It is recorded that Earl Thorfin built Christ’s Church in Birsay, and
that the body of St. Magnus was buried there. It appears probable that
if St. Peter’s had been built as long after his death as his
canonisation, it would have been dedicated to him. Even if it had been
built in memory of St. Magnus before his canonisation, and dedicated to
some other saint, probably the dedication would have been changed after
his canonisation. As it is recorded that Thorfin built Christ’s Church,
it is probable that if he had, St. Peter’s would have been recorded
also. It is more probable that it was built by his second son, Erlend,
the father of St. Magnus.
This church bears considerable resemblance to Old Bewick,
Northumberland, figured in Muir’s “Sketch”; to Moccas and Kilpeck in
Herefordshire, and to St. Margaret’s Chapel, Edinburgh.
Mr. Leask of Boardhouse, in 1867, made an excavation in the church, to
determine, if possible, whether foundations exist of the walls supposed
to have enclosed the west sides of the circular recesses. He found none
and found plaster on the north wall of the nave, where the supposed wall
should have joined. Possibly the supposed walls were taken down during
the time the chapel was used. He found in the north wall of the nave, at
5 feet west of the angle of the recess, an entrance 2 feet 4 inches
wide. The position is very unusual. Planned 1866.
CHURCH AT ORPHIR, ORKNEY.
This highly interesting fragment stands near the east end of the parish
church, and probably the reason why it has not obtained that notice
which it deserves is, that the larger and most interesting part of it
was destroyed before 1758, to build or enlarge the present parish
church. It consisted originally of a circular nave, and apsidal chancel
added to its east part. (Fig. 111.) The chancel remains, but only 9 feet
on each side of it of the circular nave. Fortunately we have a short
record of its size and form in Sinclair’s _Statistical Accounts_, xix.
417, quoted in Wilson, _Prehistoric Annals_, 598. It is there
stated:--“In the churchyard are the remains of an ancient building
called the Girthhouse, to which great antiquity is ascribed. It is a
rotundo, 18 feet in diameter and 20 feet high, open at top; and on the
east side is a vaulted concavity, where probably the altar stood, with a
slit in the wall to admit the light; two-thirds of it have been taken
down to repair the parish church,” &c. In the translation of Torfœus by
the Rev. A. Pope is this note by the translator (p. 108), who visited
Orphir in 1758:--“The temple of Orphir, or Gerth-house, was a rotundo 22
feet in diameter, and 61 feet perpendicular wall above ground. The
cupola, with the open for the light, was of an elegant cast, and the
light was all from the open, and lighted the house sufficiently. There
was a small slit in the east side for light to the priest, who stood in
a niche elegantly done. The work was very firm; and though at that time
there was a breach made in order to get stones to repair the parish
kirk, yet the stones crumbled to pieces before they could be loosed,”
&c.
In the _Orcadian_, July 1861, is an account of this church by Mr. G.
Petrie. It is there stated that the present parish church was erected in
1829. (See also his notice of the ruins, in the _Archæological Journal_,
1861, No. 71, p. 226-230.)
[Illustration: FIG. 111.--Church at Orphir. Plan and Section through
Apse.]
It is evident that the east wall of the parish church could not have
co-existed with the old nave, for the new church stands on part of it.
From these several statements we must infer that part of the old church
was pulled down before 1758 to build or enlarge, not to repair, the
parish church, and possibly a farther portion pulled down in 1829.
We must understand the “cupola” to be a conical roof, and “the open for
the light” to be a glazed lantern on it, which, however, was probably
not original. (Fig. 112.) “Open at top,” in Sinclair, must refer to this
lantern. The framework of it must have been of wood, as at Ely.
The curvature of the two parts of the nave wall still remaining gives an
interior diameter of about 19 feet, thus corroborating the diameters
given by Pope and Sinclair. Neither of these persons had seen the church
perfect; and the differences in the measures given by them show that
their informants did not speak from exact data. The “61 feet
perpendicular wall” is a gross mistake either of printer, or translator,
or his informant. Even the “20 feet high” seems over the mark, though
this may be a loose approximation to the height of the side walls.
[Illustration: FIG. 112.--Church at Orphir. Elevation of Apse, and
Details.]
Supposing the preceding conjectures as to the shape of the roof to be
correct, the top of the “fleche” surmounting the lantern would be about
40 feet. Then, supposing that Pope was told that the height was 41 feet,
and the height of the side walls 20 feet, he might have added them
together.
The diameter was less open to error than the height. One writer,
however, might give the outer diameter and the other the inner.
