Grierson of Quendale
Shetlopedia - The Shetland Encyclopaedia
The Grierson family were already established in the central mainland of Shetland prior to becoming involved in the Quendale area of Dunrossness. The first Grierson to appear was James Grierson minister of Tingwall Kirk from September 18th 1706 until his death on August 3rd 1747. His son Andrew John Grierson became a merchant in Lerwick and subsequently purchased a significant part of the then bankrupt Estate of the Sinclair of Quendale family, thus starting the Dunrossness connection.
The Griersons were absentee Landlords for a significant part of the time, they had a town house, understood to have been built around 1800, at the Commercial Street end of what was Grierson's Closs, now called Quendale Lane, which runs westwards from between numbers 155 and 157 Commercial Street past the south side of the carpark on the site of the old Swimming Pool to the Hillhead. Quendale House at the south end of Commercial Street in what was then known as Craigie Court was built by Andrew John Grierson (2) in 1864/1865 as a replacement for the house at the foot of Quendale Lane.
The Grierson family terminated their connection with Dunrossness with the sale by James Cullen Grierson, the sixth and final Laird of the Grierson of Quendale family esate, of what today is Quendale Farm to George Leslie around 1900.
The Lairds of Quendale during the time of ownership by the Grierson family were:
- Andrew John Grierson. Born March 21st 1734. Baptised April 25th 1734. Died at sea March 1766.
- James Grierson (1). Born or Baptised May 25th 1759. (The available records are in dispute).
- Andrew Grierson. Baptised April 20th 1764. Died February 12th or June 30th 1835 (the available records are in dispute).
- James Grierson (2). Born 1787. Died on December 10th 1863 at Quendale, Dunrossness.
- Andrew John Grierson (2). Born August 2nd or 30th (the available records are in dispute) 1832 at Quendale, Dunrossness. Died April 12th 1896 at Quendale House, Lerwick.
- James Cullen Grierson. Born 1863.
