There seems to have been only one family of Lows in Rousay so maybe they had come into the island from elsewhere.  The earliest traceable ancestor of them was William Low, born probably about 1790, who married Barbara Marwick.  They had four sons, James b. 1816 William, b. 1820, Hugh b. 1824, and John b. 1835.  James became a joiner, and William and Hugh became shoemakers.

James married Christina Hourston from Harray and they had rwo sons, James and William.  James married Mary Craigie and their son James was the gardener at Westness House in Rousay.  William moved to Tankerness on the mainland of Orkney and married Margaret Laughton.  They farmed at Cruhill in Tankerness and their descendants are still there.

William Low b. in 1820 married Janet Mainland and their son William born c1868 married Betsy McKinlay from Egilsay.  William farmed at Hunclett in Rousay.

James Low, son of James Low and Mary Craigie   (See)		William M. Low of Hunclet, son of William Low and Janet Mainland
(Photos - courtesy of T Gibson)