Gray, Robert Lawson

1901 - 1931  (30 years)

• Name	Gray, Robert Lawson
  Born	16 Apr 1901	Skirts of Foudland Insch
  Gender	Male
  Died	2 Aug 1931	Craigieford Insch (Suicide)
  Buried	17 Aug 1931	Lair 23 Section C Insch Cemetery
  Person ID	I496	My Genealogy
  Last Modified	16 Mar 2004

  
  

  Father	Gray, George,   b. 30 Jan 1860, Little Wardend Parish of Banff ,   d. 21 Aug 1935, Strabathie Blackdog Br.of Don Abn.  (Age 75 years)
  Mother	Florence, Mary,   b. 11 Nov 1864, Ryehill Oyne ,   d. 21 Nov 1945, Insch Aberdeenshire  (Age 81 years)
  Married	12 Dec 1885	Oyne
  Notes	Proclaimed Parish Church of Keithhall December 1885
  Photos		Harthill Farm L to R John Gray, Henry Gray, Robert Lawson Gray, Alexander McIntosh Gray, Mary Ellen Gray and Lucy Gray. The three men lying at the front were farm workers
  Documents		Census Insch 1891 George and Mary Gray
  		Census Insch 1901 George and Mary Gray
  Family ID	F166	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Ferguson, Mary,   b. 29 Apr 1894,   d. 26 Dec 1983, Jubilee Hospital Huntly  (Age 89 years)
  Married	NOT MARRIED
  Children	1. Gray, Alexander Will,   b. 22 Jan 1919, New Mains Oyne ,   d. 18 Feb 2000, Jubilee Hospital Huntly  (Age 81 years)
  Last Modified	3 Jul 2014
  Family ID	F1254	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Photos » Slide Show		Rin 496 ROBERT_L_GRAY
  		Harthill Farm L to R John Gray, Henry Gray, Robert Lawson Gray, Alexander McIntosh Gray, Mary Ellen Gray and Lucy Gray. The three men lying at the front were farm workers
  		Robert Catherine and John Gray In this photograph Catherine is seen with her brothers young John on her right and Robert Lawson on her left The photo is undated and is probably taken at the family farm of Harthill Oyne
  		Robert Lawson Gray

  
  

  Documents		Death Cert Robert Lawson Gray
  		Death Cert Robert Lawson Gray Corrected

  
  

  Headstones

  Robert L Gray Plot: Lair 22 Section C

  
  

• Notes

  Family legend has it that Robert Lawson Gray was engaged to be married when he undertook the tenancy of a farm only to see the engagement broken off and his ring returned My mother Isabella Gray moved in as temporary house keeper to keep things ticking over. "Don't let him out of your sight" she was told One day thinking that she had not seen him for some little time she went to find him She found him hanging in the barn Blaming herself, the shock turned her hair white and caused it to fall out. From this hair loss she never completely recovered On his death certificate he died at about 5.30 pm on the 2nd Aug 1931 aged 30 years farmer of Craigieford and the cause of death due to strangulation by hanging The Informant was Alexander M Gray (brother) on Aug the 3rd 1931at Insch In the register of corrected entries the Procurator Fiscal W J Robertson repeats the details, listing death as Suicide When his sister Catherine died intestate in 1974 her small estate had to be devided up in accordance with Scottish law i.e.equal shares to each of her siblings Robert Lawsons share fell to his son Alexander of whose existence I was completely unaware What part if any did this child play in the drama of Craigieford? Cousin Sandy Stevenson says he will check with the Registrars office in Aberdeen to see if they can locate a birth and hence the name of the mother He also adds that the couple were unable to marry as she was pregnant and they could not be married by the Free Church of Scotland or at least permission was refused The above investigation produced one possible birth Alexander Stewart 25 April 1932 place Skirts of Foudland Insch mother Jemima Stewart domestic servant ( no father mentioned) I am unable to say positively whether this is the right child and mother Sandy has followed up this lead Jemima married a man from Rothienorman called Main and the child Alexander when grown also married 21 Nov 1959 to Christina Paterson Sandy located her now a widow living in Inverurieand paid her a visit (May 2006)There is no proof of any family connection Later enquiry by Sandy Stevenson elicits the following On the registrars computer screen the following item was displayed when searching for Alexander F Gray Birth 22nd Jan 1919 Adopted Place New Mains Oyne at 5 10 am Male Parents Robert Lawson Gray farmer and Mary Ferguson farmers daughter and signed by both at Harthill Oyne dated 17 Feb Alex Riddel registrar This child was later belived adopted Mary Ferguson may well have been a sister to Elizabeth Ferguson who married George Gray in fact she attended the wedding at Premnay in 1916 Sandys further investigations reveal that Mary Ferguson was indeed sister to Elizabeth and that she kept the child Two years later she married Robert Will (1921) and they adopted the boy changing his surname to Will When he grew up Alexander Will married an Elizabeth Smith at the Commercial Hotel Insch (1947) and they lived in Huntly His occupation was car mechanic They appear to have only one child Jenifer Mary who married a marine mechanic employed by the RN on HMS Repulse at Faslane His name is David Martin Wankley Wedding in Aberdeen in 1976 More details under entry for Alexander Gray Will This photo from my mothers collection is undated