Archaeology Notes

Event ID 695323

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/695323

HP61SE 1 6517 1410

(HP 6516 1411) St John's Church (LB) (Site of)

OS 6" map, Shetland, 2nd ed., (1900)

The grass-grown foundations of St John's Church, Norwick, which consisted of nave and chancel (MacGibbon and Ross 1896) The north wall is slightly curved, due, according to local tradition, to its overlying the foundations of a broch.

In the churchyard are some rudely cross-shaped head- stones and coped coffins of rude construction.

D MacGibbon and T Ross 1896; RCAHMS 1946.

Only turf-covered wall footings remain of the nave. The chancel, apart from the footings of the S. wall, has been obliterated by a modern grave monument. The burial ground is still in use. No trace of a broch though the knoll on which the church and churchyard stands is big enough to have supported one.

Resurveyed at 1/2500.

Visited by OS (R L), 26 April 1969.

HP 651 140 A salvage excavation was carried out in May and June 2003 during the construction phase of an extension to Norwick churchyard. Within the churchyard are the Scheduled foundations of a Romanesque church that had been built on top of a mound, a possible broch site.

The remains of three separate house structures, together with an extensive network of stone-lined and covered drains were found in an area of about 300m2 adjacent to the churchyard wall, along with many steatite objects. Bowl fragments were circular and finely made, indicating a Viking date. Five hearths were identified, including one measuring 2.3 x 0.5m internally. Small blocks of wax were also found, and part of the base of a 20mm square wax cup. One drain had been later reused as a forge, with a pit at the lower end, and was well preserved. There was also what appeared to be the outline of a small wooden building in the sandy soil next to the pit.

An Iron Age layer was uncovered towards the end of the excavation below the Viking layer, separated by about 1m of sand. Although it was not possible to excavate this layer before it was destroyed, large amounts of burnt material containing pottery were noted, from which a fragment of a Roman fibula brooch was found.

Sponsor: Unst Archaeological Group.

L H Smith 2003.

HP 652 141 Archaeological remains previously found during a watching brief on the construction of an extension to the existing cemetery had been tentatively interpreted as a possible church with associated burials. The evaluation in April 2003 demonstrated that the features were not burials, and no evidence was found of an early church. However, the morphology of the structure and the nature of the artefactual assemblage recovered suggests that the site may relate to Norse domestic activity, together with later turf dykes of unknown date.

Report lodged with Shetland SMR and the NMRS.

Sponsor: Shetland Islands Council.

P Duffy 2003.