Marwick Families
 

 

 

Marwicks of Scockness

At the time of the 1851 census there were 18 Marwick households in Rousay, which  can be divided into 9 unrelated groups.  The largest of these groups were families descended from Magnus Marwick of Scockness Farm.  All that is known about Magnus is that he took over the tenancy of Scockness in 1783 in partnership with his son Hugh who was then only 17 years old.

Hugh married Betsy Sinclair and they had an unusual family - ten boys and no girls.  In her old age Betsy was asked how many children she had and her reply was "Ten Devils". 

 

The First Devil:  Some of the children of Magnus Marwick the First Devil settled in Edinburgh.

Stuart Melrose Marwick, b.1875 in Edinburgh, a g-grandson of the First Devil, and his wife Rachel Camber
 

 

Ruth Constance Marwick (1917-2012) in 1935, daughter of Stuart Marwick and Rachel Camber (above)

Elizabeth Melrose c1869, mother of Stuart Marwick (above)

 

The Second Devil:  Most of the ten children of Thomas Marwick  the Second Devil emigrated, most of them to New Zealand, but two to Australia.  There are many descendants in both countries, particularly in Western Australia.  Descendants include Sheila Lyon in Orkney, Shirley Scott and Russel Stuart in New Zealand, and Pat Wellstead and Maxine Lewis in Western Australia.  There is also a large number of other Marwick families in Western Australia who are all descended from a man who is believed to have hailed from Orkney but no proof has been found.

A grandson of the Second Devil, Robert Marwick, married Matilda Louttit and went to Coatbridge in Lanarkshire. They have numerous descendants in the Coatbridge area.

 

 

 

 

Thomas Marwick b. 1796, the Second Devil, with his son-in-law Richard Craigie in NZ

 

Betsy Yorston 1823-1906, daughter of Thomas Marwick (left). Her husband was Hugh Yorston. Many descendants in NZ

(Photos by courtesy of Shirley Scott)

 

The Third Devil: James Marwick, the Third Devil, lived on the croft of Eastaquoy in Rousay and has many known descendants, including Harry Marwick and Edna Sinclair in Orkney, Tom Marwick and Iris Holtz in Alberta and Bill McColl in Western Australia.

 

Eastaquoy, the home of James Marwick, the Third Devil born 1798
         
The Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Devils:  Devils four, five, six, and eight had no descendants.

The Seventh Devil:  Number Seven Devil, Robert Marwick, and his wife Bell Mainland had 13 children so there there are  many descendants, including Phyllis Braby, Laura Crawford, Kenny Bichan, Alistair Marwick, John Mackenzie and John Leslie in Orkney, John Marwick in Edinburgh and Bob Evans in Alberta.  There are many others in Australia and the USA.
         
     

James Marwick and his wife Mary Baikie.  James was the son of Robert, the Seventh Devil.
James Marwick, eldest son of Robert Marwick the Seventh Devil, married Mary Baikie and they had five sons, James b. 1857, John b. 1858, George Ritchie b. 1860, Robert b. 1862, and David b. 1863.  The family moved from Rousay to the island of South Ronaldsay in Orkney in the early 1870s.  James, Robert, and David emigrated to Canada where James's sons and David were engaged in the steel trade in Hamilton, Ontario and in the USA.  Robert became superintendent of a flour mill in Victoria on Vancouver Island.  George died of tuberculosis in 1877.  John remained at home in South Ronaldsay to work the family farm.  A photo of James b. 1857 and his wife Jane D Harcus from the island of Pharay appears below.  A photo of Robert b. 1862 also appears below.
     
 

James Marwick b. 1857 and his wife Jane D Harcus of Pharay. James was the eldest son of James Marwick and Mary Baikie above.   Robert Marwick (1862-1942) who married Janet B Johnstone in Victoria, BC.  Robert was a brother of James (left).

(Photo by courtesy of  David Marwick in BC, their g-grandson)

   (Photo by courtesy of Robert Evans, his grandson)
 
Robert Marwick of Scockness, another son of the Seventh Devil, seen here with six of his grandchildren.
Back row - Annie Robertson and George Robertson
Middle row - Anne Craigie and George Craigie

 

The Ninth Devil: Number Nine Devil Isaac Marwick married Betsy Yorston and their son Hugh married Lydia Gibson from Langskaill.  Hugh and Lydia were the parents of Dr Hugh Marwick, the noted Orkney scholar and historian.

 

Isaac Marwick the Ninth Devil (1812-1906) and wife Betsy Yorston

(Photo- T Gibson)
 

Hugh Marwick of Guidal,  Rousay, born in 1840, son of the Ninth Devil, and father of Dr Hugh Marwick

(Photo - T. Gibson)

The Tenth Devil: The youngest Devil, Craigie, married twice.  It is possible that there are descendants in England from the first marriage.  Children of the second marriage moved to Utah.  There may be descendants in that state or in Idaho or Oregon.  Two great grandchilren of Craigie were twins, Leverett M Flint and his sister Lillian E Flint born in 1910.  They were resident in Portland, Oregon in 1925 but no trace of either of them has been found since then.

