Part 9

Chapel, 35 feet long internally. North side, long lanciform window and round-headed door; heads of one stone; east end of south side long, narrow round-headed window; west end, window with drip-stone; east end blank. Basin of octagonal font.[115]

10. INCHKENNETH, NEAR ULVA.

Remains of church; seems to be of early first pointed date; simple oblong, 40 feet 8 inches long by 19 feet 8 inches wide, with small ruined sacristy on south-east. Flat buttresses at corner of east end, which contains two long lancet windows enormously splayed inside. Side walls have each one similar window, and broken doorway in north wall. Circular piscina.[116]

11. ST. MOLUAC, RAASAY.

First pointed. Internally 46 feet in length. In west end two short narrow lancets, semi-arched inside, one in middle of wall, the other aloft in gable. In east end one similar. In south wall two windows and flat-headed doorway, and inside a large semi-recess in wall.[117]

12. KILLEAN, KINTYRE.

Perhaps Mother-Church. Details more elaborate than usual, vaulted, and sacristy or chantry chapel at north-east. A south-west doorway, and another near east end of south wall, and apparently an unusually distinguished chancel. Narrow round-headed lights on both sides. East end a very long couplet, formerly separated by a buttress; tooth ornament round exterior openings; moulded label, string and cornice, and corner nook shaft.[118]

13. KILBRIDE, KNAPDALE.

Large, not much ruined.[119]

14. EORRAPIDH, LEWIS.

Teampull Moluach. Simple oblong; internally 44 feet long by 17 feet 9 inches wide, with north-east sacristy and south-east chapel, both roofed with lean-to. (Fig. 66.) Doorway at south-west, semi-arched;

east window round head, rear arch pointed; west window smaller, round head with round rear arch. At top of east and of side walls two small square windows close together, and to west one large and round-headed of one stone. Windows in side buildings mere slits, flat in head.[120]

15. OLRIG, CAITHNESS.

Walls of old church apparently first pointed.[121]

16. KILCHIEVEN OR KILCOIVEN, KINTYRE.

Simple oblong, a good deal demolished; 51 feet 8 inches long by 17 feet 8 inches wide internally. North-west pointed doorway; remains of two-light window in south wall, and hole in south wall for piscina. (Fig. 67.)

CHURCHES IN ORKNEY AND SHETLAND.

DRAWN AND DESCRIBED BY SIR HENRY DRYDEN, BART.

About forty years ago the ancient churches of Orkney and Shetland were minutely examined by Sir Henry Dryden, who then made measured plans and drawings of the buildings, showing their condition at that time.

In 1870 Sir Henry deposited copies of his drawings (copied by Mr. William Galloway) and descriptions of these churches in the hands of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. As these drawings and descriptions contain much information, which, from the natural decay of the structures, is now lost, it appeared to us that the information collected so long ago by Sir H. Dryden would form an interesting chapter in this work on the ecclesiastical architecture of Scotland.

This view has been adopted by Sir Henry, who has most kindly agreed to allow his drawings and descriptions of the ruined churches of Orkney and Shetland to be embodied in this book. The consent of the Council of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland has also been freely given, and these valuable drawings and descriptions of ancient churches, which are rapidly disappearing, are now published for the first time.

The descriptions are arranged, as far as possible, in the order of the type of the plans, commencing with the oldest type of simple oblong, one-chambered churches, and then continuing with the churches containing architecturally distinguished choir and nave. (See Note by Sir Henry Dryden, pp. 172, 173.)

CHAPEL ON THE BROUGH OF DEERNESS.

The brough is on the east coast of Deerness, and measures on the top about 400 feet north and south by 240 feet east and west. It is separated from the mainland on the south-west by a narrow ravine or “geo,” which is almost wet at high water. (Fig. 68.)

The brough is highest on the north, and at that part is about 90 or 100 feet high. (Fig. 69.) The coast hereabouts is steep and rocky. The use of the word _brough_ for a detached rock, when _no fort_ is placed on it, is not unfrequent.

The chapel (Fig. 70) is near the centre of the brough, enclosed in a yard 57 feet by 45 feet, of which only the foundation remains. The

entrance into this is not evident. The chapel is a parallelogram, 24 feet 5 inches by 17 feet 4 inches outside. The west wall is 3 feet 2 inches, and the others 3 feet 11 inches thick. Only about 4 feet 6 inches and 5 feet in height remain above ground. It stands nearly true east and west, the west end facing a little south of west. It is built of clay slate from 1 foot to 3 feet long, and 2 to 7 inches thick, now much covered with yellow lichen. It has only one doorway (Fig. 71), which is in the west

end, and apparently was only 2 feet wide; but the west wall is irregular, and appears to have been altered and repaired. The upper part of the doorway is gone, but probably it was square headed, with a stone lintel. The jambs are not splayed, and have no rebate for a door, nor is there any bar hole.[122] By digging at the west doorway it appeared probable that the floor inside was about 6 feet below top of sill of east window, but the level is uncertain, as the interior is much covered with debris.

Apparently there was only one window, which is in the east end. (See Fig. 71.) The top is gone, so that it is doubtful whether it was flat or arched. One jamb is gone and the other somewhat mutilated, but 1 foot 9 inches in height of it remains. The window had a clear opening of 1 foot 3 inches, with jambs splayed inside, to 3 feet 6 inches in width. It appears to have had the outer 11 inches of the jambs parallel, and to have contained glass. On a part of the east wall is built a beacon used for the survey.

In the north wall, near east end, is an ambry 2 feet 4 inches wide, not less than 2 feet 4 inches high (top is gone), and 1 foot 11 inches recessed. It has no traces of having had a door.[123] Supposing the floor to have been 6 feet below sill of east window, probably the side walls were about 8 feet high, and the points of the gables about 18 feet from floor. The roof was probably of large slabs of stone along the eaves and above them, either of smaller slabs or of “divots,” fastened down with “simmons” as on houses.

The external length is equal to the diagonal of the square of the width. About 35 yards south of the chapel is a tank or well.

On the south edge of the brough are stones which appear to have once formed a wall, and at this point is the entrance from the “geo.”

Spread over the top of the brough are foundations of at least 18 huts. They are mostly parallelograms, of about 24 feet by 12 feet outside, and the walls 2 feet 6 inches and 3 feet thick. These were for the use of devotees who used this as a place of pilgrimage.

A survey of our coasts and lakes will show how strong a partiality existed in early times for selecting as sites for churches and monastic establishments small islands, isolated rocks, or promontories difficult of access--for instance, the two St. Michael’s Mounts, Lindisfarn, Iona, Ireland’s Eye, Inisfallen, &c. Nor was this taste for isolation peculiar to the coasts. We find throughout Europe, and, indeed, in the East also, numbers of peaks difficult of access, bearing such buildings. The brough of Deerness and the brough of Birsay are good examples.

CHAPEL ON THE NORTH SHORE OF HEAD OF HOLLAND.

This is situated within a few yards of the shore, and not many feet above water level. It is only a heap of ruins, but the measures are just ascertainable. It is a parallelogram, measuring 37 feet east and west by

15 feet 4 inches north and south inside. The north and south walls are 2 feet 6 inches thick, and east and west ends 3 feet 3 inches, and are of the red sandstone of the locality. There was a door in the south wall. Planned in 1870. (Fig. 72.)

HALCRO CHAPEL, SOUTH RONALDSHAY.

This is now wholly destroyed, and even the foundations taken out, but the measures were obtained by Mr. G. Petrie so soon after the removal of the latter that the thickness of the walls could be accurately determined.

It was a parallelogram, 21 feet by 14 feet inside. The walls were 2 feet 6 inches thick. The place of the doorway was not ascertained. Planned in 1870. (Fig. 73.)

ST. TREDWELL’S CHAPEL, PAPA WESTRAY.

This chapel is situated on a little holm in a fresh water loch on the east side of Papa Westray. (Fig. 74.) It appears probable that a Pict’s

house was constructed on this holm, and that the chapel was built on its ruins. This St. Tredwell is the same as St. Triduana, whose day in the Roman calendar is October 8th. She is not mentioned by Alban Butler. The chapel was much frequented in its day, and many benefits were said to

be obtained from the Saint by her devotees. It is a plain parallelogram (Fig. 75), 20 feet 3 inches east and west by 13 feet 10 inches north and south inside, and stands west by south and east by north. There is a narrow doorway near the west end of the south side. Only the lower portions of the walls remain, except at north-west angle, which measures 8 feet high; but here we have, as usual, the unfortunate information that within memory the east gable and south wall were standing. The thickness of the wall on the north is 3 feet 11 inches; east, 4 feet 2 inches; south, 4 feet 3 inches; and west, 4 feet 9 inches. It is stated that there was a window in the east end, and that the doorway was flat headed. No trace of a window remains, and only about 3 feet 6 inches of the door jambs remain. These have a rebate into which a door is fitted, but whether in a wooden frame or not cannot be ascertained. The original floor appears to have been 10 feet above water level.

There is no means of assigning a date to the building, but the difference in the thickness of the walls makes it possible that it has been altered since its first erection. Planned 1870.

CHURCH AT SWENDRO, ROUSAY.

This is in a graveyard, close to the west shore of Rousay, about a mile north of Westness. It consists of a long parallelogram, and, but for a stoup near the door, and apparently an ambry near the east end, might be taken for a post-Reformation building. It has been used till within memory. It stands about east and west. (Fig. 76.) It is 52 feet 11

inches east and west by 14 feet 5 inches north and south inside; and the walls are 2 feet 6 inches on north and south, 2 feet 11 inches on east, and 3 feet 8 inches on the west. It is now roofless, and in some parts broken. From the floor to the top of side walls is 9 feet 10 inches.

There is one doorway near the west end of south wall. (See Fig. 76.) This is flat headed and rebated, measuring 3 feet 4 inches clear width. To the west of this doorway and low down is a window 2 feet 11 inches by 1 foot 4 inches clear, flat headed, and splayed inwards and outwards. Between the window and the doorway (inside) is a recess, probably for holy water. To the east of the doorway is a window 3 feet 3½ inches by 1 foot 4 inches, flat headed, and splayed as before. The head is nearly as high as the eaves. Farther east is another similar window. About midway along the north wall is a window 2 feet 1½ inch by 1 foot, clear opening, flat headed, and splayed as before. The head is nearly as high as the eaves. In the east end (Fig. 77) is a window, of which the sill is nearly as high as the eaves, 4 feet by 1 foot 2 inches, clear opening, with flat head, and splays in and out; under this window, and across the end inside, is a sort of shelf at the height of the top of the altar. In the west end is a

window above the level of the eaves, 3 feet 5 inches by 1 foot 4 inches. There is a seat inside, along the west end and part of the north side. The east and west gables are in steps, which remain tolerably entire. The floor of the church is gone. In the yard are numerous rough tombstones, and a few more modern. Outside the north-west corner of the yard is the foundation of a small, strong, rectangular building, which has more the appearance of a fort than a church; but close to it, as is stated, were found some carved stones of the red sandstone, now at Westness, one of which appears to be the cap of an elaborate church doorway, with three shafts on each side. Planned 1870.

ST. OLA, KIRKWALL.

This church stands in Bridge Street Lane, and is now a carpenter’s shop and warehouse, the property of Mrs. John Reid. It formerly was enclosed in “a close” or court, and was once converted into a “poorhouse,” from which the close was called “Poorhouse Close.” It has been so much mutilated in its several conversions that little can be stated of its original style and arrangement.

It stands about west by south and east by north. It consists of one parallelogram, 35 feet by 18 feet inside. (Fig. 78.) The south side

abuts on the lane, and a house is attached to the west end, from which house into the chapel a modern doorway has been cut.

The south wall is 2 feet 11 inches thick, the west 3 feet 6 inches.

The original entrance is on the south, 17 feet from the exterior west angle. (Fig. 79.) It is 3 feet 5 inches wide, with a semicircular head and continuous mouldings of a hollow, ornamented with four-leaved flowers and a filleted roll, like many of the mouldings in the cathedral, except as to the flowers. When the street was paved about thirty years ago the ground was raised, the jambs were covered up 9 inches, two stones were inserted just below the impost and the arch raised. What the height of the side walls was is not now evident. They are now about 20 feet above the original floor at the entrance. Probably the ridge was about 24 feet high.

