understanding was the islands couldbe redeemed at any time. The Scottish Par-liament chose to ignore this and in 1471Orkney was annexed to Scotland.

As a result of this, property belonging tothe earldom was now rented to tacksmenwho collected the various skats, rents andother dues formerly paid to the earls. Thefirst was Bishop William Tulloch then Bishop Andrew and in 1489 Lord HenrySinclair who also held the Crown appoint-ment of Justice or Governor of the Islands.

In 1513 Henry was slain at the Battle ofFlodden. The tack continued under his wid-ow but his brother William of Walsetter tookover Henry’s legal duties. He was also ent-rusted with the upbringing of Henry’s sonWilliam, a minor at that time.

When Walsetter died, William’s mothermanoeuvred to have her son appointedJustice Depute of Orkney.

William soon showed himself to be such anarrogant and unpleasant young man, thatthe Orcadians rose against him, seized theSinclair castle of Kirkwall and bundledyoung William off to Caithness.

The uprising was led by James Sinclair ofBreck and his brother Edward. James inparticular objected to the Scottish infil-tration of Orkney and had refused to pay hisdues for more than three years. They werethe illegitimate sons of William of Walsetterand kinsman of the deposed William.

The exiled William appealed to the King.The Crown demanded the return of Kirkwallcastle. This was refused.

William, aided by the Earl of Caithnessand with Crown approval raised an army inCaithness and invaded Orkney landing onthe north side of Scapa Flow. James Sinclair,however, had prior knowledge of theseevents and had assembled an army ofOrcadians ready to tackle the invaders.

the last battlefought in OrkneyBy John Sinclair. Member No 588

The Raadzaal, one ofPretoria’s most gracefulpublic buildings, wasdesigned by SytzeWierda and constructedby an Orcadian settlerJ.L.Kirkness. The doors and windowswere made by SamuelBaikie of Kirkwall,Orkney and shipped toDurban, South Africa.From there they weretransported by rail toCharlestown on theNatal border and therest of the journey wascompleted by ox-wagon.During the 1890s thebuilding was the venuefor meetings of theTransvaal Volksraad.After the Boer war itwas the legislative seatof the Transvaal CrownColony. From 1910-1986 it housed theTransvaal ProvincialCouncil.The building which wascompleted by Kirknessin 1891 was declared ahistorical monument 77years later in 1968.The illustration aboveappears on the back ofthe President Krugerand Raadzaal medalstruck in 1904

Didyou know?


Ilove the internet! Without it I am not sure whether Iwould have persevered in my search for an elusive3rd cousin, another Orkney descendant.

My husband and I became simultaneously hooked ongenealogy in 1987, purchasing our first, very basic,computer at that time. I began with my mother’s side ofthe family which eventually led me back to RichardWarren who had emigrated in 1620 on the Mayflowerfrom England to what would become Plymouth,Massachusetts. I knew that my parents had visitedOrkney more than once when I was a child, but I hadnever talked with my father about his side of the familyor the Orkney connection. By the time I started myresearch he was no longer alive. I did find some notes ofhis, though, which aimed me in the right direction. Afew years ago a cousin and I visited Orkney – a trip of alifetime for me! With Helen Manson as a guide wevisited cemeteries and locations where our ancestorshad lived.

I had been in touch regularly with a 2nd cousin inNew Zealand, the granddaughter of James WallaceLouttit, my grandfather’s brother. I suspected thatthere were cousins in South Africa, the children andgrandchildren of William Louttit, the great grandson ofGeorge Louttit (1794-1851) and Isabella (Louttit)Louttit (1805-1891) of South Ronaldsay. I wrote to theHuman Sciences Research Council in Pretoria in 1995seeking information and received a death notice forJohn Louttit (d. 1908), brother of William. Hisoccupation was listed as Tailor and Outfitter,interesting in that this profession follows through inthe family from Orkney on down. The researcher alsoincluded some notes with bits of genealogicalinformation including the names of William’s twochildren Robert and Margaret. I was unable to traceMargaret but had high hopes of reaching Robert – Inow had a phone number. Thinking back over the years,I cannot recall why I was unable to contact him then,but I did not.

About four or five years ago I went online; this timethe Research Council in Pretoria had a web site andemail. I was able to get an address for Robert IrvineLouttit. I wrote him and then waited and waited andwaited. I had given up on ever finding the SouthAfrican connection when I received mail from Australia.Robert Irvine (known as Irvine) Louttit had recentlydied, and his daughter Margaret, who now lived inAustralia, had been sent his mail, including my letter.She had had no idea that she had relatives in the USA;I am her 3rd cousin. I also told her of her cousinMargaret in New Zealand, and I understand that theykeep in touch via email.

This bit of genealogical sleuthing was great fun.There are a few other family tree “brick walls” that I

would like to break down but, with time, I hope thatthey too will crumble.

Here is the line that led to Margaret:George Louttit of South Ronaldsay (1794-1851) and

Isabella (Louttit) Louttit (1805-1891) who had 9children including John Louttit (1827 -?) who marriedJessie Budge; they had 7 children including Williamwho married Margaret R. Chambers (b. England – d. circa 1950). They had 3 children including RobertIrvine Louttit (1909-2000) who had Margaret b. 1942.Margaret married Richard Patrick Maynard and theyhave a son Nicholas b. 1974.