It is built of yellow Orphir freestone. The nave walls are 3 feet 9
inches thick, well built; and probably the entrance was at the west, as
in the other round churches.
It is highly improbable that Pope is right in stating that “the light
was all from the open”--that is, that there were no windows in the nave
walls. Probably there were four single lights.
The chancel, which is little more than the apse, is 7 feet 2 inches wide
and 7 feet 9 inches deep, or long, with wall 2 feet 8 inches thick. The
arch into it is semicircular, and forms part of a plain unribbed vault,
as at St. Margaret’s Chapel at Edinburgh. (See Fig. 111.) The impost of
the vault arch is 6 feet 5 inches above what appears to have been the
floor, and the top, consequently, 10 feet 6 inches high. Outside the
vault was originally probably a solid stone roof, the apex of which was
about 14 feet
[Illustration: FIG. 113.--Church at Orphir. Elevations of Apse.]
from the floor. This height (supposing also that there was a step at the
chancel arch) would oblige the walls of the nave to be about 15 feet
high. The chancel has no buttresses. There is one window in the chancel,
in the east end, 2 feet 5 inches by 10½ inches clear, opening with jambs
splayed inward to 1 foot 8 inches wide. (Fig. 113.) The outer edges are
chamfered, and the head semicircular. The impost is at the same level as
of vault. It has a groove for glass.
A stone lying down appears to be part of a stoup.
The exterior width of the chancel is half the exterior width of the
nave.
On the south side of the nave is the trace of a building in the form of
a parallelogram, and other indications of buildings. Pope states that
before his visit in 1758, large foundations had been found in digging
earth for the Bow of Orphir, near the Gerth-house.
The “four round churches” of Britain are--Cambridge, consecrated in
1101; Northampton, probably shortly before 1115; Maplestead, 1118; and
London, 1185.[134] To these must be added the small Norman chapel in
Ludlow Castle, and we may safely add, as a sixth, Orphir. The church of
the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem was the type of all, and the Crusades
were the means of importing the form into Britain. In conjecturing the
date of Orphir, we may take into account that there was a palace of the
Earl Haco (son of Paul I.) at Orphir, according to Torfœus. He went to
the Holy Land and back, and died in 1103. The same writer describes the
palace of Earl Paul II. at Orphir, and states that a temple stood
opposite the wall of the palace. This earl died about 1136. If this
statement is to be believed, this must be the church mentioned, and
hence we get 1090-1137 as the limits within which this church was built.
Earl Ronald founded the cathedral about 1138, and soon after went to the
Holy Land, accompanied, of course, by some of his high officers. He died
in 1158. We may fairly conclude that this round church had some
connection with one of these expeditions. As Earl Ronald needed all his
money for the cathedral, we cannot suppose that he had any hand in
building Orphir; but it is not improbable that some one of his wealthier
followers built it, and we may, from the dates of the other churches and
these facts, fix on 1090-1160 as limits of the date of its erection.
In the Edinburgh Museum is a stone article, presented by D. Balfour,
Esq., found at this church. It is circular, 4¼ inches diameter, ¾ inch
thick, with a small square hole in centre. Its use is not evident.
Planned 1855.
CHURCHES IN SHETLAND.
THESE ARE ALL CHANCEL CHURCHES EXCEPT CULBINSBROUGH, WHICH IS CRUCIFORM.
CANONS ASHBY, _Feb. 21, 1868_.
SIR,--Last year you inserted in the _Orcadian_ accounts by me of
some of the ruined churches in Orkney; I now send you accounts of
some of those in Shetland. Every year destroys some portion of
these ruins, and of the most complete in Shetland a considerable
portion has fallen since I made the plans of it in 1855. Though the
owners of these humble ruins do not value them, they have a value
with historians and antiquaries as examples of the ecclesiastical
architecture of the North in its least elaborate state, and
evidences of the religious condition of the islands in past times.
We find no St. Magnus and no Egilsey in Shetland; but still the
ruins which exist there are worthy of record.
The number of churches which once existed in Shetland is
extraordinary. For instance, Unst, which is about 6 miles by 3
miles, had at least twenty-four. Of most of the Shetland churches
every trace but a name or a tradition is gone; of others only a
heap of stones remains; of others a few fragments of wall enable us
to make approximate plans, and one only is tolerably complete. A
little labour with pick and spade would enable us, in many
instances, to determine more about them than is possible in their
present state. No people ought to be more impressed with religion
and the uncertainty of life than the Shetlanders. The effects of
the storms on sea and land, the terrible tideways among the
islands, and the barren nature and exposed position of much of the
land, make life a continued struggle for safety or for food.
