Urquhart Family History
The Urquhart family came from the Lock Ness area in the Highlands of Scotland; they have always been farmers. The area around Lock Ness consists of hilly or marginal land, with sheep farming predominating. The ruin of Urquhart Castle, one of the most romantic and famous sites in Scotland, still stands on the edge of Lock Ness.
With long experience farming sheep, the Urquharts, like many immigrant families, saw New Zealand as offering new opportunities. The South Island High Country also has similarities to the geography of their homeland in Scotland and the Urquhart family has been farming in the High Country since coming to New Zealand.
Englishmen predominantly owned early stations in the High Country but more often than not it was a Scotsman who was put in place to manage the farm. As a consequence there was a strong Scottish influence in the early European settlement of the Mackenzie.
Scotsmen were perceived as being a hardy bunch able to cope with the rigors of high country weather; the pioneering makeshift nature of early farming life; and the hardships imposed by isolation.
David Urquhart was brother to Alex Urquhart from Erewhon. David and his wife, Mary, were at Mesopotamia Station for (?) years. They then bought Steamlands Station in 1924 and were there for over 30 years before selling and moving to Grays Hills Station, which they bought in 1948.
Duncan Urquhart, one of the David and Mary’s three sons, took over the running of Grays Hills.
The current homestead was built in 1912 out of West Coast rimu: 2 storeys, weatherboard with shutter-style windows, a High Country character home. In later years a verandah was added.