Introduction / Westray Grays / George Gray and Margaret Seatter / George Gray and Jean Reid / Robert Gray and Christian Harcus / William Gray and Margaret Hewison

Barbara Gray and Thomas Harcus

Barbara Gray (b. about 1847) was the first daughter among the eight children of William Gray and Margaret Hewison. Leaving the family home at North Hammar, she was a general domestic servant with George Logie and his wife at Lochend at the time of the 1871 census.

She married Thomas Harcus (b. about 1850) from Langskaill in January 1874. He was the son of farmer William Harcus and Margaret Paterson. They stayed at Langskaill where their four children were born:

• William Harcus b. 5th November 1874 who married May Chalmers, the daughter of Robert Chalmers and May Rendall in Westray in 1910. They had a large family, born at Langskaill.

• Margaret Harcus b. 7th April 1876. She died at Langskaill on 16th September 1939 at the age of sixty three

• Jean Harcus b. 7th May 1881 who married George Seatter (b. about 1883), the son of John Seatter and Margaret Rendall. They farmed at East Kirbest and had five children. George died there on 2nd February 1960 and Jean Harcus, the following year on 14th November at the age of eighty.

• Thomas Harcus b. 18th September 1885 who married Isabella Costie, the daughter of Alexander Costie and Isabella Kent from North Cubbigeo. They had seven daughters born at Langskaill. Thomas died there on 21st March 1973 when he was eighty seven. Isabella died three years later on 25th January 1976 at the age of eighty one.