Doubtless the tradition concerning nearly every church was true of
some--that they were built as thankofferings for escape from an
ocean grave. The churches of which I send an account are
Culbinsbrough, Bressay, Noss, West Sandwick, Yell, the Ness (Yell),
Uya, and Norwick, Haroldswick, Kirkaby, and Colvidale, all in Unst.
I have to acknowledge the assistance of Mr. J. T. Irvine, formerly
of Yell, and of Mr. Sandison of Uya, and to thank many friends in
Shetland for hospitality and information.--I remain, your obedient
servant,
H. DRYDEN.
CHAPEL OF NOSS, BRESSAY.
This ruin is near the sound which separates Noss from Bressay, on an
elevation of about 20 feet or 30 feet above the water. The dedication is
unknown.
It consisted of a nave and chancel (Fig. 114), of which only a fragment
[Illustration: FIG. 114.--Chapel of Noss. Plan.]
of the north wall of the chancel remains, about 4 feet or 5 feet high.
The nave was about 18 feet 6 inches by 14 feet, and the chancel about
12 feet east and west, by 10 feet north and south, as shown by the ridge
in the turf.
Nothing certain can be stated of the door or chancel arch. Planned in
1852.
KIRKABY, WESTING, UNST.
This is in the west part of the island, in a walled churchyard, about 80
feet north and south, and 60 feet east and west. By remains outside the
south-east part of the wall, it is evident that the church has been
[Illustration: FIG. 115.--Kirkaby, Westing. Plan.]
built on the ruins of a brough or other ancient building. The dedication
is unknown. The church consisted of a nave (Fig. 115) about 13 feet 9
inches by 12 feet, and a chancel about 10 feet by 7 feet inside. The
walls were about 2 feet 9 inches thick. The chancel arch was equal in
width to the chancel. About 2 feet in height of the north wall of the
nave and of the north wall of the chancel remains, and traces of the
rest sufficient to approximate to the size. The entrance was probably in
the west end. The chancel inside equals in length the diagonal of the
square of the width.
Plan by Mr. J. T. Irvine, 1863.
MEAL COLVIDALE, UNST.
This is in the south-east part of the island, in a yard about 112 feet
east and west by 85 feet north and south. (Fig. 116.) The dedication is
unknown. The nave is about 12 feet by 11 feet inside; the chancel 7 feet
9 inches by 7 feet 6 inches inside; and the walls 3 feet thick.
[Illustration: FIG. 116.--Meal Colvidale. Plan.]
About 2 feet in height of the north wall of the nave, and about the same
of the north wall of the chancel, and a fragment of the interior face of
the south wall of the chancel remain. Traces indicate the outline. The
nave is very short. The chancel arch was equal in width to the chancel.
The door was probably in the west end.
Plan by Mr. J. T. Irvine in 1863.
ST. JOHN’S KIRK, NORWICK, UNST.
This is in the north-east part of the island, on the south side of a
bay. It is dedicated to St. John.
It consists of nave (Fig. 117), about 26 feet 6 inches and 13 feet 6
inches inside, and chancel about 16 feet by 8 feet 8 inches. The walls
are 2 feet 4 inches thick. Only about 2 feet in height of the central
portion remains, that is about 12 feet 6 inches of the east part of the
nave, and about 10 feet of the west part of the chancel. The chancel
arch was equal in width to the chancel. The doorway was probably in the
west end.
In the churchyard are several crosses and coped coffins of rude
construction. Some also at Sandwick, Unst. The nave equal in length
[Illustration: FIG. 117.--St. John’s Kirk, Norwick. Plan.]
inside to double its width. Chancel equal inside to vesica piscis.
Plan by Mr. J. T. Irvine in 1863.
When Low visited it, it was nearly entire, and the altar remained.
CHURCH AT UYA.
The island of Uya, or Uyea, is not more than 2½ miles by 1 mile across.
It lies to the west of Unst. The ruin is near the east shore. The
dedication is unknown.
[Illustration: FIG. 118.--Church at Uya. Plan, South Elevation, &c.]
It consists of a nave and a building like a chancel to the west of the
nave (Fig. 118), and lies true east and west.
About 7 feet 6 inches high on an average of the side walls remain. The
material is the grey whinstone of the island, and the blocks from 4 feet
by 1 foot by 1 foot downwards.
The nave is 16 feet 9 inches by 13 feet inside. The east wall of the
nave is 3 feet 6 inches thick, and the others now vary from 2 feet 10
inches to 3 feet 1 inch. The side walls vary from 6 feet to 7 feet 6
inches in height. No window remains, but probably there was one on the
south side.
