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			{{Short description\|Parish on the Orkney mainland}}
⚫	] in the background]]
			{{for\|the hamlet in Canada\|Birsay, Saskatchewan}}
			{{Use dmy dates\|date=April 2022}}
		⚫	] in the background]]

	'''Birsay''' (]: ''Birgisherað''<ref>Anderson, Joseph (Ed.) (1893) ''Orkneyinga Saga''. Translated by Jón A. Hjaltalin & Gilbert Goudie. Edinburgh. James Thin and Mercat Press (1990 reprint). ISBN 0-901824-25-9</ref>) is a ] in the north west corner of ] of ], ]. Almost all the land in the parish is devoted to agriculture: chiefly ] used to rear beef cattle. There are various ancient monuments in the parish.		'''Birsay''' ({{IPAc-en\|ˈ\|b\|ʌ\|r\|s\|i:}}) (]: ''Birgisherað'')<ref>Anderson, Joseph (Ed.) (1893) ''Orkneyinga Saga''. Translated by Jón A. Hjaltalin & Gilbert Goudie. Edinburgh. James Thin and Mercat Press (1990 reprint). {{ISBN\|0-901824-25-9}}</ref> is a ] in the north west corner of ] of ], ]. Almost all the land in the parish is devoted to agriculture: chiefly ] used to rear beef cattle. There are various ancient monuments in the parish.

	==Ancient ~~Monuments~~==		==Ancient monuments==
	Two important ancient monuments are maintained by ] and bring many visitors to the area in summer. These are the ] and ] settlements on the ] of ] and the ] of the ] on the Mainland opposite, at the northern end of the village.		Two important ancient monuments are maintained by ] and bring many visitors to the area in summer. These are the ] and ] settlements on the ] of ] and the ] of the ] on the Mainland opposite, at the northern end of the village.

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	==Earl's Palace==		==Earl's Palace==
	]		]
	{{main\|Earl's Palace, Birsay}}		{{main\|Earl's Palace, Birsay}}
	The late ~~sixteenth~~ century ~~Palace~~ was built by ] (~~1533-93~~). Though extensively ruined, it can be seen to have consisted of four ranges round an open courtyard, with small towers at the corners, an unusual form of building in ] at this date, and unprecedented in the north of the country. The date 1574 was formerly carved above the main (south-facing) entrance. The building has been uninhabited since the late ~~seventeenth~~ century. It was originally adjoined by walled garden enclosures, an archery range and a bowling green. This building, along with the Earl's Palace in ], and ] on ]~~<ref>{{cite~~ ~~web\|url=http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/shetland/scallowaycastle/index.html~~ ~~\|title=Undiscovered Scotland illustrated feature on Scalloway Castle \|publisher=Undiscoveredscotland.co.uk \|date= \|accessdate=2011-06-06}}</ref>~~ (all ]), were the main residences of the Stewart Earls of Orkney in the Northern Isles.		The late 16th-century palace was built by ] (1533–93). Though extensively ruined, it can be seen to have consisted of four ranges round an open courtyard, with small towers at the corners, an unusual form of building in ] at this date, and unprecedented in the north of the country. The date 1574 was formerly carved above the main (south-facing) entrance. The building has been uninhabited since the late 17th century. It was originally adjoined by walled garden enclosures, an archery range and a bowling green. This building, along with the ] and ] in ] (all ]), were the main residences of the Stewart Earls of Orkney in the Northern Isles.
			]
			]

