I. DORNOCH CATHEDRAL E HIGTH :H CHURC F CAITHNESSHO . BY W. DOUGLAS SIMPSON, M.A., F.S.A.Scor.

This important church, whose septcentenary will be celebrated this summer, has been so maltreated by the well-meant " restoration" of 1835-7, tha s ancienit t t features have been largely obliteratedd an , what survive s concealesi sucn di h fashio harliny b n plasted gan r that t alwayno s i st i eas distinguiso yt masonrd hol y from new. The diocese of Caithness, including all Scotland north of the Dornoch Firth, was founded by David I. Originally its cathedral centre was at Halkirk (High Church) e remoteth n r i Nors,o r ee diocese th par f o t . The unwisdo f mthio s choic s evidencewa e e savagth n di e treatment e earlth f yo prelate receiveo e half-Vikine handth th tw f t y o a ssb d g populace, who in 1201 blinded Bishop John and cut out his tongue, an n 122i d 2 roaste s successordhi , Bishop n Adamow s deato t hi , n ho kitchen fire. Accordingly, Bishop Gilbert de Moravia (122)3-45), by whom s effected e reorganisatiowa th e se , e removeth f o ns Hig it d h Church to Dornoch—-a place which, already possessing popular sanctity through s associatioit n with Celti e t additionaFiiibarS cth d ha , l advantagf o e being mor toucn i e h with Lowland influences.1 Architectural evidence shows thae worth tf buildin o k g must have commenced soon after Bishop Gilbert's adven s complet it 1223.n i t n I 2 e stat e churceth h (see

1 For the early history of the diocese see my The Castle of Kildrummy: Its Place in Scottish History and Architecture, pp. 40-7. 1 The cathedral was sufficiently far advanced in 1239 to receive the bones of the murdered Bishop Adam, which were translated thither from Halldr d interrekan d with full solemnities— Chronica de. MaHros, ed. J. Stevenson, p. 150. 228 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , MARC , 192410 H . plan, fig. 1) comprised nave of four bays, with aisles, transepts, choir, and a central tower. It was dedicated to the Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, but after-generations preferred to know it as St Gilbert's Church. Little documentary evidence is available with regard to the earlier histor buildinge th f yo n 1291 I ., Edwar . maddI egifa t froe mth

forest of Darnaway of forty seasoned oaks for the fabric of the church. 1

N.W PIER SIT CHAPTEF EO R HOUSE CROSSING AISLE 1.^ WIDE NOW DESTROYED

STATU F FIRSO E T SUTHERLAND SUTHERLANF O D SITE'OF SrCILB'ERT'S (f TOMB ^ BURIAL VAULT EFFIGY OF SIR R.ICHA.RDOE MORAVIA PISCINA

DESTROYEW NO D r ._._.__._ _._

SIT F DETACHEEO D CHAPEL BURIAL PLACE OF CORDONS OF EMBO DORNOCH CATHEDRAL

Fig. 1. Dornoch Cathedral: Plan and Details.

In 1570, the town of Dornoch was stormed and given to the flames by the Master of Caithness and the wild Mackays of Strathnaver. The cathedra s whollwa l y burned excep e towerth t whicn i , e burgherhth s held out for a week. On this occasion the tomb of St Gilbert, who was buried beneat e crossin e entranchth th e choir broket s th a g o wa ,t e n open and his bones scattered.2 Further damage was done to the ruins by a great storm on the night of " Gunpowder Treason," 5th November 1605,