In the east end is an arch or doorway (Fig. 119), 2 feet 2 inches wide,
with parallel unrebated jambs, and a semicircular head of one
rectangular
[Illustration: FIG. 119.--Church at Uya. Elevations and Sections.]
order, with simple unmoulded projections for caps. The arch is formed by
overlapping the stones as in the cells of broughs. At the west end is an
opening 2 feet 6 inches wide, of similar character, except having a
ruder arch and no caps. Above this arch, 6 feet 4 inches in height of
the gable remains. Through this is the west apartment, resembling a
chancel, which is 10 feet east and west by 10 feet 2 inches north and
south, and has walls 2 feet 3 inches thick.
There is an entrance in the north wall near west end, apparently not
original. The west gable is 9 feet 6 inches high. The eaves appear to
have been 8 feet above the ground. In the south wall of the nave, and
near the west end of it, is a rough stone stoup built into the wall.
(See Fig. 118.)
This little chapel is a puzzle, and has been mentioned before under
Enhallow, Orkney. Is the apartment in the west original, and if so, what
is it?
It is in the same position as the adjunct at Enhallow. If original, it
probably was a sacristy. The writer, in taking the plans in 1855, did
not observe on the spot that this adjunct was on the west, which was not
noticed till the plans were laid down at a distance, and no opportunity
has occurred since of minutely inspecting the building. Muir (_Eccles.
Notes_) is incorrect in his plan.
The east archway (entrance) appears original, yet too small for a
chancel arch. Supposing the adjunct on the west was original, and a
sacristy, and that the east arch is original, it must have been a
chancel arch, and there must have been a chancel, now gone.
The position of the stoup seems to indicate that the arch from the nave
into the west adjunct is the original west entrance, and that the
adjunct is not original. There are no other church arches in the islands
formed as these are by overlapping stones.
In the churchyard are some rude crosses, formed of slabs 2½ inches
thick. These were placed upright at the foot or head of graves. One is
about 2 feet high, the limbs of the cross being 7½ inches wide and
pattee. The limbs of another are 8½ inches wide.
KIRK OF NESS, NORTH YELL.
This church is at the north-east angle of Yell, near the base of the
ness bounding Cullavoe. The land is flat hereabouts, and near the sea
level.
It is the most complete of the old churches of Shetland, and is said to
have been dedicated to Olave or Olaf, the great warrior saint of the
North. It is enclosed in a walled yard about 110 feet by 100 feet. (Fig.
120.)
It consists of nave and chancel, with bell-cot on the west gable, and
lies nearly true east and west. The roof is gone, but the church was
used down to 1750. (Fig. 121.)
[Illustration: FIG. 120.--Kirk of Ness. Plan.]
The material is the grey stone of the district, placed at random, some
of the blocks being very large, and the interstices filled with small
stones.
The nave is 20 feet 5 inches by 14 feet 10 inches inside. (Fig. 122.)
The west end is 3 feet 6 inches or 3 feet 8 inches thick; the north and
south walls about 3 feet 3 inches. The side walls are 11 feet 10 inches
or 12 feet high from the floor. In the west end is a square-headed
doorway,
[Illustration: FIG. 121.--Kirk of Ness. View from South-East.]
2 feet 7 inches wide and 5 feet 4 inches high externally, with
rectangular jambs rebated for a door. (Fig. 123.) The interior width is
3 feet 5 inches. The internal head is also square. Holes for the
insertion of a wooden bar for securing the door remain in the north and
south jambs. In the south wall, and
[Illustration: FIG. 122.--Kirk of Ness. Plan.]
close to the west end of it, is another square-headed doorway,
externally 1 foot 9 inches wide, and 5 feet 9 inches high, with internal
head square as of west doorway, and bar-holes as before. (Fig. 124.) In
the north wall is a square-headed window, of which the west side and the
top are gone, owing to the west portion of the north wall having fallen
down. This window is nearer the west than the east angle of the nave. In
the south wall (Fig. 125) is a square-headed window, 3 feet by 1 foot 1
inch externally, splayed inwards to 3 feet 4 inches by 2 feet 2 inches.
