Talk:St. Margaret's Kirk (Sandness)

Shetlopedia - The Shetland Encyclopaedia

More confused than ever....Finnie says that this kirk dates from 1792, BUT, the Sandness page, written by Ex-isle, who are from the area says 1645....guess that that one is right...
Cheers,--Oddrun 07:21, 13 September 2007 (MDT)

Well, Finnie is probably right ... ;-) The OSA for Walls & Sandness says: Walls church built in 1746, Sandness church built in 1792 (the same year the Papa Stour church was repaired), Manse built in 1780 ... ;-) no older churches mentioned ... Islandhopper 08:18, 13 September 2007 (MDT)

Yes, Islandhopper. I'm sure he is right this time :-). The reference to 1645 is because there is a stone on the gable which says "Fear God 1645",, maybe been a stone from somewhere else, perhaps an earlier church. Just looking at the building there is now way that it is older than the late 1700's anyway.
--Robbie 08:33, 13 September 2007 (MDT)
PS. Have you noticed the new Gizmos at the top of talk pages?? The Signature Tab, and the nowiki tab, save a bit of typing ;-)
--Robbie 08:33, 13 September 2007 (MDT)

Agreed ... ;-) BUT then Ex-isle's ref. of George Low must be wrong and not only Ex-isle's quote ... :-)))) There is that damned stone found by Low in 1774 18 years earlier ... :-))) Low gives no name of a church, he just says in the church there (in Sandness). So there must have been something recognized at that time as Sandness church, well before St Margaret was built. The the only thing matching may the St Ninian's Chapel (rems of) in the 1881 OS map a few meters south east of the more recent Methodist church in Norby ... ??? May be the lintel comes from there and Low's (missed Pictish symbol) stone is still resting in the ruins of the chapel ... :-))) We should go for a little dig ... Islandhopper 08:55, 13 September 2007 (MDT)