 

Marwicks of Coatbridge

About 1890, Robert W Marwick, a grandson of the Second Devil, moved with his wife and children to Coatbridge in Lanarkshire, Scotland.   There are numerous descendants including Robin Marwick, a retired architect, who lived in Coatbridge.  Robin was chairman of Albion Rovers Football Club and the author of two books on the club.

 

Robert W. Marwick and his wife Matilda Louttit.  Robert was a grandson of Thomas Marwick, the Second Devil.

(Photo - by courtesy of Robin Marwick)

 

Back row - Robert Marwick (1882-1940) and his wife Elizabeth Geckie with their youngest child Betty. Robert was a son of RW Marwick and Matilda Louttit (right)
Front row - l to r - their sons Robert, John, David, and James

 Robert W. Marwick and his wife Matilda Louttit with their three eldest children
(Photos by courtesy of Robin Marwick)

 

Margaret Ann Marwick, sister of Robert W Marwick  (above), married David Leask of Howan, Dounby, Orkney.  David M R Leask son of David Leask and Margaret Ann Marwick (left)
Photos by courtesy of Pamela Poureshagh

Marwicks of Furse

The farm of Furse was tenanted by a Marwick family for several generations.  The earliest traceable one in this family was David who would have been born about 1775.  He and his wife Jane had two traceable children, Janet and Hugh.  John Marwick, one of Hugh's sons, emigrated to Canada and settled in Vancouver Island where there are descendants.  There are also descendants in Orkney, including Neil Craigie, Jim Leslie, Gary Gibson, Eddie Firth, John D.Robertson, and Anna Russell.

 

Marwicks of Quoys and Grain

Different generations of this family lived in Quoygray, then Quoys and Whitemeadows later.  The earliest traceable member was William Marwick at Quoygray.  His eldest son, also William Marwick, of Quoys, lived from 1793 until 1865.  Later generations lived on the farm of Cogar and William's son Hugh lived at  the croft of Grain.  Descendants in Orkney include Russell Marwick and Jackie Corsie, and there are numerous others in Canada.
 

Hugh Marwick of Grain

 William Marwick of Furse b.1839 with his wife Janet Craigie and their 3 eldest children.  William was a son of Hugh Marwick 1802-1883.

Photos courtesy of Tom Gibson)

 
David Marwick, 1830-1908, and his wife Betsy Clouston. They lived in the thatch-roofed Tou Cottage, Rousay seen in the background. David, seen here wearing his shoemaker's apron, was the son of William Marwick of Cogar, Rousay (1793-1865) and an uncle of Hugh Marwick of Grain above. A stack of winter fuel, in the form of peat, can be seen in the background on the left.

(Photo - T Gibson)

 

Marwicks of Outerdykes, Hanover, and Midgar

The Marwicks Outerdykes and later of Hanover were descended from William Marwick and his wife Jean Work.  Their son John married Margaret Costie and four of their sons, John, James, Hugh, and David emigrated to New Zealand.  James did not marry and there was no issue from John's marriage, but  there are numerous descendants of Hugh and David living in NZ.

William's brother James lived on the small croft of Midgar in Rousay. There are several descendants of his living in Edinburgh.

 

John Marwick 1822-1896 and his wife Margaret Costie.   John was a miller in Rousay before moving to Evie.

(Photo by courtesy of Eleanor Lord of Oamaru, NZ)

 

John, James, Hugh, and David Marwick, sons of John Marwick and Margaret Costie above. All four brothers emigrated to New Zealand where there are many descendants Jean, Mary, Betsy, and Maggie Marwick, daughters of John Marwick and Margaret Costie above

(Photos by courtesy of Eleanor Lord of Oamaru, NZ)

 

Marwicks of Corse

Alexander Marwick farmed Corse for a large part of the 19th century.  His father William is the earliest traceable member of this family.  The many descendants in Orkney include Hannah Rendall and Elsie Seatter.  There are also descendants in California.

 

 
Mary Wood Marwick, b. 1831, wife of John Craigie  of Grips William Marwick, 1832-1890, and his wife Robina Gibson.   William was the eldest son of Alexander Marwick of Corse.

(Photo - T Gibson)

(Photo - T Gibson)

Marwicks of Nears

The earliest traceable person in this family of Marwicks is Magnus Marwick who would have been born about 1760 during the 50-year gap in the Rousay records.  There are descendants in Canada, but no known descendants in Orkney.

 

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