John Wardrop Moore Junior owned Greenhall House and Estate from around 1885, by inheriting it from the late doctor, his father of the same name. (Wardrop Moore Senior has a commemorative arch in built into the old Kirkyard in High Blantyre).
Young John Wardrop Moore (Jnr) joined the local militia volunteers in 1883 at the age of 21 and very quickly rose to the esteemed rank of Lt Colonel, a name he was known by locally. In 1883 the annual rent (if you wanted to live on the entire Moore Estate) was a handsome £786 per annum, a sum of around £80,000 per year today, although there is no evidence of people taking this offer up.
In the 1880’s, Lt. Colonel Moore held a high standing in Blantyre area and was respected by many. Despite studying and doing well educationally at Bath, he spent much of his adult life at home, with the exception of four visits on round the world trips. Once on a visit to New Zealand he had been stalking a deer, 7000 feet above sea level, when a portion of the cliff on which he happened to be standing gave way, precipitating the intrepid sportsman a fall of around 300 feet. He broke a number of ribs but recovered soon after. He was also a keen fisherman and on his New Zealand trip alone, allegedly caught 3 tonnes of rainbow trout fish. The four stags heads he shot there adorned the wall of the Billiard room at Greenhall.
It was said he deliberately delayed buying a motorcar due to his love of horses, the house and stables filled with equestrian memoribila. Another of his most treasured possessions was a gold watch that allegedly had a connection to Bonnie Prince Charlie.
In 1892, he married Miss Catherine David’s, daughter of Smith W David’s of North Wales. During 1901 Lt Colonel Moore became a Major in the army, according to The Country Directory. By 1911 he had two children, Master J.Wardrop Moore and Miss Leonora (Nora) Moore. Mrs. Moore enjoyed all the popularity that her husband enjoyed from the people of Blantyre. Her presence at the Blantyre Cottage Hospital Committee meetings was more than welcomed. Her ever-kind nature and graceful manner with natural sympathy for the alleviation of the suffering filled her surroundings with hope and encouragement.
The Moore’s lived at Greenhall until 1921. The monument of Wardop Moore of Greenhall, High Blantyre, who died in 1912 stands as a tall celtic cross in East Kilbride Cemetery. The stone remembers also Catherine Georgina Eleanor Davids his wife, who died in 1923. Also, Leonora Brabazon Moore his daughter who died in 1924 at only 27 years of age.
Robert Stewart told me, “Never ever assume that a person named on a headstone means that that person is interred in the grave. The Moore’s purchased lairs 217 to 221 in 1911, only one person was ever interred and that was in October 1912.”
Photo Courtesy: Chris Ladds
Featuring Blantyre Project Social Media with permission. Strictly not for use by others on or offline, our visitors said:
Manny Devlin Nice read
Moyra Lindsay Thanks for this Paul. Do you think they were related to Lord Brabazon of aeroplane fame. I remember being taken to Prestwick to see the Brabazon there it must have been about 1950.
Blantyre Project Im not sure about that Moyra, sorry