The east end has no trace of an original window, but a modern one has been inserted. In the south wall near the east angle is a modern window, but probably in the place of an original one. The other original windows cannot be traced. Probably there was a step at 10 feet or 11 feet from the east end, and perhaps a screen. A few feet east of the entrance inside was a stoup or piscina (see Fig. 79). In the north wall near the east angle remains an ambry (see Fig. 79) 1 foot 4¾ inches wide, 2 feet 1 inch high, and 1 foot 3½ inches recessed. The head is an ogee arch under a hood moulding, and it is flanked by buttresses with finials. The bottom of this ambry is 5 feet 1 inch above what appears to have been the original level of the floor. The moulding of this resembles that of the entrance, except in having no flowers.

In the east wall near the south angle is a smaller ambry, also ogee headed and less ornate, the bottom of which is 2 feet 6 inches above the floor. The use of the ogee is very rare in Scotland. The only curves of that kind in St. Magnus are in fragments of Bishop Tulloch’s tomb.

South of the chapel in what is now the lane were found, in forming the lane, gravestones and human bones. Close by the chapel was lying, in 1855, a stone, having on it, sculptured in relief, apparently a shield, under a mitre, but too much defaced to be recognised, and below the shield, “Robertvs ...,” and a date or letters illegible. Bishop Robert Reid held the see from 1540 to the Reformation; and as the mouldings (especially the four-leaved flower and the ogee arch) point to the fifteenth century, perhaps the chapel may be a late example of the style, and be assigned to him. His coat of arms is a stag’s head cabossed.

The parish in which the town of Kirkwall is situated is that of St. Ola, and it is certain that in this part of the town was the parish church, dedicated to the great warrior saint of Norway--St. Olaf.

The fact of burials having been made close to this building makes it probable that this was the parish church; not a chapel of ease or of private endowment. Of course, this building was not the _first_ parish church, though it may have occupied the site of the first, and probably did so.

It was probably after the constitution of Kirkwall as a royal burgh, about 1470, that the cathedral became practically the parish church, and St. Ola became merged in Kirkwall. The name Kirkwall (Church-bay), being wholly Norse, is some evidence that the name was caused by a Norse, not a Culdee, church. The situation could hardly fail to induce settlement of the Norsemen there. In the name Egilsey we have inference of a different origin, as will be hereafter mentioned. But supposing that the conjecture as to the name of Kirkwall is correct, it does not prove that there was not a Culdee church there.[124] Planned 1855.

_Note by Geo. Petrie, Kirkwall, Corr. Mem. Soc. Antiq. Scot._

According to Jo. Ben, whose description of Orkney is dated in 1529, St. Ola’s Church was reduced to ashes by the English, probably during one of their many raids on the islands about that time. One of the raids was on 13th August 1502. As apparently corroborative of Sir Henry Dryden’s conjecture, that St. Ola’s Church was the parish church before the cathedral was so styled, an old charter in my possession proves that not only was the church known as St. Ola’s Kirk, but it had “St. Olaf’s Kirkyard,” “St. Olaf’s Burn,” and “St. Olaf’s Brig” in its vicinity. I think the fair inference from this is, that a church built here during the early part of the Norsemen’s possession of the islands was dedicated with its “kirkyard” to St. Olaf. The name soon extended to the neighbouring small stream or burn, and the “brig” by which it was crossed; and in the course of time embraced a considerable portion of the surrounding country. It is very probable that St. Ola’s Kirk occupied the same site on which stood the older building, from which the town was named by the Norsemen Kirkevaag (Kirk-bay), which was anciently pronounced “Kirkwaw,” and appears in that form in some old documents in my possession.

The fact that St. Ola’s Church had been destroyed in the beginning of the sixteenth century renders it almost certain that Sir Henry Dryden must be correct in attributing the erection of the church, of which there are considerable remains, to Bishop Robert Reid, as the style of architecture, as shown by Sir Henry, is in keeping with the period to which he supposes the building to belong.

