The Lady Kirk (or St Mary's Kirk) at

Pierowall Pierowall is a village of Westray in the Orkney Islands, off the coast of the northern Scottish mainland. The village is the island's largest settlement and lies near its northern end, around Pierowall Bay. It has a variety of historical remai ...

is a ruined 17th-century church on the island of

Westray Westray (, sco, Westree) is one of the Orkney Islands in Scotland, with a usual resident population of just under 600 people. Its main village is Pierowall, with a heritage centre, the 15th-century Lady Kirk church and pedestrian ferry servic ...

, in

Orkney Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. The church was built in 1674, on the foundations of the 13th-century church. Two 17th-century grave-slabs, in excellent condition, are set into the interior wall of the chancel and are now protected by glass screens. The graves display fine lettering and 17th-century images of mortality, engraved in high relief.

Historic Environment Scotland Historic Environment Scotland (HES) ( gd, Àrainneachd Eachdraidheil Alba) is an executive non-departmental public body responsible for investigating, caring for and promoting Scotland's historic environment. HES was formed in 2015 from the mer ...

established the site as a scheduled monument in 2014.

Description

The Lady Kirk was originally built in the 13th century. There is very little that remains of the original medieval building except for the bottom of the south wall of the nave, the base of the west gable and a portion the chancel arch. In 1674, the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

was expanded, and the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ove ...

was rebuilt as a "laird's aisle". Between the nave and chancel is a red sandstone arch. The nave was originally by , but the remodel expanded the space by . The chancel is now out of alignment with the nave. Pierowall_Lady_Kirk_-_tomb_of_Helen_Alexander_(1676)_-_geograph

Pierowall_Lady_Kirk_-_tomb_of_Helen_Alexander_(1676)_-_geograph

The date 1674 is inscribed on the lowest stone at eaves level of the east gable. The west gable is topped by a "birdcage"

bellcote A bellcote, bell-cote or bell-cot is a small framework and shelter for one or more bells. Bellcotes are most common in church architecture but are also seen on institutions such as schools. The bellcote may be carried on brackets projecting from ...

with a ball finial. The building's masonry is made of rubble with freestone and

lime mortar Lime mortar or torching is composed of lime and an aggregate such as sand, mixed with water. The ancient Egyptians were the first to use lime mortars, which they used to plaster their temples. In addition, the Egyptians also incorporated various ...

. The oldest sections of the church's walls were mortared with clay. Two 17th-century grave-slabs are set into the interior wall of the chancel ("laird's aisle") and are now protected by glass screens. The slabs are in excellent condition and display lettering and images of mortality, engraved in high relief. The graves in the north wall include those of Michael Balfour, George Balfour (1657) and his wife, Marjorie Baikie (1676). On the east wall is Helen Alexander's grave-slab (1676). The church and surrounding graveyard continued to be used until 1879.

established the site as a scheduled monument in 2014.

References

{{coord, 59.3220, -2.9865, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Churches in Orkney Listed churches in Scotland Churches completed in 1674 Scheduled Ancient Monuments in Orkney Historic Scotland properties in Orkney 1674 establishments in Scotland Westray

Description

See also

References