Documents

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The legal document available for download below constitutes the formal designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The additional details provided on this page are provided for information purposes only and do not form part of the designation. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within this additional information.

• Type

  Legal Documents

  Title

  SM10976_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600013812)

Summary

Description

The monument consists of the site of the Cross Kirk, the medieval parish church of Dunrossness, which lies within sand dunes to the north of the Bay of Quendale.

The church is now visible in the landscape as a low grass covered sand mound with a single visible recumbent graveslab on the top. The mound, which is roughly rectangular, is 2-3m high and is approximately 40m N-S by 55m E-W.

The church may have been dedicated to St Matthew, while a third of the corn teinds of the parish were in the possession of the bishop of Orkney. Post-reformation references to a prebend called the Cross Stouk in the 'college-kirk' of Dunrosness and to the 'prebendarie callit the Croce Kirk foundit within the college kirk of Dunrossness in Yeitland' suggest that Cross Kirk was a collegiate church.

The church was abandoned in 1790 when the present parish church was built, the old church being unsuitable for worship or burial for some time due to drifting sand and the encroachment of the sea. The stones of the abandoned church were apparently robbed to construct a nearby Haa or Laird's House, Quendale House, which dates from around 1800.

Three large and fine 17th-century tombstones, dedicated to various members of the Quendale branch of the Sinclair family, were within the burial ground and the church at Cross Kirk. They were removed from the site in the early 20th century.

The area to be scheduled consists of the low sand-covered mound. The scheduled area is rectangular and measures 50m N-S by 60m transversely, as is indicated in red on the accompanying map extract.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance as the site of medieval parish church which had some form of collegiate foundation attached. The Cross Kirk at Dunrossness is the only collegiate church in Shetland and appears to have been a church of some considerable status, with teinds being appropriated from lands within other parishes in Shetland. Its importance continued in the post-Reformation period, becoming the parish church for the combined parish of Dunrossness, Sandwick Cunnisburgh and Fair Isle.

Although all that remains of the site is now a low sand covered mound, it is very likely that significant and substantial archaeological remains of the church and the burial ground remain buried within the wind blown sand. These have the potential to increase our understanding of the ecclesiastical organisation of Shetland in the medieval and post-Reformation periods.

References

Bibliography

About Scheduled Monuments

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Scheduling is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for monuments and archaeological sites of national importance as set out in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

We schedule sites and monuments that are found to be of national importance using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Scheduled monument records provide an indication of the national importance of the scheduled monument which has been identified by the description and map. The description and map (see ‘legal documents’ above) showing the scheduled area is the designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The statement of national importance and additional information provided are supplementary and provided for general information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within the statement of national importance or additional information. These records are not definitive historical or archaeological accounts or a complete description of the monument(s).

The format of scheduled monument records has changed over time. Earlier records will usually be brief. Some information will not have been recorded and the map will not be to current standards. Even if what is described and what is mapped has changed, the monument is still scheduled.

Scheduled monument consent is required to carry out certain work, including repairs, to scheduled monuments. Applications for scheduled monument consent are made to us. We are happy to discuss your proposals with you before you apply and we do not charge for advice or consent. More information about consent and how to apply for it can be found on our website at www.historicenvironment.scot.

Find out more about scheduling and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.