1 Sotuli Scotice, 5-6. .pp vol. i . Roberr 1Si t Gordon, Genealogical History Earldom e oth f of Sutherland, 156-7. pp . DORNOCH CATHEDRAL. which blew over the north arcade of the nave. Between 1614 and 1634,

unde e Carolinth r e episcopacy e cathedrath , s partlwa l y repairede th , 1 choi transeptd ran s being re-roofed, whil ruinee eth d nav partitiones ewa d abandoned ofan f o decay.t d n 172I e presen2 8th t steepl built.s wa e 3 In 1775 a grant of £300 was obtained from Exchequer towards the repair churche oth f thereafted an , r lofts were introduce choie soutd th ran n d i h transept, doors reached by outside stairs being hacked through the ancient ceiled wallss rooe woodea highea wa d fTh t .an ,a nn r i floo t pu r level. e conditio e Th churc4th f s thuo na h s restore s showi dn a n i n engravin y Williab g m Daniell, dated 1813,5 whil e ruineth e d navs i e illustrate y Charleb d s Cordine n o matter1795.i rS s remained until

1835-7, when the cathedral 6 received a thorough restoration according e e navtimes rebuile ideath Th th wa ef . o so t t without aislese th , remain f whicho s , includin e noblgth e south arcade show Cordinery nb , were complacently cleared away. The other portions of the church were thoroughly repaired, e wholrefacedth d e an brough, a smu o t t g uniformity by a liberal application of tame ashlar, harling, plaster-work, yellow-washd an mocA . k vaulted ceilin n stuccgi s introduceowa n di l foual r churche chancee partth th f n so I .buriaa l l vaul contrives wa t d for the Sutherland family.7 As a result of these operations, the only conspicuous fragments of ancient work now visible in the interior of the church are the four great piers 'and bearing archee towe th piere f e squarTh so r sar (fig . n 2) e.o plan, uniting wit e adjoininhth gfaceso wallhavind tw an n , o seacn go h of the others a cluster of three half-engaged shafts, one large central one flanked by two smaller ones. The central shafts (as now coated with plaste d yellow-washan r inche4 1 e n diameteri sar ) e laterath , l ones 7 inches square Th . epiee arrith r f emergeso s betwee clusterso tw e nth . These shafts carry bell-capitals, rising fro ma rolle d astragal intoa square form correspondin abacuse th o gt , whose lower edg turnes ei f dof inbroaa d splay.8 Ove large rth e middle shaft square sth e e partth f so e abac th e slightl bellar d i an s y keeled centrally l thesAl .e impost

Roberr Si 1 t Gordon, Genealogical History Earldom e oth f of Sutherland, . 255p . 2 Ibid., . 309-10pp , 346r WilliaSi ; m Fraser Sutherlande Th , Book, . 222-3 volpp . i ,. vol. ii .

pp. 16, 339. 3 H. M. Mackay, Old Dornoch: Its Traditions and Legends, pp. 94-5. Mr Mackay thinks thae presenth t t spire dates only fro e restoratiomth clearls i f 1835-7t i o n yt showbu , n i n Daniell's engraving of 1813. 1 Ibid., pp. 111-3. Reproduce Sutherlande Th n di Book,. 13 . volp . i . 6 Remarkable Ruins Romanticd an Prospects of North Britain, vol. ii . ' For the restoration see Old Dornoch, pp. 137-42 ; also Hugh F. Campbell in Trans. Aberdeen Ecclesiological Soc., 1891, pp. 39-41. 8 The effect in appearance, though not structurally, has something of the character of the double impost so often observed in early Byzantine architecture. 230 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , MARC , 1924H10 . mouldings, from astraga o abacust l e continuear , d roun e squarth d e e piersfoue edgth Th f r .eo pointed bearin orderso gtw f archeo . e ar s The inner order, rising from the central shaft, has a plain flat soffit chamfere e anglesth e t splayea dth , d surfaces thus formed carrying

