Introduction / Families / Groat / Robert Groat and Janet Guthrie / John Groat and Margaret Bain

Robert Groat and Mary Drever

Robert Groat (c. 9th November 1834) was the third of the six children of John Groat and Margaret Bain. He was born in Westray and married Mary Drever (b. 27th May 1843) in December 1864. Mary was a daughter of Thomas Drever and Jean Bain from Moa and subsequently Roadside.

Robert’s sister, Elizabeth Groat, married Mary Drever’s brother, Robert Drever.

Robert farmed 13 acres at Cooan in the Skelwick district of Westray as well as fished. This is where Robert and Mary’s four children were born:

• Barbara Drever Groat who was born on 9th October 1865. She died on 19th January 1952, at Dean, Rapness in Westray.

• Robert Groat who was born on 21st January 1868 and married Elizabeth Harcus in June 1906. Elizabeth was born on 17th February 1870 at Wasbest, Westray to Thomas Harcus and Margaret Rendall. Robert and Elizabeth had a daughter Lily Margaret Groat on 5th February 1910 who married Thomas Mason, a son of Thomas Mason and Margaret Fergus from Mayfield in 1936. Elizabeth died at Cooan, Westray on 11th February 1937, aged sixty six and Robert died there on 7th May 1939, aged seventy one. Their daughter died there at the age of ninety two.

• Thomas Groat who was born on 25th December 1873 and married Elizabeth Flett in 1908. Thomas died at Blackwell Flotta on 10th December 1949 at the age of seventy five.

• John Groat who as born on 23rd October 1879. John died at Cooan on 21st April 1951 at the age of seventy one.

Mary Drever died at Cooan on 6th August 1899 at the age of fifty six. Robert Groat lived a further fourteen years, dying there on 2nd March 1915.