Introduction / Families / Drever / William Drever and Barbara Shearer

A Son of Thomas Drever and Ann Hourston?

William Drever moved to Westray and died before the introduction of statutory recording of births, marriages and deaths in Scotland in 1855 hence his parents are not known with certainty.

He lived on Pharay for a time although it is not substantiated whether he came from elsewhere or was born and brought up there.

The only indication of William’s age comes from the 1841 Westray census, which has him as 55 years old. With the rounding down to the five years below, this would indicate that he was born between 1781 and 1786, which is just prior to the commencement of the recording of baptisms in Eday and Pharay (1789).

The children of Thomas Drever and Ann Hourston and indications of date of birth (largely derived from subsequent censuses) are:

• Jane Drever born about 1784 who married Robert Sinclair

• David Drever born about 1789 who married Ann Reid

• Isabella Drever born about 1793 who married William Gullion

• Mary Drever c. 1st October 1797

William certainly fits into the correct time period.

The witnesses to the baptism of William Drever and Barbara Shearer’s first son, Thomas Drever, were David Hourston and John Omand. This may be the David Hourston who was born on Pharay and at Lochend, Eday at the time of the 1851 census. It is noted that the possible mother of William is a Hourston.

It is also noted that William and David Drever (a definite son of Thomas Drever and Ann Hourston) both had four sons, which were given the same names: Thomas, David, John and James.