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Dornoch Cathedral


									                             Dornoch Cathedral | 1 |

Dornoch Cathedral


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                                                                        Dornoch Cathedral | 2 |

Background information
The town of Dornoch owes its very existence to the Cathedral you see before you. Gilbert de
Moravia, Bishop of Caithness, built the original cathedral on this site between 1224 and 1245.
Before then, very few people lived in the area. There were probably a few small farms nearby with
families living in small, turf-built cottages thatched with heather. Perhaps there was also a small
stone-built church dedicated to Saint Finbarr standing to the east of the present Cathedral
graveyard, and there may even have been a small community of monks living in beehive cells on
the hill that rises to the north of the town centre. Some sources suggest that Saint Finbarr brought
Christianity to this area in 540 AD and established a monastic community here in Dornoch, but
there is no real historical or archaeological evidence to support this view.

               Artist’s impression of possible beehive cells and St Finbarr’s chapel

Moving the diocese to Dornoch

In the 13th century the Diocese of Caithness included all of south-east Sutherland. Before Gilbert
became Bishop of Caithness, the cathedral-church of the diocese was based at Halkirk. Tragically,
Gilbert’s two predecessors had been viciously attacked by the local inhabitants. In 1201 Bishop
John was brutally maimed by a mob, and some twenty-one years later, his successor, Bishop
Adam, was attacked and burned alive on his own kitchen fire!

In 1224, Gilbert sensibly decided to move away from Halkirk and build a new cathedral at Dornoch,
where he owned land.

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                                                                    Dornoch Cathedral | 3 |

Building the Cathedral
Building this new cathedral must have been very difficult. There were few local inhabitants to help
with its construction, so skilled builders and masons must have been brought into the area from
other parts of Scotland. It seems likely that Gilbert used sandstone from local quarries and glass
from Cyderhall to help build his magnificent new cathedral. Today only the four central pillars and
arches of the cathedral are original: time, warfare and the elements having taken their toll of the
building over the centuries.

                                                         The building of the Cathedral attracted
                                                         people to Dornoch. Gilbert appointed a
                                                         number of church officers to help him run
                                                         the diocese, and most of these men built
                                                         large stone houses around the Cathedral
                                                         in which to live.

                                                         Local farmers visited Dornoch to sell their
                                                         produce to the churchmen, while other
                                                         tradesmen (blacksmiths, masons,
                                                         carpenters etc.) would have been attracted
                                                         to the area to find work.

                                                         Dornoch became an important trading
                                                         centre for south-east Sutherland, and it
                                                         was not long before weekly markets were
                                                         established in the town.

                                                         By the end of the 13th century Dornoch
                                                         was probably a small but thriving village
                                                         that owed its existence and wealth to the
                                                         presence of Gilbert’s Cathedral.

                                                         Gilbert himself died in 1245 and he was
                                                         later canonised by the Catholic Church.

Skilled builders & masons came to Dornoch
to work on the Cathedral.

16th – 19th century
Feuds and fires

The Cathedral itself fell victim to clan warfare and natural disaster. In 1570, as part of a long-
standing feud, the Mackays of Strathnaver, men from Caithness and the Sutherlands of Skelbo
and Proncy attacked Dornoch. Three years earlier the Mackays had burned the town, but the
Cathedral had survived.

Gilbert’s church was not to be so lucky on this occasion. The inhabitants of Dornoch defended their
town valiantly, but were eventually forced into the Cathedral and the nearby Castle. In an attempt
to drive them out, the Mackays and their allies set fire to the Cathedral, which apart from the tower,
was badly damaged. When the siege was finally called off the magnificent building must have been
an almost unrecognisable pile of smouldering rubble.
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                                                                         Dornoch Cathedral | 4 |

Natural disaster

Less than forty years later, things got even worse. On 5 November 1605, the very night when Guy
Fawkes tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London, a terrible storm hit Dornoch, blowing
down all the remaining stone pillars on the north side of the Cathedral. By the time the storm
ended, only the tower was left standing.

Repairs and renovation

John, Earl of Sutherland, set about repairing the Cathedral between 1614 and 1622, and further
repairs were carried out at various times during the 18th century. However, it is clear that many
problems still remained – the congregation was soaked every time it rained! It was not until the
Countess of Sutherland carried out
major work between 1835 and 1837
that the building was finally restored.

Although additional repairs were
carried out in the 1920s, the Cathedral
that you see today is largely the work
of the Countess of Sutherland, and
bears little resemblance to the original
13th century building. Nevertheless, at
least today the congregation can sit in
comfort and not get soaked by the rain
or buffeted by the wind!

                                                           Cordiner’s Sketch of the Cathedral Nave (c.1776).

