SIB FOLK NEWS - Orkney Family History Society

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NEWSLETTER OF THE ORKNEY FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY Issue No. 47 September 2008
I FOUND MY
ANCESTRAL HOME
By Peter Thorley. Member No 1124
Our second visit to Orkney in 2004 was a co-ordinated
event in which my wife and her two sisters rendezvoused
with two cousins from Chicago Illinois, all descendants of
Benjamin Stout, first coxswain of the Longhope Lifeboat.
During our visit we were royally hosted by fellow cousins/OFHS
members Fred & Liz Johnston of Stromness
and Angus & Margaret Heddle of Longhope.
During our trip we visited the ancestral home, Newhouse
on Brims. Newhouse is situated on the hill overlooking
Upper Salwick and the Longhope Lifeboat station
(now the Lifeboat museum) with spectacular views
over The Ayre, Aith Hope and the Pentland Firth.
I believe that Newhouse was built by Benjamin following
his marriage to Harriet Taylor Robertson of Osmandswall
in 1859 although the earlier census returns
don’t name the dwelling, 1891 being the first census in
which it is named. Having visited the site, considering
the size of the dwelling and its lack of facilities, I was
amazed that Benjamin & Harriet were able to successfully
raise 10 children there (an eleventh child died in
infancy).
Census returns of Benjamin and family are as follows:-
1861 1871 1881 1891 1901
Name AGE AGE AGE AGE AGE
Benjamin Stout 30 40 51 60 71
Harriet Stout 24 33 44 52 63
Sutherland Stout 1 11 21 - -
Catherine Ann Stout 9 * - -
John Stout 8 18 - -
Isabella Stout 6 16 - -
Wilhelmina Stout 3 13 - -
Georgina Stout 1 11 - -
Harriet Stout 9 19 -
James Alick Stout 6 16 26
Mary Alice Stout 4 14 24
Benjamin Edward Stout 2 12 22
*Working at Hope Hotel, South Ronaldsay
Benjamin’s occupation is recorded as Farmer/Fisherman
as were many of the residents of Brims at that
time;he also retained a lifelong connection to the Longhope
Lifeboat.
He was Coxswain of the Lifeboat for 26 years, retiring
at the age of 70 in 1900. He was awarded the RNLI
Silver medal in 1891 for his gallantry in connection with
the rescue of crew from the S.S. ‘Victoria’ of Sunderland.
Eleven of the rescued crew were Germans and the Emperor
of Germany presented a gold watch to Benjamin
and £24 to the crew of the lifeboat.
The six oldest of Benjamin & Harriet’s offspring emi-
‘Newhouse’ on Brimms—My Ancestral Home
grated to the USA in the 1880’s all settling in Illinois.
The seventh child Harriet joining them in the 1890`s.
The American contingent of our visiting group, Bonnie
Johnson and her sister Lori Milam, are descendants of
Benjamin’s daughter Isabella.
The three youngest children stayed in the UK, James
Alick Stout lived and worked around Edinburgh & Fife
and is believed to later
have moved to Dorset
in England; Mary Alice
Stout stayed on Walls,
marrying John Taylor
Norquay in 1907; Benjamin
Edward Stout
(my wife’s Grandfather)
moved to Methil in Fife
where he worked as a
Customs Officer.
Harriet died in 1904
and Benjamin passed
away at the age of 81
in 1911. Newhouse
The 3 Benjamins. Benjamin Edward (b.1878),
his son (standing) Benjamin Stout (B. 1905),
and grandson Benjamin (B. 1930)
remained in the Stout
family and was occupied,
almost continuously, by
them except for a short
time in the 1920s when a Johnston stayed there for a
few years. The last Stout connection with Newhouse
was John Norquay, a son of Mary Alice Stout who lived
there until the 1950s. After he left, the house remained
unoccupied and eventually became uninhabitable. It is
evidently up for sale so hopefully may one day be rebuilt
or restored as a family home. Finally, if anyone can add
to, improve the accuracy of the above or have any “Stout”
family history information to share, I would be very
pleased to hear from them at pthorleysa@hotmail.com
The ‘Stout’ visitors with whom we made contact on our visit ion 2004.
Standing L-R Wilma Harford (nee Stout), Bonnie Johnson (nee Milam), Margaret
Heddle, Lori Milam, Angus Heddle, Doreen Hoyle (nee Stout).
Sitting is Carrie Thorley (nee Stout).