Introduction / Families

Groat

The Groats on Pharay are very much associated with the dwellings at or near Lakequoy although at Quoy before that. These Groats were descendants of Robert Groat and Elizabeth Drever.

The rental of 1810 has Robert Groat at Quoy in the north end of the island. Robert and Elizabeth had at least two children:

• Janet Groat, born about 1775 on Pharay who married William Harcus. They moved to Eday about 1817 to 1820.

• Robert Groat, born about 1780 on Pharay who married Janet Guthrie

The Groats subsequently on Pharay are descendants of son Robert Groat. This Robert and his wife Janet Guthrie were still at Quoy at the time of the 1841 census and Robert in 1851 and with children there until 1871.

The Groats association with Lakequoy is through Robert Groat and Janet Guthrie’s son, also Robert Groat, who married Elizabeth Harcus. He was there at the time of the first census in 1841. The Groat association continued with their grandson James Groat and great grandson, also James Groat, until 1927.

There are couple of separately named houses associated with Lakequoy recorded in some of the censuses. The elder James Groat occupied Roadside in the 1871 census. He is shown under Lakequoy thereafter.

Stewart Groat, another son of Robert Groat and Elizbeth Harcus, was at Hill (the other house) in 1861 while his brother Robert Groat was a Lakequoy. His widow was there in 1871 and son Robert Groat in 1881. He subsequently moved to Furrowend in Eday.

In more recent times, William Groat from Papa Westray lived at Cott for about nine years from around 1924. He is unconnected with the earlier Groats