My line:The above George and Isabella Louttit whose son

William (1833-1910) had William Easton Louttit (1866-1930). His son William Easton Louttit Jr. (1904-1973)was my father. George lived in South Ronaldsay, his sonWilliam moved to Edinburgh and then Wooler, England,his son William Easton emigrated to the U.S.

WEL Jr. lived his life in Rhode Island, USA and wasmy father. I would be thrilled to hear from any peopleresearching Louttit of South Ronaldsay.

Lorraine Louttit Hilton Coventry, RI. USAMember No 364. Email <[email protected]>

Dear John, I think you are to be congratulated on the way thatthe magazine is progressing at the moment. Well done! Praise isalso due to the members from near and far who are sending inint-eresting articles. I for one feel these stories should bepreserved for future generations and researchers. I also feel itwould be a good idea to have binders for our magazines. Abinder, suitably named, the size of the one which held twelve“Orkney Views” (thanks to Alastair and Anne Cormack no 73)could hold four or five years magazines. Not too expensive anoutlay. It would be good to hear what other members think. Itshould be possible to get back numbers to complete a set. So asnot to put extra work on to the office-bearers I would be willing todistribute binders and perhaps some of the other volunteerswould too. Thanks again, John, and keep up the good work.yours, Nan. e-mail [email protected]

Finally a pat on the head and asuggestion from Member No 8.

Sorry if your article did not appear in thisedition of SIB Folk News but some material hashad to be held over until June.If you have not yet contributed to the news-letter can I persuade you to send me somethingfor our June issue. I would require it by 17thApril and it can be as short or long as you like.Remember the success of our newsletterdepends on the support of members like YOU.

The Orkney Family History SocietyM

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tc Orkney Family History Society was formed

in 1997 and is run by a committee ofvolunteers.

It is similar to societies operating worldwidewhere members share a mutual interest in familyhistory and help each other with research and,from time to time assist in special projects con-cerning the countless records and subjectsavailable to us all in finding our roots.

The main objectives are:1 To establish a local organisation for the study,

collection, analysis and sharing of informationabout individuals and families in Orkney.

2 To establish and maintain links with otherfamily history groups and genealogical societiesthroughout the UK and overseas

3. To establish and maintain a library and otherreference facilities as an information resource formembers and approved subscribers.

4.To promote study projects and special interestgroups to pursue approved assignments.

We are located on the upper floor of theKirkwall Library next to the archives departmentand are open Mon–Fri 2pm–4.30pm and Sat11am–4.30pm.

Our own library, though small at the moment,holds a variety of information including:

The IGI for Orkney on microfiche.The Old Parish Records on microfilm.The Census Returns on microfilm transcribedon to a computer database.Family Trees.Emigration and Debtors lists.Letters, Articles and stories concerning Orkneyand its people.Hudson’s Bay Company information.Graveyard Surveys (long term project).This material is available to members for ‘in

house’ research by arrangement.Locally we have monthly Members’ Evenings

with a guest speaker.We produce a booklet of members and interests

to allow members with similar interests tocorrespond with each other if they wish.

We also produce a newsletter 4 times a yearand are always looking for articles andphotographs of interest. A stamped addressedenvelope should be included if these are to bereturned. Back copies of the magazine can bepurchased at £1 per copy.

We can usually undertake research formembers who live outwith Orkney but this isdependent on the willingness of our island mem-bers giving up their spare time to help.

ORDINARYFamily membership £10.00

FAMILY MEMBERSHIPSpouse, Partner and Children under 18 £15.00

SENIOR CITIZENSSingle or couple £7.00

OVERSEASSurface Mail £12.50

OVERSEASAir Mail £15.00

Membership of the Society runs from 1stMarch to 28th/29th February andsubscriptions should be renewed during

the month of March. All subscriptions should besent to the Treasurer at the OFHS address below.

New members joining before the 1st Decemberwill receive back copies of the three magazines forthe current year. From 1st December new memberswill receive membership for the remainder of thecurrent year, plus the following year, but will notreceive the back copies of the magazine.

The present subscription rates are as follows:

Overseas members should pay their fees insterling or its equivalent. If it is not possible tosend pounds sterling please check the exchangerate. Our bank will accept overseas chequeswithout charging commission. Receipts will beissued with the next magazine. Members residingin the United Kingdom may pay theirsubscriptions by Bankers Order and if they wishcan have their subscriptions treated as giftdonations. Forms will be sent on request.

Cheques should be made payable to:ORKNEY FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY

and forwarded to

ORKNEY FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY Orkney Library & Archive

44 Junction Rd, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1AGTelephone 01856 873166 extension 3029

General enquires should be addressed to the office in writing or toGeneral Secretary and Treasurer

Mr George Gray (e-mail [email protected])Research Secy. Adrianne Leask (e-mail [email protected])

Editor. John Sinclair (e-mail [email protected])Orkney Family History Society website— www.orkneyfhs.co.uk

Articles in the newsletter are copyright to the Society andits authors and may not be reproduced without permiss-ion of the editor. The Society is a registered charity inScotland and a member of the Scottish Association ofFamily History Societies. The Society’s newsletter, SibFolk News is registered with the British Library underthe serial number ISSN 1368-3950.

sibfolknews - orkney family history society · including transatlantic tours by hadhirgaan in 2000...

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