Fig . Dornoc.2 h Cathedral: North-west Pie Crossingf ro d an , West Windo wf Naveo • .• '

sharply-pointed quirked bowtells e outeTh r. order, rising froe mth lateral shafts, has similar bowtells flanked by hollow mouldings. Modern pavement conceals the bases of the piers. The tower carried by these piers and arches is now of two floors, the upper one being at the parapet level and beneath the broach spire. A newel stair, 2 feet 2 inches wide, placed in a semicircular tower in e anglth e betwee e nort th e choi hd th n an transeptr e th , o leadt p su DORNOC1 28 H CATHEDRAL. tower. It has been thought that this stair is modern,1 but the archi- tectonic evidence does not support this view. The stair is constructed partly in the thickness of the choir and transept walls immediately behin e adjoinindth g pier. Onc greae eth t towe s built suby wa r an ,- sequen e masonrth t t ou attempy g herdi n ordeo i et t o providt r a e stair would have resulte catastropha n di woulr no e; d there have been reasoy an r suc fo n operationa h a stai s a r, could easily have been built entirely outside. The whole character of the newel stair is ancient, and on the outside of the circular tower, near the top, e visiblar e weathered dressed stones, wroughe curvea th f o o t , t character totally different from the tame ashlar-work of 1835-7. Bishop Pococke, who visited the cathedral in 1760, has left us a short description of it as it then stood, in which he makes a curious mistake in describing the "eastern part" as ruined and the "body or nave" as still in use.2 In Scotland more usually it was the choir which was abandoned—a fact which doubtless led Pococke into error about Dornoch, where the converse took place. Under this misappre- hension, Bishop Pococke describe a rouns d staircasee toweth t a r " south-west middle anglth f eo e e part"th d s cleaha i ; t e i andh r s a , church turned round about in his mind, the stair referred to is obviously that now existing in the north-east corner. It has fifty-three steps, and thereafter a modern straight stair in wood leads to the lower floor e tower ostaircase th f Th . a fla s ey t b ha (figleade ) t 3 li . s di rood an f pointed windows. The tower measures about 23 feet square within walls about 3 feet thick. In the lower floor, each face has a large oblong bay narrowing outwardly to a pointed window, with a plain outer splay having a fillet round the exterior. The upper floor, at the springing of the spire, is a little above the level of the ancient floor here, which is indicated by rough corbels. Belo wspringer the thes eare massivof s e splayed ribs spannin e towegth r from eas weso t t orden i t strengtheo t r floore nth . The masonr towethe mucyis of r h obscured seempartlybe but , to s - coursed rubble with dressed quoins in freestone. On the inside there is a cours f freestono e e ashlar work abou fee2 t inche6 t s abov e loweeth r floor. Round the spire (fig. 3) is an allure walk 2 feet broad, paved uniformly with flat stone flags and protected by a parapet about 3 feet 6 inches high, havin gmouldea d cope without embrasures. There ar e corner bartisans similarly finished. The parapet is borne by a plain 1 Old Dornoch, . 108pp , 140. " Bishop Richard Pococke's Tours n Scotland,i . WD . . Kemped . 168p , . Curiously enough, the same mistake is made by Cordiner, who describes the ruined part as "the altar end," and, following Cordiner Captby , HendersonJ. . , General AgricultureViewthe of Countythe of of Sutherland, 1812, plate facing p. 167. 232 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , MARC , 1924H10 .

corbel-tabl f singleo e member breakso tw continuoud n si ,an s corbellings carr bartisanse yth . Plain grooved runnel providee drainagese ar th r dfo , but are not now in communication with the roundway. Originally the latter would no, doub e usuae paveb th t n li d fashion, gutter stones discharging by the runnels being set alternately with stones wrought to a central ridge and sloping on either side. wese th tn nav e I gabl larga th s ef i eo e window f fiv o (fig e) 2 .pointe d lights beneath a pointed general arch. Unfoliated intersecting tracery

Fig . Dornoc.3 h Cathedral: Vie Easf wo t End. (The tower of the Episcopal Palace is visible to the left.)

fills up the general arch, and is formed by the mullions branching into two, each branch being continued e window-headarchwisth o t p u e . Exteriorly and within, the mullions and tracery carry a half-engaged centra flaa n t o lsurfac rolt se l e flanke shalloy b d w hollows same Th e. moulding e continuear s e jamb th d generan an so d l arch windoA . w with five lights and basket tracery of the same type is shown here in Cordiner's engraving, but the style of dressing and appearance of the stonework of the present window suggest that it was rebuilt at the restoration t thaA .t time certainl shortenes introductiowa e t yth i y db n of a porch in the lower part of the gable, and its original proportions, DORNOCH CATHEDRAL. 233 shows a Cordinery nb , were thus entirely destroyede . th Belon o , wit inside, a marble tablet bears the inscription:— THIS ANTIENT CATHEDRAL HAVING FALLEN INTO DECAY AND RUIN WAS RE-EDIFIED DECORATED AND RESTORED TO RELIGIOUS SERVICE BY ELIZABETH DUCHES COUNTESD SAN F SUTHERLANO S D IN THE YEARS MDCCCXXXV, VI, & VII. THS HOLEHI YLORN I TEMPLS DI E PSALM XI. At present the transept gables show each a window of three pointed lights with a circular window above and a porch below. So far as the north gabl s concernedei anciene th t no t, s arrangementthiswa , which is show Daniell'n ni s drawin d consiste gpointean o tw f do d lights with a third above. Three lights with a fourth above, all most beautifully proportioned preservee ar , ease th t n churcde i gabl th f eo h (fig whic, 8) . h is very dignified.1 An offset round the interior walls of the chancel, and continued round the transepts, might be thought to indicate the level of word ol ke retaineth restoratione th othet e da th n r handO . , there seems e ancienb o t t rough-cast masonr f small-woro y k exposed througe hth harlinoutside th n go e nort he choia highe th wal t f a r o l r levele Th . offset inside is about 7 feet 6 inches above the present floor level in the transepts, and 5 feet above the present floor level in the chancel. Both floors have been raised e chanceth , l floor being abov e Sutherlanth e d burial vault. Near the east end in the south wall of the chancel a fenestella contains the piscina (see measured drawing, fig. 1). The niche has a pointed arch 2 feet 10 inches high, and is 1 foot 9 inches wide. Its moulding is a half- engaged roll set on a chamfer, and is continued down the jambs and also piscinaalonthe silgof the l , whic belohis pavinpresenwthe the gof t floor. The basin, set centrally, is 10£ inches in diameter, rather shallow, with a medial drain, and is surrounded by a flattish roll moulding. On It is perhaps worth noting that the same arrangement is found in the chapel window at Kildrumm1 y Castle, also built by Bishop Gilbert. But it would be unwise to attach too much significanc thio t e s similarity t Kildrumma r fo , uppee yth r windo mera ws i eroofe lighth -o t t timbers, and, moreover s presenit n i , t t originastatno s e i Castle y lm work e Se of. Kildrummy, pp. 88-90, 129; also. Proceedings, vol. liv. p. 138. 234 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 10, 1924. e westh t jamb, insid e archeth a fragmen, f oldeo t r sculptured work, much weathered s beeha , n used. e losth t r e naveaisleth Fo f ,o s which wer fee4 1 e t wide, e onlth 1 y authorities Cordiner'e seeb mo t s e briepicturth fd noteean f Bishoo s p Forbes and Bishop Pococke. The latter says: "In the eastern [sic] part, now uncovered, ther e fouear r arche eacn o s h side supporte rouny db d pillars with a kind of Gothic Doric capital." Bishop Forbes, who visited Dornoc Augusd 3r n o ht 1762, speake "Westh f o st End s "ruinous"a ; only the Gable End and the two side Walls, with the 5 South Pillars, including the two in strong Basso Relievo in the two Gable-ends, are still standing." The south arcade as shown by Cordiner answers to these

descriptions2 , plain cylindrical piers with square bases carrying on simple capitals plain pointed arches having splayed mouldings—all very like e navth e arcade (1424-40 t Machar'S f o ) s Cathedral, Aberdeene Th . clerestory windows were square-headed \vith round rear-archese th d an , aisle windows, apparently of a single light, had plain round arches. At plai a aisle s th n ef wa pointeo wese d th en t norte d pieth e door f hro On . arcad shows ei Cordiney nb s stil a f rmultangula o l s erecti d an , r form, with a late capital. eavee A th tl roun sal buildine dth e grotesqugar e gargoyless ha t I . been suggested that these are modern,3 but except for the four pairs beneath the skew-putts of the gables, and one on the choir nearest the round staircase, the e evidentlyar y mediaeval. Their whimsical effective- ness and vigour contrast utterly with the docile character of all the restoration workfive eTh moder. n one quite sar e differen treatmentn i t , and lack the spirit of the others ; they are also less weathered. The interior measurement e s churcfollows:—lengtha th e f o sar h , 123 feet; breadth over transepts feet9 8 , ; lengt f chancelo h feet4 3 , ; breadth fee3 ,2 inches 9 t ; lengt f transeptsho fee0 ,3 inches 8 t ; breadth, 23 fee inches7 t ; lengt f naveo h fee0 0 inches6 ,1 t ; breadth fee4 2 , t 10 inches.4 Withinavee th f preserves churche i , o wes ne th d th en t t effigye a , dth , formerl r e RicharchoirSi th f n o i ye ,Moravia d d , brothe f Bishoo r p Gilbert fele H l .fightin g agains Norse e battlth tth f t Emboea eo , about 1245.5 The effigy (fig. 4) is a fine though mutilated specimen of the sepulchral art of the thirteenth century. Sir Richard is shown in recumbent posture, clad cap-a-pie in the armour of the period. His

1 Origines Parochiales Scotice, vol . 623. parp ii .. .ii t . KJ .r CravenD 2 , History Episcopale th f o Church Diocesee th n i of Caithness, , 236p , * Old Dornoch, p. 113. 4 Mr Campbell (Trans. Aberdeen Ecclesiological Soc., 1891, p. 41) gives the height of nave and chance spire feettha5 d th 4 abous f ean ,a s feetto la 0 12 t. 1 Genealogical History Earldom, e oth f of Sutherland, 32-3. pp . DORNOCH CATHEDRAL. 235 hauberk, of which the links have not been sculptured, is covered with an ample surcoat, reachin gracefun gi l fold juso t s t belo e kneee wth Th . nec armholed k an e latte th widee e prolonge d sar rar an , d downwardo st a point. The border seems to be a plain ribbon. A close camail, drawn up over the chin, envelops the head, the upper part of which is broken off. On the left side, just below the break, is a raised fillet which may basineta f featureo e b head-banea m Th .ri wholle e sar th r do y defaced. s brokei righe m jusf Th ar nof t t belo e shouldewth s cone lefth wa tr; - cealed beneath a shield, now almost destroyed. The right leg, of which

Fig . Dornoc4 . h Cathedral: Effigr RicharSi f yo Moraviae dd .

