Its now 10 years later and I do have SOME new information - but not a lot.

I can tell you that this James Simpson mentioned in the above post is NOT my James Simpson.

My great great grandmother Elizabeth Simpson was born in South Ronaldsay in 1823 but she was not baptised until 1837 - at the age of 14. Her 1823 birth record in the OPR says her parents were Betty Walls of Oback, and James Simpson of Widewall.

In the 1821 census Betty Walls was at Oback (or Obag) with her mother (Elspet Walls nee Sutherland) aged 16 and James Simpson was a servant at Widewall aged 18 - which means he was born around 1802. Betty was born in 1805.

On the map Oback and Widewall are practicaly next door to each other.

Liz Simpson was definitely born out of wedlock (in 1823) - not uncommon in Scotland but a shameful thing to have happen in England.

Now sometime prior to 1842, Betty Walls moved to Edinburgh. She married one Thomas Robertson (a widower with 7 children). They emigrated to New Zealand in 1842 on the Philip Laing - one of the first settler ships to arrive in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.

There was a very nasty comment about Mrs Robertson (Betty Walls) written in a letter that is on file in London England and it says this - quote -

"Robertson's wife who is from the Orkney Islands, had about 20 years ago a natural daughter without whom she says she cannot go.I was much surprised at hearing this.I thought the respectability of her appearance indicated anything but looseness of Morals, & in fact the said child being born 20 years ago the mothers slip can only be considered an act of youthful indiscretion. The girl's name is Elizabeth Simpson, she at present resides in South Ronaldsay in the Orkneys."
Public Records Office,Kew, London. CO208/37: New Zealand
Company, Original
Correspondence inward (general), 1842.Letter 42/6740.

Elizabeth Simpson also moved to Edinburgh - she was in Edinburgh for the 1851 census. She married Thomas Fairbairn in Edinburgh in 1856 and they immigrated to New Zealand in 1858.

But with all this new detail, I still have NO INFORMATION as to who James Simpson' and Elspet Sutherland's parents were.