Saints in Scottish Place-Names
Funded by a Leverhulme Trust Project Grant
Foula, former parish, Walls & Sandness
Grid reference
HT 958 405 (general (5km))
Six-figure easting & northing
395800 114050
Latitude
60.14952094423794
Longitude
-2.075647916372439
County
Shetland
Nearby places
St Helen Head, Foula, Walls & Sandness (0.95 miles)
St Margaret's Kirk, Sandness, WAS Shetland (17.91 miles)
Sandness, former parish WAS (Shetland) (17.91 miles)
Papastour, former parish, WAS (Shetland) (18.18 miles)
St Ninian's Chapel WAS (18.21 miles)
Object Classification
Parish (non-extant in 1975)
Is linear feature?
No
Notes
The NGR is for the site at Harrier marked as a chapel and burial-ground on OS 6 inch 1st edn, but not on modern OS maps. NMRS records: HT 958 405 A geophysics survey was carried out in the vicinity of Old North Harrier House on the island of Foula in May 2006. The survey was done with fluxgate gradiometer, twin probe resistance and electronic distancing meter. Approximately 7 acres (2.5ha) were covered. Results from resistance generally supported the gradiometer survey, but the latter was more successful. A plot of the gradiometer survey is shown below. The cornyard behind Old North Harrier House is referred to locally as the `old chapel site¿ and the survey did indeed demonstrate the presence of structural remains under the cornyard, continuing under the modern yard wall on to the flat platform beyond, cut into the hillside. On the hillside above, dense but less regularly shaped signals suggested the presence of prehistoric settlement, not far from the known burnt mound. The flat, grassy area below Old North Harrier House, to the SE, was shown to have significant activity underlying it, probably of historic date, and this activity extended as far SW as the known cairn. To the W of Harrier Burn, the ground was rough and uneven, but there were significant signs of activity, probably prehistoric, towards the southern end of the area surveyed, in the vicinity of the known burnt mounds. A full report has been prepared and sent to Foula Heritage and to other relevant parties, including Shetland Amenity Trust Archaeologist. Sponsor: Foula Heritage. J Oswin 2006.
Relationships with other parishes
Relationships with other places
Parish details
Foula united in 16th c. with Papastour PPX; Sandness SXN and Walls WSX WAS
Parish TLA
FOX
Medieval diocese
Orkney
Names
1 head-name linked to this place ?Foula
This is not a hagiotoponym.Head name
Foula
Place
Foula, former parish, Walls & Sandness
Certainty that this name applies to this place
Certain
The status of this name is
Obsolete
Is this a current OS form? ?
No
Is this the original referent of the place?
No
Is the association of this name to this object hypothetical?
No