The Cathedral today

The Cathedral is now the main place of worship in Dornoch for members of the Church of
Scotland, and has a thriving congregation. In addition to its regular services the Cathedral is
becoming well known for its atmospheric musical events, and on occasion, as the chosen venue
for celebrity weddings and christenings. Perhaps the most famous of these – and certainly the
most reported around the world – was the christening of Madonna and Guy Ritchie’s son in
December 2000.


 canonised: to be made a saint by the church

 chancel: the eastern part of a church containing the altar

 diocese: a district or area controlled by a bishop

 gargoyle: a grotesque carved head or figure acting as a waterspout, usually found on the roof of a church

 nave: the main central part of a church

 sarcophagus: a stone coffin or tomb

 transept: in a church with a cross-shaped floor pattern, either of the two arms at right angles to the nave

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SOURCE SHEET – The Cathedral Charter

Bishop Gilbert gave his new cathedral a constitution, which was similar to that of Lincoln
Cathedral. His Charter (on display in the Cathedral) sets out how the church hierarchy was
organised, and gives job descriptions for each of the main church officers. It is likely that Gilbert’s
Charter remained in use for the next 300 years, until the coming of the Scottish Reformation.

Extract from the Appointment by Gilbert, Bishop of Caithness, of a Constitution for the Chapter of
his diocese:

       “To all the faithful in Christ who shall see or hear this writing, Gilbert, by divine mercy
       Bishop of Caithness, greeting in the Lord everlasting. Whereas in the times before our
       administration there was in our cathedral church but one priest serving God, both on
       account of the poverty of the place and also of frequent invasions, we, desiring for the
       honour of Lord Jesus Christ, and the most blessed Mary, his mother, and all saints, to
       amplify the divine worship therein, and having diligently considered the same and sought
       the advice of discreet men, have determined at our own expense to build the said cathedral
       church and consecrate the same to the honour of the before-mentioned Mother of God, as
       also to erect a conventual as our poverty may permit. We ordain therefore and provide that
       in the said church there shall be ten canons with the bishop who shall be for the time, and
       they shall vigilantly by themselves or their vicars by turns discharge the duties of the
       ministry therein, over whom as their head the bishops shall preside. Out of their number five
       shall be appointed dignitaries, to wit, a dean, precentor, chancellor, treasurer, and
       archdeacon, each of whom, together with the bishop and the Abbot of Scone, a canon
       appointed in the said church, shall find one priest to minister for him in the said church in
       his absence every day. The three remaining canons shall find deacons who shall diligently
       assist and serve the foresaid priests in the said church.”

       Source: Dornoch Cathedral and Parish by Rev Dr Charles Bentinck, published in 1926

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Try to rearrange the letters into words. All the answers are in your worksheet – somewhere!

       RINFARB                      _ _ _ _ _ _ _

       AORVAMI                      _ _ _ _ _ _ _

       LYDLACHRE                    _ _ _ _ _ _ _

       WYUKEGASF                    _ _ _ /_ _ _ _ _ _

       ESIDOEC                      _ _ _ _ _ _ _

       YACCAMLAKN                   _ _ _ _ /_ _ _ _ _ _

       ITTIABNSGELR                 _ _ _ _ _ /_ _ _ _ _ _ _

       TLHOADERCNOHRDCA             _ _ _ _ _ _ _ /_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


What event took place on each of these dates?
Find the answers in your worksheet and write them here:













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Write your answers on this sheet.

   1. How many gargoyles are there on the outer walls of the Cathedral? (Do not count the
      carved stone heads around the doors).


   2. On the east wall of the South Transept there is a coat of arms. To which family does this
      coat of arms belong, and what is on the shield in the centre?



   3. Who restored the organ in the North Transept in 1908?


   4. There are two copies of St Gilbert’s Charter on the east wall of the North Transept. One
      copy is written in English: what language is the other copy written in?


   5. Soldiers from which European country were stationed in and around Dornoch during World
      War 2? (Look on the north wall of the Chancel).


   6. Look for the commemorative plaque to St Gilbert in the Chancel. Where was Gilbert


   7. On the south wall of the Chancel there is a commemorative plaque to Sir Robert Gordon,
      Sutherland’s first historian. Where was he educated?


   8. Go to the Nave. Where will you find the plaque commemorating the restoration of the
      Cathedral in 1835-7?


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   9. Find the sarcophagus of Sir Robert de Moravia. What lies at Sir Richard’s feet, and what
      lies across his lower body?




Mark the places referred to in questions 2-9 above, on the Cathedral Plan.
Use the numbers in the key below.


                                    NAVE                                 CHANCEL



   2       Coat of arms (east wall of south transept)
   3       Restored organ (north transept)
   4       St Gilbert’s Charter (east wall of north transept)
   5       Soldiers’ plaque (north wall of chancel)
   6       Plaque to St Gilbert (chancel)
   7       Plaque to Sir Robert Gordon (south wall of chancel)
   8       Plaque commemorating 1835-7 restoration (nave, west door)
   9       Sir Robert de Moravia’s sarcophagus

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