Documents

Where documents include maps, the use of this data is subject to terms and conditions (https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/termsandconditions).

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

  SM2098_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600008368)

Summary

Description

The monument comprises the remains of the church of St Olaf, which served North Yell until about 1750. The church was probably built in the middle decades of the fourteenth century.

The church survives in the form of the much-reduced walls, showing an E-W orientation and a simple rectangular nave with an almost square chancel. The external dimensions are approximately 12.5m by 6.5m. The walls of the chancel are rather better preserved than the remainder of the structure. The only original architectural details now evident are two narrow splayed windows at the extreme E end of the chancel side walls and two recesses in the internal chancel wall faces, one beside each window. Continued use of the burial ground has built up soil levels so that the floor of the church is now at least 1.2m below the general ground level within the burial ground. As a result, a new access down into the floor of the church has been provided at some time after the church fell into disrepair.

The church was scheduled in 1953, but the map accompanying the scheduling did not match the verbal description, hence this rescheduling, which redefines (and reduces) the area to be protected to the remains of the church and an area around extending 1.25m out from the outer wall face all around, giving a rectangular area 15m E-W by 9m, aligned from just N of E to just S of W, as marked in red on the accompanying map extract.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance as an example of a simple rural parish church of the fourteenth century, and has the potential to provide information about ecclesiastical architecture and parish organisation at the period when Norwegian Shetland was beginning to come under Scottish influence.

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.