The charter I have referred to is dated at “Kirkwall in Orknay ye last of July” 1580, and granted by “John Tailyor and Henrie Tailyor brether germane, and airis to our umqle fayir (father) Andro Tailyor, to our weil-be-louit friend Magnus Paplay” of “All and Haill ane hall, ane seller, ane chalm. yr.aboue wyt. yaird and pt.nents yr.to p.tene.g quhatsomeuir lyand adjacent to Sanct Olaiffis brig, Kirk and Kirkyaird of the samy. having on the Est pt. y.roff the housses p.tene.g to Symound Beatoun; on the West pt. Sanct Olaiffis Kirk and yaird of the samy.; on the South pt. the housses p.tene.g to Johnne Vysshart and Sant Olaffis burne yr. betuixt and to ye North pt. Sanct Katereins quoyis.”

THE FOLLOWING CHURCHES ARE OF THE TYPE CONTAINING CHANCEL AND NAVE.

CHURCH ON THE ISLAND OF WYRE.

This stands on a flat piece of ground about the middle of the island, in a walled burial-ground, still used. The chapel has no roof, and is much filled up with rubbish. Large parts of the south wall have tumbled, as well as smaller portions of other walls. (Fig. 80.)

It is built of grey whinstone, without any freestone dressings. The stones average about 1 foot 6 inches long by about 5 inches thick. It

consists of chancel and nave, with a door at west end--all built at the same time. (Fig. 81.) The extreme exterior length is 35 feet 10 inches, and width 18 feet 4 inches. It stands west by south and east by north. The nave is 19 feet 2 inches by 12 feet 10 inches inside.

The west entrance is 2 feet 6 inches wide at bottom, with semicircular head, the feet of which are set back at the impost 2½ inches on each side. (Fig. 82.) This mode of putting the arch on was probably done to give a support to the centre on which the arch was built. The jambs are parallel, 3 feet 2 inches thick, and have no rebate for a door, nor any traces of there having been one.[125] There is no cap. The impost is 4 feet 11 inches above original stone sill. The whole interior is from 1 foot 6 inches to 2 feet deep in rubbish.

The west wall is 3 feet 2 inches thick, the north and south about 3 feet.

There are no windows on the north or west of the nave. There are two on the south side, but only one of these appears original. This has a

clear opening of 1 foot 10 inches by 8 inches, with a flat head. The jambs splay inward to 2 feet 3 inches in width. The outer edges are broken, so that it is uncertain whether it had an external chamfer.

The upper part of the side walls is in many places destroyed, but as far as can be now ascertained, the top of the nave walls was 11 feet 5 inches above the sill of west door. The chancel walls were only 4 or 5 inches lower.

The upper part of all the gables is gone.

The chancel arch is exactly like the west entrance in every way. The jambs are 3 feet thick. A springer of the gable-coping remains at the north-east angle, 1 foot wide, 7 or 8 inches thick, and of 1 foot projection. In 1852 the springer at the south-west angle was existing. The chancel is 7 feet 10 inches by 7 feet 2 inches inside.

There is one window on the south which appears to have been round headed, and 2 feet 7 inches by 11 inches. The jambs splay inward to

2 feet 11 inches in width. The outer edges are broken, but there seems to have been an external splay. There is no ambry, and no trace of altar or altar place.

The springers of the gable-coping remain at the south-east and north-east angles. These are 1 foot wide and about 8 inches thick, and project 1 foot.

The roofs of nave and chancel were either of tie-beam construction or of rafters coupled half-way up, and covered with stone slates.

My conjectural restoration makes the ridge of the nave roof 19 feet above the sill of the west entrance. This chapel closely resembles in size and form the chapel at Lybster, in Caithness, described farther on in this work (p. 162). Probably Wyre Chapel is of the twelfth or thirteenth century, but the characteristics are not decisive enough to approximate more closely to its date. It is called “Cubberow” Chapel, from its vicinity to Cubberow Castle.

The exterior length of the nave is equal to the diagonal of the square of its exterior width. The chancel is nearly square.

CHURCH ON THE ISLAND OF ENHALLOW.