02/11/2017
HISTORY OF STANCRO
OLD STANCRO Before the present cottage was built, Old Stancro incorporated the existing outbuildings, the plan of which form a rough T-shape and are marked on the 1882 OS 6 inch map.
Spellings used in the censuses vary from Stenkrew, Stancrew, Stencrow and Stencro. The name on the 1882 map is Stancro. The meaning is ‘a stone enclosure’ the krew/cro being similar to that in the word planticru, an enclosure near the shore where kale, rhubarb and cabbages were grown. There is a Stancro ‘kale yard’ near the shore.
The remains of the outbuildings show no sign of a fireplace, which may have been central within the living area, with smoke going out through a hole in the roof. But there is a bedhoose, or alcove where the box bed would have been; and there is a pig sty.
1841 Census At this time Old Stancro was occupied by Thomas Pottingar, a Farmer aged 75-79, along with a woman aged 60-64 named Tanno Harcus who may have kept house for him. There was also 12 year old James Angel. James is described as an Agricultural Labourer and would have been a ‘herdyboy’ for the farmer – looking after the cows to see that they didn’t stray. This was before the land was enclosed. It is likely that James Angel was a great grandson of Archie Angel who was shipwrecked from a Russian ship as a baby, on the northern cliffs of Westray in about 1730.
1847 Land Enclosure in Rapness. Known as ‘the squaring of the land’ this was the time when Stancro land was enclosed and ended up as a farm of 9acres. The main access may have been via the Bu and then along the shore, though there was a winding path from Russland that went to the kale yard by the shore.
1851 to 1891 Census During this period there were two households at Old Stancro with related members of the family. Probably in 1847 John Drever and his wife Jean (née Harcus) moved into Stancro. (They may have been there earlier following their marriage in January 1842.) They had two daughters, Mary born 1842 and Barbara born 1846/47.
In the second household was Barbara Drever (née Shearer) wife of William Drever, a miller on Eday. Barbara was 59 in 1847 and a widow. She was the mother of John Drever and with her were her two daughters Jean and Betsy, and possibly Ann also.
During the 1850s John Drever set up as a shoemaker at Stancro and this became his most important occupation while his sisters and daughters also worked the 9 acre farm. John’s two sisters Jean and Betsy together with their mother Barbara all described themselves as Spinners in 1851 and 1861. In 1858/59 a baby was born to Jean Drever, the unmarried sister of John, and named Betsy Harcus. By 1881 the same Jean Drever was registered as a pauper and claimed help from the Parochial Board. Barbara, Jean and Betsy and Jean’s daughter Betsy Harcus were no longer at Stancro in 1891.
On 5 May 1892 John Drever’s wife Jean died aged 76 and John died two years later on 14 May 1894. His daughters Mary and Barbara, 47 and 43 in 1891 both remained unmarried.
STANCRO – THE PRESENT BUIDING It is likely that the present Stancro cottage was constructed about 1895. It was built by the Laird of Rapness, William P Drever, for housing farm workers. The cottage was rented to the occupier with an endowment of land. The laird put in the straight road from Russland to Stancro and the gate (still there today) for access from Stancro to the well on the shore.
William Mainland, age 68, was recorded as living at Stancro in 1901 with his wife Elizabeth (age 63). He is described as Farmer, and their daughter Margaret A Mainland (originating from Caithness) as a Dressmaker, unmarried and aged 39. Lizzie Cockburn (married and a ‘Soldier’s Wife’, age 27) was visiting on the day of the Census. William Mainland, known as Willie, was resident at Stancro until 1924. William Mainland was Captain of a packet boat which plied within the isles carrying passengers and goods.
1924 The laird of Rapness William Peace Drever sold Stancro to Thomas Leslie, Westray farmer, who put a good surface on the road. He also owned Benziecott (at the Ness) and Claybraes (now a ruin) near Stancro. Thomas Leslie was living at Benziecott with his mother in 1901. He had three sons, Daniel, James and Henry.
Henry Leslie and his wife lived at Stancro where their son Tommy was born soon after which the family went to live on Faray, then Sanday. Tommy Leslie and his wife still live on Sanday.
1937 to 1955 In February 1938 there was a wedding part at Stancro which took place in the barn with Marjory’s father playing the fiddle. Marjory and her sister jean were bridesmaids in blue dresses. The dancing went on all night. Daniel Leslie, eldest son of Thomas Leslie of Benziecott, and his wife Bessie moved into Stancro in 1937 and lived there for 18 years with their four children, who were born there. They were Tommy, Elizabeth, Frances and Daniel. The oldest of the four, Tommy Leslie now lives at Quoys with his wife Margaret. His mother Bessie is now 89. In those days Stancro was a three-room cottage and the family used the well on the shore for all their water supplies, including watering the cattle in the byre in the winter.
1955 to 1965 Two sisters Mary and Mima Stevenson came from Woo to Stancro in 1957 and 1958. Mary died about 1963 and Mima lived on at Stancro for a short time before moving to the village. They used to go up to Russland regularly to watch TV.
1965 to 1977 Donald Bain bought Stancro and lived at Woo, Stancro remaining empty.
1977 to 1979 A man by the name of Bilsborough bought Stancro from Donald Bain but never lived there. By 1977 no-one had lived in it for 14 years and the building was in a very poor condition and just in use as a barn.
1979 to 1981 On 6 July 1979 the Berriman family (Harold and Deidre) arrived and stayed for just over two years until 5 October 1981. He worked in the fish factory. During this time sweeping changes were made and the whole cottage was restored and fitted out with the aid of a council grant. Contractors did the work. The flag floor was removed and replaced with concrete and wood. New linings were added to the walls, new doorways and doors fitted, and electricity supply and piped water connected for the first time. The Berriman family had three children Hazel, Andrew and Matthew.
1982 to 1984 On 29 October 1982, after standing empty for nearly a year, the Norris family took over. Paul and Susan Norris had two small children Rupert and Emily and they stayed for about 18 months. Susan taught home economics part time at the school in Pierowall. Paul Norris was slightly disabled (a bad knee) and did not have a job. They left on 30 April 1984.
1984 to 1997 During this time Stancro was owned by Dr Louise Westwater who came occasionally. A doctor of an Edinburgh family, she became Medical Officer for Health for Matabeleland in central Africa, the old Southern Rhodesia – now Zimbabwe. She arrived at Stancro on 9 May 1984. She added the large greenhouse at the front, and converted the lean-to shed at the rear to a kitchen, installing double sinks from the Pierowall school. She died suddenly in a hotel in London on 4 August 1997, leaving all her many belongings at Stancro.
August 1997 to August 1999 Stancro was for sale and remained empty for two years. Nobody in Westray wanted to buy it as it was too remote from the village.
August 1999 to the present day Stancro was purchased by Midge (and David) Leather of Ilkley, Yorkshire, as a summer cottage for themselves, friends and family. They first arrived on 12 August 1999. They installed an old multi-fuel stove from a croft on the Mainland, extended the central heating and repaired and decorated the building.
During the last 20 years Marjory Drever of Russland has acted as ‘guardian’ to Stancro and keeps the key. She continues to do so and looks after the place when unoccupied.
David and Midge Leather
September 2002
