Description

The monument comprises the remains of St Mary's Church and burial ground, and a prehistoric broch (defensive tower) immediately adjacent, all sited on a small promontory at Cullinsburgh, Bressay. The broch was first scheduled in 1934 and St Mary's Church in 1953, but inadequate areas were included to protect all of the archaeological remains: the present re-scheduling rectifies this. In addition, given the close proximity of the two monuments, the two scheduled areas are being combined into one.

The church appears to date from the medieval period and may have been dedicated to St Mary. It is the only medieval cruciform church to have been identified in Shetland so far, although the transepts may have been later additions to the usual arrangement of rectangular nave and chancel. By 1930 the S transepts had been demolished and most of the other walling was represented by a drystone dyke. Older masonry can be observed both in the E end and in the N transept gable.

Sometime during the 19th century, a Pictish cross-slab with an ogham inscription was found near the church, perhaps within the churchyard. The cross-slab now resides in the National Museum of Scotland.

The rectangular churchyard is demarcated by a drystone wall, which traverses a large stony mound at its NW corner. This is almost certainly the remains of a broch, a defensive stone-built tower dating probably from the Iron Age, sometime between 500 BC and AD 500. Three-quarters of the broch mound lies outwith the graveyard dyke, and one-quarter within it. No remains of broch walling are now visible. Typical prehistoric stone tools have been recovered from the surface of the site.

The area to be scheduled includes the remains of the church, the churchyard and the broch, and an area around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive. It has maximum dimensions of 52m N-S by 57m W-E, as indicated in red on the accompanying map. All burial lairs still in use are excluded from the scheduling.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance as the only example of a medieval cruciform church in Shetland. The discovery of the cross-slab in the 19th century suggests that the history of this monument as a church site dates at least as far back as the 9th or 10th century; while the existence of a broch mound in the near vicinity not only demonstrates that the site overall has a long history of occupation and use, but also that it has the potential to elucidate what happened to high status domestic prehistoric societies around the time that Christianity was adopted. The broch mound itself has the potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric architecture, land-use and economy.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as HU54SW 5.

References:

MacGibbon D and Ross T 1896-7, THE ECCLESIASTICAL ARCHITECTURE OF SCOTLAND FROM THE EARLIEST CHRISTIAN TIMES TO THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY, Edinburgh, Vol. 3, 157-9.

RCAHMS 1946, TWELFTH REPORT WITH AN INVENTORY OF THE ANCIENT MONUMENTS OF ORKNEY AND SHETLAND, Edinburgh, HMSO, 1, No. 1083.

Sibbald R 1711, DESCRIPTION OF THE ISLES OF ORKNEY AND ZETLAND, 29.

Ritchie A 1999, EXPLORING SCOTLAND'S HERITAGE: SHETLAND, Exploring Scotland's Heritage Series, Edinburgh, 99, No. 37.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland