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Yesnaby, St Bride's Chapel
Burial Ground (Medieval), Chapel (Medieval), Rig And Furrow (Medieval) - (Post Medieval)
Site Name Yesnaby, St Bride's Chapel
Classification Burial Ground (Medieval), Chapel (Medieval), Rig And Furrow (Medieval) - (Post Medieval)
Alternative Name(s) Noust Of Bigging
Canmore ID 1692
Site Number HY21NW 6
NGR HY 2224 1572
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/1692
- Council Orkney Islands
- Parish Sandwick
- Former Region Orkney Islands Area
- Former District Orkney
- Former County Orkney
HY21NW 6 2224 1572.
(HY 2224 1572) Chapel (NR) (Site of): Burial Ground (NR)
OS 6" map, Orkney, 2nd ed., (1903).
The remains of 'an ancient Romish church' stand in the centre of what is supposed to have been the burying ground, enclosed by an old dyke.
Name Book 1880.
The chapel was dedicated to St Bride, or Bridget, and traces of the graveyard were visible in 1923. Both were described as 'sites' in 1928.
J Fraser 1923; RCAHMS 1946.
The remains of a chapel (regarded as such locally) are situated in a pasture-field at the head of the Noust of Bigging and appear as a turf-covered platform of earth and stones, about 9.0m long by 4.5m wide, surrounded by the turf-covered footings of an enclosure wall. What appears to have been a headstone is lying on the ground inside the enclosure and stones around the edge of the mound suggest that the chapel was of drystone construction.
Some years ago, whilst stone was being removed for drainage purposes, skeletons were turned up. (Information from Mr T Bremner, Forswall, Sandwick.)
Visited by OS (RL) 18 May 1966.
'The Orkney Herald' described this church as "one of the first churches", in 1888.
'The Orcadian' in 1907 described the remains and that a cornerstone had decoration on two sides.
M Howe 2006