			==St Magnus Church==
⚫	Near the palace is the ~~church~~ of the parish of Birsay and Harray (]; open in summer). Architectural fragments in the walls, and archaeological investigation of the foundations, suggest that this was the site of the first cathedral of ] in the ~~eleventh~~-~~twelfth~~ centuries, known as ''Christchurch'', founded by Earl Thorfinn the Mighty (d. ~~''c''~~1065) after his return from a ] to ]. The seat of the diocese was transferred to ], ] in the later ~~twelfth~~ century, though the Bishops of ~~] continued to have a residence in Birsay (known by the ] name ''Mons Bellus'') into late medieval times.~~
			{{main\|St Magnus Church, Birsay}}
		⚫	Near the palace is the ] of the parish of Birsay and ] (]; open in summer). Architectural fragments in the walls, and archaeological investigation of the foundations, suggest that this was the site of the first cathedral of Orkney in the 11th-12th centuries, known as ''Christchurch'', founded by Earl ] (d. {{circa\|1065}}) after his return from a ] to ]. The seat of the diocese was transferred to ], ], in the later 12th century, though the ] continued to have a residence in Birsay (known by the ] name ''Mons Bellus'') into late medieval times.

	The nearby bridge may also be medieval in origin.		The nearby bridge may also be medieval in origin.

			==Notable people==

			* ] was minister of the parish 1844 to 1868. He was ] in 1874.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=http://www.ancestor.abel.co.uk/Angus/Arbuthnott.html\|title = Arbuthnott Parish, Kincardineshire: Records for genealogists}}</ref>
			* ]

	==See also==		==See also==
	* ]		* ]
			* ]

	==References==		==References==
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	==External links ==		==External links ==
			{{Commons category\|Birsay}}
			{{Wikivoyage}}
	; Photographs:		; Photographs:
	*		*
	*		*
	*
	*

	{{coord\|59\|08.0\|N\|3\|18.1\|W\|type:landmark_region:GB\|display=title}}		{{coord\|59\|08.0\|N\|3\|18.1\|W\|type:landmark_region:GB\|display=title}}

	{{Orkney Islands}}		{{Orkney Islands}}
			{{Scandinavian Scotland\|state=autocollapse}}

			]
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Latest revision as of 14:41, 5 July 2024

Parish on the Orkney mainland For the hamlet in Canada, see Birsay, Saskatchewan.

Birsay (/ˈbʌrsiː/) (Old Norse: Birgisherað) is a parish in the north west corner of The Mainland of Orkney, Scotland. Almost all the land in the parish is devoted to agriculture: chiefly grassland used to rear beef cattle. There are various ancient monuments in the parish.

Ancient monuments

Two important ancient monuments are maintained by Historic Scotland and bring many visitors to the area in summer. These are the prehistoric and Norse settlements on the tidal island of Brough of Birsay and the ruins of the Earl's Palace on the Mainland opposite, at the northern end of the village.

On the western part of Mainland Orkney's north shore there is other evidence of prehistoric man, including the well preserved ruins of the Broch of Gurness.

Earl's Palace

Main article: Earl's Palace, Birsay

The late 16th-century palace was built by Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Orkney (1533–93). Though extensively ruined, it can be seen to have consisted of four ranges round an open courtyard, with small towers at the corners, an unusual form of building in Scotland at this date, and unprecedented in the north of the country. The date 1574 was formerly carved above the main (south-facing) entrance. The building has been uninhabited since the late 17th century. It was originally adjoined by walled garden enclosures, an archery range and a bowling green. This building, along with the Earl's Palace, Kirkwall and Scalloway Castle in Shetland (all Historic Scotland), were the main residences of the Stewart Earls of Orkney in the Northern Isles.

St Magnus Church

Main article: St Magnus Church, Birsay

Near the palace is the St Magnus Church of the parish of Birsay and Harray (Church of Scotland; open in summer). Architectural fragments in the walls, and archaeological investigation of the foundations, suggest that this was the site of the first cathedral of Orkney in the 11th-12th centuries, known as Christchurch, founded by Earl Thorfinn the Mighty (d. c. 1065) after his return from a pilgrimage to Rome. The seat of the diocese was transferred to St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, in the later 12th century, though the Bishops of Orkney continued to have a residence in Birsay (known by the Latin name Mons Bellus) into late medieval times.

The nearby bridge may also be medieval in origin.

