Bishop's Palace, Kirkwall
- Bishop's Palace, Kirkwall
The Bishop's Palace, Kirkwall was built at the same time as the adjacent St Magnus Cathedral in the centre of Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland, was being constructed, and housed the cathedral's first bishop, William the Old of the Norwegian Catholic church who took his authority from the Archbishop of Nidaros (Trondheim). The ruined structure now looks like a small castle.
Originally it is thought to have been like a typical Royal Norwegian Palace, with a large rectangular hall above store rooms and a tower house as the Bishop's private residence. King Haakon IV of Norway, overwintering after the Battle of Largs, died here in 1263, marking the end of Norse rule over the Outer Hebrides. The neglected palace had fallen into ruins by 1320.
In 1468 Orkney and Shetland were pledged by Christian I of Denmark and Norway for the payment of the dowry of his daughter Margaret, betrothed to James III of Scotland, and as the money has never since been paid, their connection with the crown of Scotland has been perpetual. In 1526 the palace came briefly into the possession of William, Lord Sinclair, before he was ordered to return it to the Bishop of Orkney. When King James V of Scotland visited Kirkwall in 1540 he garrisoned his troops in the Palace and in Kirkwall Castle. Soon afterwards' extensive restoration was begun by Bishop Robert Reid, the last and greatest of Orkney's medieval Bishops who also founded the University of Edinburgh. Reid added a round tower, the Moosie Toor.
Ownership passed to Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Orkney, in 1568, then to his son Patrick Stewart, 2nd Earl of Orkney who planned to incorporate it into his Earl's Palace, Kirkwall, but debts forced him to return it to Bishop James Law. Earl Patrick's son Robert seized both palaces in 1614, and a siege followed, though it is not known if this caused damage to the structures, both of which are now ruins.
External links
*historic-scotland-link|032
* [http://www.orkneyjar.com/history/bishop.htm Orkneyjar - The Bishop's Palace, Kirkwall]
Wikimedia Foundation.
2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
Bishop's Palace — may refer to the official residence of any bishop, such as those listed in the .Specific residences called Bishop s Palace include: * Bishop s Palace, Kirkwall, Orkney * Bishop s Palace, Galveston, Texas … Wikipedia
Earl's Palace, Kirkwall — The ruins of the Earl s Palace, Kirkwall lie near St Magnus Cathedral in the centre of Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland. Built by Patrick Stewart, 2nd Earl of Orkney. It was begun in 1607 and built by slave labour. Lord Orkney and his father, Robert… … Wikipedia
Kirkwall and St. Ola — KIRKWALL and ST. OLA, a royal burgh, a sea port, and parish, and formerly the seat of a diocese, in the county of Orkney, of which it is the capital; containing 3599 inhabitants, of whom 2205 are in the burgh, 21 miles (N. by E.) from Huna,… … A Topographical dictionary of Scotland
Kirkwall — infobox UK place country = Scotland official name= Kirkwall scots name= Kirkwaa population = 8500 (approx.) os grid reference= HY449109 latitude=58.981 longitude= 2.960 unitary scotland= Orkney Islands lieutenancy scotland= Orkney Islands… … Wikipedia
Kirkwall — • A parish, also a royal and parliamentary burgh and chief or county town of Orkney, in the north of Scotland Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Kirkwall Kirkwall … Catholic encyclopedia
Robert Reid (bishop) — Robert Reid (d. 1558) was abbot of Kinloss, commendator prior of Beauly, and bishop of Orkney. He was one of the greatest of the bishops of St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, Scotland, and his legacy was the founding of the University of… … Wikipedia
List of museums in Scotland — This list of museums in Scotland contains museums which are defined for this context as institutions (including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic,… … Wikipedia
Kingdom of the Isles — Location of the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles in the twelfth century The Kingdom of the Isles comprised the Hebrides, the islands of the Firth of Clyde and the Isle of Man from the 9th to the 13th centuries AD. The islands were known to the Norse … Wikipedia
Haakon IV of Norway — Infobox Monarch | name=Håkon Håkonsson title= King of Norway reign= 1217 ndash; December 16 1263 date1= 1217 date2= December 15 1263 coronation= July 29 1247, old cathedral of Bergen queen= Margrét Skúladóttir Royal house= Fairhair father= Håkon… … Wikipedia
Scalloway Castle — was built from 1599 by Patrick Stewart, 2nd Earl of Orkney to tighten his grip on Shetland. Its site in Shetland s then capital, Scalloway, was surrounded by the sea on three sides. HistoryThe Stewart family, as Earls of Orkney and Shetland, had… … Wikipedia
