There are only four cases where we can judge of the pitch of the roofs. The Ness had a roof including about 85 degrees, Egilsey about 88 degrees, Enhallow the same, and Wyre about 95 degrees. Probably all had rude stepped coping on the gables.
MONUMENTS.
The grave stones found in connection with these churches are of four kinds.
1. Keel-shaped slabs placed horizontally on graves, as at Sandwick in Unst, sketched by Mr. Irvine.
2. Upright stones nearly rectangular, with crosses engraved on them, as at Sandwick, etched by Mr. Irvine, and at Norwick and some other places. This class includes the elaborate monument from Culbinsbrough.
3. The same shaped stones, without any ornamentation, found at many of the old burial-grounds.
4. Upright stones cut into the form of crosses, as at Uya.
Mr. Irvine has sent the following information:—“I believe from the earliest times in Scotland the foot-stone of the grave was the chief stone, and not as now the head-stone, and that the east face of the foot-stone was the principal face to be attended to, from the idea that the dead rose at the resurrection to an upright position facing east. Compare the stone with the ancient incised markings from St. Peter’s Church, Orkney, now in the Edinburgh Museum, with the one I have etched from Sandwick, Unst, and I believe it will be seen that the keel stone existed to both. Therefore, I believe that the interment belonging to many of the standing stones will be found on the west side and not on the east.” The coffins were often formed of six or more slabs of stone.
PROPORTIONS.
The designs for churches in the ages of architecture were not made at random. Doubtless there existed certain rules of proportion; but doubtless they varied with times, places, and persons.