the lower part is gone, has been crossed over the left leg, and has a plain garter below the knee. The left leg is complete save for part of the foot, whic garnishes hi d wit knightle hth y prick-spur. Roun e waise th dth f o t figurswore th s ei d belt, showin gseriea f claspo s bucklesr so t droopI . s sworde th o t , which lies from righ o left t t acros wearer'e th s s middle. Th emuc w sworno h s a di straighbattered s ha t t bu ,blade , downward quillons, and a heavy globular pommel. A small plain cushion supports the knight's head, and his feet rest on the back of a lion couchant. The effigy, which measure fees 6 inche 1 1 t s longfreestonen i s i , , wrought with great spirit. The sarcophagus, rough-hewn out of a single block of free- stone, is 7 feet long, 2 feet 4 inches wide at the head, 1 foot 9 inches wide foo 1 foot e inched 4 tth an t , a heightn si . 6 23 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , MARCH 10, 1924. The great piers and arches of the crossing are undoubtedly Bishop Gilbert's work d datan ,e froe earlmth y thirteenth century r sooo , n after his consecration to the diocese in 1223. Their clustered shafts and e bolth d pointed, uiifilleted rolld deean s p cavetto e pointeth f o s d arch- mouldings are typical of the fully-developed, but still early First Pointed style; while at the same time the square abaci retain the influence of the preceding Norman style. All this work is bold in conception, and the handling is masterly—fully equal to the best Transitional work anywhere els Scotlandn ei . Bishop Gilbert would tak eclosa e personal interesn i t the building opei-ations, and Sir Robert Gordon tells us how " all the glasse that served this church s built whes mai wa Saincy wa t ,b d i n t Gilbert his appoyntment beside Sideray [modern Cyderhall] two myles by west Dornogh."1 substancn I e toweth e r abov belony e samth ma e eo g t period t bu ; e parapetth , wit s bartisanhit s restin continuoun go s corbels s clearli , y much later work. Thi doubo n e stowe s parth tf wa ro alteret e th t da e Carolintimth f eo e restoration copine parapee Th th .havy f go ma te been erected n placi , f earlieo e r merlon d embrasuresan s , whee th n steeple was rebuilt in 1728. All these features are shown exactly as now in Daniell's engraving. The clock is dated 1897. The continuous, flattish moulding e piscina th certaia f d o s an , n want of vigous treatmentit n i r , sugges a latt e pre-Reformation dated an ; same th e inferenc drawe b y nema fro e tracer wesme th th f t yo window , commoa whic f o s hi n fifteenth r sixteenth-centuro - y pattern. This fact, together with the late character of the nave arcade as illustrated by Cordiner, strongly hints thacathedz-a e bode completet th th tf yno o s lwa d until long after Bishop Gilbert's time.2 e buildin th e Alres f th lo t g e modernseemb o t sr moderniseo , d beyond recognition^ and is in the worst possible style of nineteenth- century anemic Gothic othey An r. ancient masonry exisy thas ma i tt concealed beneat e exteriohth r liberae harlinth d l gan .coat f plasteo s r

