Introduction

Papa Westray Grays
William Gray and Mary Robertson

William Gray was the oldest (known) child of William Gray and Barbara Allan, and was christened in the parish of Westray and Papa Westray on 18th January 1806. According to the census records of 1871 and 1881, which distinguished between the two islands, he was born on the island of Westray, not on Papa Westray.

William married Mary Robertson (born 1798, daughter of William Robertson and Isabella Gray) on 21st December 1824. They had seven children:

• Elizabeth Isabella Gray was born 11th April 1825, and baptized on 24th April.

• William Gray, born 23rd June and baptized 6th August, 1826.

• David Gray was born 23rd September 1828. He married Ann Harcus and had 6 children.

• Jane Gray was born 17th December 1835, and christened on 17th July 1836. She married James Tulloch, and had 5 children.

• Mary Gray, born 16th December 1839 and christened 10th March 1840. She was listed in the 1841 census, age 1 year, but apparently died within the following year, since the next daughter was also named Mary.

• Mary Gray, christened 26th June 1842. She married John James Logan Foulis, and had 5 children.

• John Gray was born 10th August 1845 and christened 25th October 1846. He married May Keldie, and had 8 children.

From the first census in 1841, to the 1871 census, the records indicate that William spent his life as a farm servant on Papa Westray, working for the Holland estate. In the 1841 and 1851 censuses, he and his family were living at Holland.

1841 Holland No 11

	Age	Born
William Gray	35 years	Orkney
Mary Gray	40 years	Orkney
Isabella Gray	15 years	Orkney
Jane Gray	5 years	Orkney
Mary Gray	1 year	Orkney
Isabella Gray	70 years	Orkney

By 1861 they were at Newhouses (which replaced the Holland farm servants' housing), and they were still there at the time of the 1871 census.

1871 Newhouses No 4

	Relation	Age	Occupation	Born
William Gray	Head	66 years	Farm Servant	Westray
Mary Gray	Wife	73 years	Domestic Work	Papa Westray
Isabella Gray	Dau	45 years	General servant	Papa Westray
Mary Gray	Dau	29 years	General Ag. work	Papa Westray

In 1881 William (whose age was given as 73 years, although he was actually 75), his wife Mary, and their unmarried daughter Isabella were living at East Dykeside (also known as Quarryhouses), and William's occupation was "formerly farm servant".

There is a gap of more than 7 years between the births of David and Jane, which is unusual in families of that period. One possible explanation is that there were some stillborn children. Another possibility is that William was away working somewhere else, where he couldn't get home even for visits for several years. Perhaps he was a seaman before he settled down and became a farm servant, sailing on the long-distance routes, for instance to India and Australia. The Hudson's Bay Company had many Orcadian employees at that time, but the HBC Archives has no record indicating that he was working for the HBC.

Mary Robertson died on 4th January, 1884, at Quarryhouses, Papa Westray. William Gray died 7 years later, on the 12th January, 1891, at Vola, Papa Westray, the home of his son John. On William's death registration form his father's name is given as John, but since other records, in particular the record of William's baptism, indicate that his father was another William, this is likely just a mistake on the part of the informant (his son John). Mary and William were probably buried in St. Boniface churchyard, Papa Westray, but there is no stone there for them.