Orkney Image Library

I think there was Jacob Moar the teacher at South Walls P.S. but maybe this was a different person.

Jacob Moar, was headmaster at North Walls J.S School, however I dont believe
this is the same person, that Jacob would have been 67 when I started school. Our teacher Jacob was at North Walls for agood few years, and moved to the mainland to teach for a while after that. Maybe his father? Rosemary Moar lives in Inverness, she could put us right here.

I don't think the teacher Jacob Moar was about at that time.

This wedding invitation is from Alexander and Catherine Hunter who lived at Britain, Marwick, Birsay to the Gaudie family who lived at Netherskaill also in Marwick, Birsay. I am pretty sure that the bridegroom came from Newhouse, a vanished house on the south side of Ravey Hill about a mile away from Britain. No motor transport in those days so males were not inclined to go too far for a wife!
The Gaudies are still in Netherskaill and a decendant of the Moars of Britain frequently contributes to this site!

Jacob Moar was age 30 in 1881 and was living at Britain with his wife, son Alexander and his in laws. He was a farm servant. The only Jacob I can find in the 1871 census for Birsay lived at Nearhouse, a son of John Moar and Esther Breck and was age 19.

About twenty years ago when driving the Hoy Co op van we collected an item fron a house near to the Kirkwall golf course, and I think it was the home of Jacob Moar. Both he and his wife were a bit frail as I remember (of course I am much to young to remember him at North Walls school!).
I believe he was a tough teacher, likely much needed with some of the young hoodlums of the time- I am thinking of the likes of Jimmy Hamilton and a few other suspects of the time!!!. ha ha ha.

You are right there John, he kept strict control of us, he swung a mean strap, used to go bright red when he was belting us, but look at the good it did us, first class citizens now. L O L

I wonder where you got this from Ron, as i used to have the original?

Jacob and Cathrine Moar are two of my great grand parents the Jacob Moar mentioned here is not related to the ones in Hoy

Mr Charles Gaudie would have been my great grandad as Robert Gaudie is my father who presently lives at Netherskaill and Charles was his grandad. Miss Helen Gaudie and the other Miss Gaudie would have been his grand aunts. The Mrs Gaudie would possibly have been his great grandmother, I found this very interesting, I wonder where Ron got it from? I now live in Laurencekirk, Aberdeenshire.

Hi Yer Jimmy / Linda,
Sorry about the delay in answering your questions, I just came across them by chance as I was browsing the site last night (8th Dec 2009).
You both wonder from where I got the wedding invitation? Not much of a provenance here I’m afraid. I found it in the pages of a very old notebook in which an Orcadian young lady had kept notes on all things to do with the scullery a hundred years ago, it came my way in the early 1980’s.

What you saw on the Orkney Image Library is not the original, which as far as I can remember was on thin card and was showing its age. I decided to photocopy it for preservation. Thank goodness I did because after several exhaustive searches I still cannot find that original.

Thanks also to all the other contributors who helped to make my copy such an interesting item.

Ron.

From a similar era, I got a copy of a wedding invite, from the same neighbourhood I got a copy of an invite including the same Charles Gaudie to a wedding of one of his (yet to be) wife's older brother or sister.
Cousin Linda, Shouldn't you also mention that your brother is still there also! I, like Linda grew up for a time at Netherskaill. It's a small world on the internet.

Having retired I now have time to look at some of the wonderful photos that appear on this site.
A guide to who the Miss Gaudie might be is that this is the style used for the eldest daughter, the younger daughters getting their initial to identify them.