The external angles of the jambs are not chamfered, nor are there
grooves or rebates for glass. (See account of Egilsey.) The top of the
sill is 7 inches above the level of the impost of the chancel arch. This
window is nearer the east than the west angle of the nave, and its
position shows that the south door is original. At 9 feet above the top
of the west
[Illustration: FIG. 123.--Kirk of Ness. East and West Walls and Chancel
Arch.]
doorway (inside) is a square-headed window (see Fig. 123), 3 feet by 1
foot 1 inch externally, splayed inward to 3 feet 2 inches by 2 feet 3
inches. At 2 feet 2 inches above this (outside) is another opening, 2
feet 4 inches wide, for a bell. The west face of the bell-cot is 7 feet
10 inches wide. The top is gone, but about 2 feet 3 inches in height of
the jambs remain. The jambs are parallel both ways, and about 1 foot 6
inches thick from east to west. The ridge of the roof was about 3 feet
higher than the bottom of the opening for the bell, and whether this
opening originally came through to the inside of the church is
doubtful. Possibly this bell-cot is not original. The ridge of the roof
was about 24 feet 7 inches above the floor under the chancel arch.
The chancel is 13 feet by 11 feet 3 inches inside. The north and south
walls are 3 feet 2 inches, and the east one 3 feet 6 inches thick. The
chancel arch (Figs. 123 and 126) has no projecting jambs, but springs
from
[Illustration: FIG. 124.--Kirk of Ness. North and South Elevations.]
the chancel walls at 5 feet 7 inches above the floor, and the feet of
the arch are set 3 inches back on the jambs at the impost, as at Wyre
and Linton in Orkney. (See account of church on Brough of Birsay.) The
spring is 3 inches higher on the south than on the north. There is no
cap. The arch is semicircular, and consists of one rectangular order 3
feet thick. The stones of the arch average 1 foot 6 inches in length,
but are thin. The top of the gable is 19 feet above the impost. The
abutments of this arch were not sufficient, and the nave and chancel
walls have spread, and a considerable fissure has taken place at the
crown of the arch. In the north wall, at the east corner, is a
square-headed window, 2 feet by 1 foot externally, splayed inward to 2
feet 5 inches by 2 feet. In the south wall, exactly opposite this
window, is a similar one, 1 foot 7 inches by 1 foot. (See Figs. 124 and
125.) The top of the external opening of this window is 7 inches below
the south impost of the chancel arch. The top of the window on the north
is 3 inches lower than on the south--the same difference as in the two
springs of the chancel arch. In the west angle of the nave and chancel
is a similar window, 1 foot 9 inches
[Illustration: FIG. 125.--Kirk of Ness.]
by 1 foot externally, and splayed as the others. This is at a trifle
higher level than the last mentioned window.
Between these two windows on the south is a sedile (see Fig. 125), 4
feet 7 inches high by 2 feet 1 inch wide, and 1 foot 8 inches deep, with
a segmental head. The bottom is 1 foot 8 inches above the floor. It is
evident that there was no step in the chancel, and no step at the altar.
On the north side, a little west of the window, is a square-headed
recess (see Fig. 125), 3 feet 4½ inches by 2 feet, and 1 foot 11 inches
recessed--probably an ambry, possibly an eastern sepulchre.
In the east gable, at 8 feet 9 inches above the level of the impost of
the chancel arch, is a window about 1 foot 3 inches by 11 inches,
splayed inward. The top of the gable is now 16 feet 9 inches above the
level of the impost of chancel arch, but was originally a little
higher--probably about 23 feet--above the level of the floor at the
chancel arch.
What is the date of this church? The chancel is larger than of any of
the churches described, and has a sedile and, perhaps, Easter sepulchre.
The chancel arch resembles Egilsey, but is not part of a vault. It has
[Illustration: FIG. 126.--Kirk of Ness. View of Chancel Arch.]
the peculiarity at the impost. The doors and windows are flat-headed.
The former have rebates, which is not the primitive form, though Egilsey
has them--the latter have the early form of jambs. Taking all the
points, it may be assigned with probability to the fourteenth century.
The interior length of the nave is equal to the diagonal of the square
of the width. The length of the chancel is that of an equilateral
triangle on the east end of the nave. The height of chancel walls is
equal to the width of the chancel.
According to Mr. Irvine there was, a few years ago, a rude cross
gravestone here, like those at Uya.
A bell, which in 1856 was lying on the shore at Cullyavoe, once hung at
this church. It is said to have been obtained from a wrecked ship, but
is evidently a church bell. It has an inscription in Dutch, and the date
1694. The late Mr. Irvine of Midbrigg had a small bell, said to have
come from this church. It had no inscription.
Since 1856 the chancel arch and gable over it have fallen.
The church was surrounded with an enclosing wall.
CHURCH AT CULBINSBROUGH, BRESSAY.
This ruin is on the north-east coast of Bressay, on a small low
promontory. It is enclosed in a “garth” or churchyard, the wall of which
is ruinous, and which appears not to have been used for many years.
[Illustration: FIG. 127.--Church at Culbinsbrough. Plan.]