Notable people

Samuel Trail was minister of the parish 1844 to 1868. He was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1874.
Harald Leslie, Lord Birsay

References

Anderson, Joseph (Ed.) (1893) Orkneyinga Saga. Translated by Jón A. Hjaltalin & Gilbert Goudie. Edinburgh. James Thin and Mercat Press (1990 reprint). ISBN 0-901824-25-9
"Arbuthnott Parish, Kincardineshire: Records for genealogists".

External links

Photographs

59°08.0′N 3°18.1′W / 59.1333°N 3.3017°W / 59.1333; -3.3017

v t e Orkney
List of Orkney islands
Inhabited islands	Mainland Auskerry Burray Eday Egilsay Flotta Gairsay Graemsay Holm of Grimbister Hoy Inner Holm North Ronaldsay Papa Stronsay Papa Westray Rousay Sanday Shapinsay South Ronaldsay South Walls Stronsay Westray Wyre
Other islands	Eynhallow Helliar Holm Lamb Holm Switha Swona North West islands North East islands South West islands South East islands
Towns	Kirkwall Stromness
Mainland parishes	Birsay Deerness Evie Firth Harray Holm Orphir Rendall St Andrews St Ola Sandwick Stenness Stromness
Topics	Geology Prehistory History Scapa Flow Witchcraft
Politics	Earls of Orkney Orkney Islands Council Flag of Orkney Orkney (Scottish Parliament constituency) Orkney and Shetland (UK Parliament constituency) Orcadian Women's Suffrage Society
Sport	Kirkwall Ba game Orkney Amateur Football Association Orkney F.C. Orkney representative football team

v t e Scandinavian Scotland
Rulers	List of kings Earls of Orkney Crovan dynasty Lords of Argyll Mormaers of Caithness Uí Ímair
Notable women	Aud the Deep-Minded Bethóc, Prioress of Iona Bjaðǫk Cacht ingen Ragnaill Gormflaith ingen Murchada Gunnhild Gormsdóttir Helga Moddansdóttir Ingeborg of Norway Ingibjörg the Earls'-Mother Isabel Bruce Máel Muire ingen Amlaíb Margaret, Maid of Norway Margaret, Queen of Norway Margaret of Denmark, Queen of Scotland Ragnhild Eriksdotter Ragnhildis Olafsdottir
Other notable men	Caittil Find Ingimundr Ljótólfr Olaf the White Olvir Rosta Páll Bálkason Ragnall ua Ímair Sweyn Asleifsson Thorbjorn Thorsteinsson Thorstein the Red
History	Kingdom of the Isles Dál Riata Gall-Ghàidheil Lochlann Orkney Outer Hebrides Shetland Davidian Revolution Scottish–Norwegian War (1262-66) Scotland Norway
Archaeology	Bornish Birsay Bishop's Palace Brough of Birsay Camas Uig Cubbie Roo's Castle Earl's Bu Jarlshof Kirkwall Castle Linton Chapel Maeshowe Old Scatness Port an Eilean Mhòir boat burial Rubha an Dùnain Scar boat burial St Magnus Church
Artifacts and culture	Birlinn Chronicles of Mann Darraðarljóð Galloway Hoard Hogbacks Lewis chessmen Manx runestones Orkneyinga saga Ounceland Sen dollotar Ulaid St Magnus Cathedral Udal law
Althings	Delting Dingwall Law Ting Holm Lunnasting Nesting Sandsting Tingwall Tynwald
Language	Middle Irish Norn Old Norse Pictish Old Norwegian
Etymology	Scottish island names Northern Isles Hebrides
Battles and treaties	Bauds Brunanburh Clontarf Dollar Barry Epiphany Isle of Man Largs Renfrew Skyhill Tara Vestrajǫrðr Treaty of 1098 Treaty of Perth
Associated clans and septs	Gunn Uí Ímair Somhairle Macaulay of Lewis Mac Coitir MacDougall MacLeod Macruari MacDonald

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