Andrew Grierson (ii)
For other people with the same name, see Andrew Grierson.
Andrew John Grierson (b. 30 August 1832, Quendale, Dunrossness, d. 12 April 1896, Quendale House, Lerwick) was a laird and Lerwick Town Councillor.
Andrew was the eldest son, and eldest of four children of James Grierson of Quendale and Elizabeth Sinclair Craigie. He died on April 12th 1896 at Quendale House, Lerwick. In 1860 he married Alice Geraldine Clifford, born June 9th 1837 in Sligo, Ireland. Died August 17th 1917. The daughter of Herbert John Clifford, of Sligo, Ireland. Born before 1815. They produced six descendants.
- Lucy Margaret Grierson. Born August 26th 1861 at Lerwick. Died May 26th 1911.
- James Cullen Grierson. Born August 7th 1863 at Lerwick. Died July 3rd 1915.
- Herbert John Clifford Grierson, Born January 16th 1866 at Quendale House, Lerwick. Died February 22nd 1960.
- Elizabeth Mitchell Sinclair Grierson. Born March 21st 1868 at Lerwick. Died June 16th 1945 in Lerwick. On July 3rd 1897 she married, in Lerwick, William Arthur Bruce, born September 23rd 1863. A descendant of the Bruce of Symbister and the Bruce of Sumburgh families.
- Andrew Grierson. Born April 11th 1870 in Lerwick. Died July 10th 1891 at Portland, Oregon, U.S.A.
- Bernard Grant Grierson. Born 1875 in Lerwick.
Upon the death of his father James, the fourth Laird of the Grierson of Quendale family estate, on December 10th 1863, Andrew became his successor and the fifth Laird of the Grierson of Quendale family estate.
Upon Andrew's death on April 12th 1896 he was succeeded by his eldest son James Cullen Grierson who became the sixth and final laird of the Grierson of Quendale family estate.
Biography
Andrew, like his predecessors and equals held a position of some power and influence over a wide section of Shetland society, and it could be said he was possibly the most active of the Greirson lairds in wielding it. In 1862 he is noted as being the Chairman of the opening ceremony of the Anderson Educational Institute. Almost immediately after succeeding to the lairdship of the Grierson of Quendale family estate, in 1864/1865 he built the large mansion Quendale House in what was then Craigie Court on South Commercial Street as a family home, replacing the previous Grierson family town house at the Commercial Street end of Quendale Lane.
Around ten years later he was to view sheep farming as a more valuable enterprise for the lands on the Grierson of Quendale family estate at Quendale than renting it as crofts to his tenants, and on his orders the six families who were tenants of the township of Garth and a further twenty one families from neighbouring townships were evicted in 1874. The methods used by Andrew to achieve these evictions are considered, by some, as questionable.
In 1858, he started a fishcuring business with John Bruce which existed for several years before dissolution. He was also a Trustee of the Heritors and Feuars for 32 years. Initially a Liberal, he became a Conservative in his older age.
In 1878 he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Zetland.
