Family horrified by twists in bones tale
(From The Orcadian dated January 24, 2002)

Mrs Tomima Gray and her daughter Violet sit close together in a family photograph. Several years later, in the early 1900s, it is claimed by descendants that Tomima drowned at least three of Violet’s illegitimate children as soon as they were born.

Just as Orkney was to become infamous for the South Ronaldsay child abuse scandal 11 years ago, the islands have hit the headlines again for all the wrong reasons.

The name Orkney is now synonymous with another tragic tale involving children following the discovery of the bones of three newborn babies under a house in Harray.

Nationally, newspapers have branded the woman involved as “Scotland’s worst female serial killer” and the small cottage in Harray the “house of horrors”.

However, the immediate family of the woman, Tomima Gray – who is said to have drowned her grandchildren immediately after birth in the early 1900s – tell a different story.

They want to draw a veil over the matter and rebury the children beside their mother “where they belong” in the Finstown cemetery.

Initially, it was thought that it was Tomima’s daughter, Violet Gray, who had been involved in the deaths of her babies. However, the surviving family have claimed that it was Tomima who drowned the illegitimate children after they were born.

Margaret Gray was married to Violet’s son, Gordon Gray – the only child to escape the clutches of his grandmother Tomima. It is believed that the doctor had to be called as it was a difficult birth.

She has spoken out at the family’s horror of the coverage in the national press, which she claims has been twisted to paint a different picture.

Commenting on one particular tabloid newspaper report, she said: “A lot of it is utter rubbish. It was based on fact, as far as facts that anybody knows, but we are shocked and horrified as to how it has been blown up. The babies could have been stillborn, nobody will ever know for sure.”

It was Margaret and Gordon’s son, Michael Gray (25), who spoke to the national media in an attempt to clear his grandmother’s name. He was told about Tomima’s past by an elderly man at his father’s funeral in 1995.

As far as Margaret Gray and the family are concerned, what happened at the Harray house was a regular occurrence in the 1900s and was accepted at that time.

“That was a common enough thing to happen in those days, why pick on one family? Ask any builder, they are always finding bones, they just bury them again and never say they found them. There was no form of contraception then. Is having an abortion nowadays any different? You are still killing a child.”

Families would have been disgraced had they allowed an illegitimate child in those days, she said.

“The old wife (Tomima) was doing what she had to do. Imagine calling her a serial killer. It was a far worse thing to have an illegitimate child then, than to do away with it. I do not think the children would have even been allowed to breathe.”

By telling their story to the national press, she thought it would put things into a better perspective. Instead, they have seen an ancestor branded a serial killer and generated the interest of the national media.

Gordon was told about his dead siblings by his mother on her deathbed. She died of cancer in the 1950s. But he never relayed the tale to his children.

The family never really spoke of it again and the bones could have lain undiscovered for many more years had they not sold the house, St Olaf Cottage, following Gordon’s death.

They are genuinely surprised at the interest and the fact that police inquiries are continuing into the matter.

“What good can it do now, there can be no prosecution,” Mrs Gray said.

The police visited Mrs Gray on Friday evening last week and interviewed her for an hour and a half.

“They apologised for not being sooner, but they said they had to find out if the bones were human or not. I could not help them very much as they wanted to know about the house and how long it had been in the Gray family. I couldn’t tell them much about the history of the place.”

The police confirmed last week that the fragments of bones belonged to three children who died around 80 years ago.

They issued a statement following the allegations in a national story about Tomima.

They said they were treating the discovery of the childrens’ bones as a very sensitive issue and that it is their responsibility to “peel away” the rumours and folklore that have surrounded the house for years and discover the truth.

The police say they have spoken to local people, including those who may have a link to the bones, studied parish records and police records.

Inspector Paul Eddington said: “We are not carrying out a murder inquiry; we are currently involved in information gathering to put all the pieces of this puzzle together. These bones cannot be proved to have come from any particular member of a family as they are too small and fragmented and to suggest ownership would be insensitive.

“There are some distant members of the family who originally lived in the house who are still alive and these people should be protected from the current myths, gossip and tall tales that are circulating.”

The bones were unearthed during work at St Olaf Cottage in the Grimeston Road in Harray, during December. They have been examined by consultant forensic anthropologist, Dr Sue Black, based in Glasgow.

New owner of the house, Mr Rob Hill, was working at the property on Saturday and it is believed he plans to continue renovation work and move into the property with his family when complete.

Now, the family want to see a conclusion to this sorry tale and are insisting that once the bones are released they will hold a private funeral service.

Margaret said that it was only fitting that the children be buried with their mother, Violet, and brother, Gordon, in the Finstown cemetery without the glare of the national press.

She was insistent that there will not be an open funeral service in Harray, although she said Rev Andrea Price was welcome to hold a memorial service.

“It is right that they should be buried with their mother.”

However, police added that the ultimate disposal of the bones is a matter for the procurator fiscal.

• Michael Gray appeared on Channel 4’s Richard and Judy chat show on Tuesday night to talk about his family’s links with the bones.

lorraine.shearer@orcadian.co.uk