We recently revisited Cullingsburgh, Bressay with members of the Bressay History group who run the Bressay Heritage Centre. It is an easily accessible site and a rewarding walk. We also thought we would revisit , one of our earliest posts as it happens to be about this site; with some small tweaks.

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The ruins of Saint Mary's Church, the only know cruciform church in Shetland, can be found in the abandoned crofting village of Cullingsburgh on Bressay. Still in use as late as the beginning of the 18th century, it is also the home of a replica of the Bressay Stone. The original was found near this site by a workman in the mid-19th century. An outstanding example of Pictish art with Ogham script running down both sides of the cross-slab, the original is now housed at the Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

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Within the kirkyard is a memorial stone to Claes Jansen Bruyn, commander of the Dutch East India Company ship Amboina, who died here on August 27th, 1636. After leaving port late, the vessel ran into headwinds and disease which forced it off course where it eventually turned up in Bressay sound with 29 of its crew already dead.

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Equally and especially interesting, the hump in the rear wall of the site is Cullingsburgh Broch. About one quarter of it lies within the churchyard. Much of the stone has been robbed from here and used elsewhere, the most common fate of our brochs in Shetland.

 

We must finally mention the Manse of Cullingsburgh. This was the residence of the last minister, removed perhaps as late as 1737. It is also the home of the last resident of the crofting village, Lowrie Manson, who died in 1897.

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Here is an interesting link for further reading.