Brough of Birsay
The Brough of Birsay is a small (21 hectare) tidal island off the north west coast of The Mainland of Orkney, in the parish of Birsay. The island is reachable at low tide via a causeway. The old norse name for the island was "Byrgisey" which means fort island, and gives the parish its name. The earliest settlement on the island is thought to have been in the 5th century AD, perhaps by Christian missionaries. By the 7th century it was a Pictish fortress, and in the 9th century the Picts were displaced by the Norse.
Some of the remains of these settlements are still visible. The most significant being the remains of a fine, though small, Romanesque church. This dates back to about 1100 and was dedicated to Saint Peter. It has an interesting shape; probably with a square tower at one end, and a semi-circular apse at the other. There is some evidence of an earlier, possibly Pictish church on the same site. The church was a place of pilgrimage until the middle ages. The most interesting Pictish remain found is a stone slab showing three figures and some additional Pictish symbols. It is not known what the subject of this carving is, but it probably shows aristocratic Picts as they wished to be perceived.
According to the Orkneyinga Saga the main residence of Jarl Thorfinn the Mighty (1014-1065) was located in Birsay, possibly on the Brough. At this time the first Bishop of Orkney was appointed and his cathedral was probably on the site of the present day Saint Magnus Kirk, nearby on the Mainland.
There is an unmanned lighthouse on the Brough which was built in 1925.
Referenced By
Orkney | Orkney Islands | Orkney Isles | Orkneys
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