1 Genealogical History of the Earldom of Sutherland, pp. 6, 31. This statement of Sir Robert f somo s i e interes e suggestio vien th i t f wo n . Eeles Fr madC . M y ,eb F.S.A.Scot., that mediasval glas s probablswa t madyno Scotlann ei d (Proceedings, vol. xlix . 91)p . . bonA 2 manrentf do , give Williay nb m Sutherlan f Duffudo Alexandeo t s r Gordon, Mastef ro Sutherland, dated 4th September 1529, assigns as a penalty to be paid by Sutherland or his heirs for breakin premisses,e pungy th £500 f "f o on operatio o e t m th , "su o t edificatio"d a nan e th f no cathedrall kir f Cathnesko s " (The Sutherland Book, vol. iii. dat94)A p . .e about this period would well suit the style of the nave arcade and west window. But, on the other hand, the sum might have been payable to a general repair or maintenance fund, such as that provided for by Bishop Gilber foundatios hi n i t n charter earlien A . r beques e samth f eo t nature occur 1456n i s , when Alexander Sutherland of Bunbeath granted a capital sum for the repairs of St Gilbert's Church (Origines Parochiales Scotice, vol deea . 607) par. p f Bishon . ii dI o . .ii t p Robert Stewart, dated 1557, repairs latterly done to the cathedral are mentioned (Ibid., p. 610). The cumulative evidence certainly suggests that buildin progresn i s fifteente gth wa sixteentn d si an h h centuries. DORNOCH CATHEDRAL. 237 and yellow-wash which have been applied to all the internal walls, givin gjaundicea d aspece inwarth o t td e edificeview t th eve f Ye o sn . in its mutilated degradation Dornoch Cathedral is still a fine church, chiefly e verowinth yo gt beautifu l proportions whic e moderniseth h d building has inherited from its mediaeval predecessor. The martial tower, with its battlement, bartisans, and broach spire, has a most effective and pleasing appearance. Despite its truncated condition there is dignity in the west window; and in the interior of the church, the grand massive piers, clustei*ed shafts, and soaring, richly-moulded archee crossinth e noblesf o sth gf o for te fragmentmon f mediaevao s l architecture extant in the north of Scotland. I have to thank the Rev. Charles D. Bentinck, B.D., minister of the cathedral r facilitiefo , e f buildingacceso sth o t sr informatio fo , n o n sundry points, and for causing the photogra-ph at fig. 4 to be taken on my request. The photographs at figs. 2 and 3 were taken by the late Mr William G. Jamieson, to whose sister, Miss Elsie Jamieson, Aberdeen, I am indebted for permission to reproduce them. I have also to thank Mr Willia . mAdaiJ r Nelson, Aberdeen r assistancfo , n makini e e th g survey. ADDITIONAL NOTE, APRIL 1924. Since the foregoing account was drawn up, the Septcentenary Cele- bration Committee, on the Rev. Mr Bentinck's suggestion, has undertaken operations wit e exposur a hth viee ancien o mucth o s wt f f o ho e t masonry as might have been spared by the " restorers " of 1835-7 beneath their lath and plaster surfacing. Interesting discoveries have thus been made, and I am indebted to Mr Bentinck for particulars embodied in the following note. The work already completed comprises the laying bare of the piers and arches of the crossing and the lower part of the chancel walls. Beneath the plaster and ochre-wash the original masonry has every- where been found in a satisfactory condition. The effect is distinctly good, and restores a measure of its ancient character to the church. The masonry of the piers, except the north-west one, was badly damaged about where the eighteenth-century lofts would have impinged upon them. This damaged stonework has now been carefully restored. Some of the stones in the south-west pier are weather-worn. The base of the north-east pier has been exposed, and is shown in the annexed illustration (fig. 5), from a drawing kindly furnished by Mr Bentinck. It will be seen that the mouldings are of good and early character, consisting of two rolled members separated by a " water-bearing " hollow. During the excavation of this base a dwarf-wall was discovered, running 238 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , MARC , 1924H10 . t fro e easwesd s probablou mth an twa e tbase t th sidee I f th y. o s support of a former wooden floor, as the plinth on which the base rests, which is 5 feet square and built of dressed stone, has been cut into, apparently to make room for a sleeper-joist. This floor would have been abov e originath e l flood unde an e rpresen th r t e onepierTh .s fee 7 n 2 heighti t e ar , includin e capitalsth g , ane arch-mouldingsth d , which were found intact beneath their ochreous incrustation, rise to a heigh fee7 4 tf o tabov e originaeth l floor massivA . e oaken beas mwa found embedde e masonrth n i d y abov e nortth e h transept arch. The piers are built of Dornoch sandstone,1 and the capitals and arches are of sandstone from Embo. Numerous masons' marke ar s everywhere apparent. e chancee wallth Th f e o sar l built of rubble like that of the Bishop's Palace, with dressed sand- stone quoins. The part exposed extends to a height of from 6 to 8 feel rounal te chancelth d t I . has now been carefully pointed d finishean witf of dha ston e cop- —-^j-'s/ss ing. In the south wall, at the W.D.Sim|sson 'f --^"^ ' ° moder e nvestry th doo o a t ,r Fig . Dornoc5 . h Cathedral: Bas North-easf eo t built-up tomb-recess has been ex- Pier of Crossing. posed. It measures 7 feet 6 inches wide, and has been about 9 feet high above the present floor. The apex e pointeoth f d arcbeed t awahha ncu mako yt e window rooth r mfo s above — whose modernity, in their present form, is thus established. Built into the exposed walls four memorials have been revealed. They are f lato ' e eighteenth earld -an y nineteenth-century date havd an , e been described in an article on Dornoch Cathedral published in the Northern TYrnes of 20th March 1924, which contains an account of the above discoveries. A stone t tableGilbertS o t t , designe r AlexandeM y b d r Carrick, A.R.S.A., Edinburgh, is to be placed in the choir.

quarre .Th ' y from whic e stonehth sais i hav o dt e been take stils ni l showe Linkth f n so no Dornoch.