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.