HISTORIC MEMORIAL STONE SAVED

A historic memorial stone in a recently decommissioned church has been saved thanks to the co-operation of the Shetland Museum and Archives, the Church of Scotland, and the Shetland Ministry Team.

Dr Ian Tait, curator of the museum, liaised with the Church of Scotland to preserve the stone.

“The slab, a memorial stone weighing almost a ton, dates from 1708 and is dedicated to the Rev Alexander Dunbar,” he explained.

“Originally situated in the first Olnafirth Church in Delting, the stone has been moved twice before, and with the decommissioning of the church during the recent changes, it was decided to bring the stone into the safety of the museum for preservation. It’s a huge stone and moving it was a delicate operation.”

The gravestone is six feet long and three feet wide and decorated with the coat-ofarms of Alexander Dunbar and his wife, Mary Mowat.

“It’s in a very good state of preservation as it’s been kept indoors all its time” Ian said, “and has managed to escape the weather that has damaged other stones of that age.”

The original church fell into disrepair after over a hundred years of use and in 1867, a new church was built. In 1953 the church was replaced again and the stone was moved into it, and built into the wall. But with the sale of the church building the stone needed moved again.

“Removal was far from straightforward,” Ian said. “It’s three quarters of a ton and had to be manoeuvred off the wall, on to the floor and out a narrow doorway.

Fortunately, the operation went well.

“I’ve been familiar with the stone for many years, it being located in a working church. It is a very finely executed slab in the Shetland context, from a time when very few residents of the islands had a grave marker of any kind.

“The opportunity for it to come to the Shetland Museum came about because of the decision in 2018 by the Church of Scotland to close various churches in the islands. Certain movable items were selected for preservation, but the Alexander Dunbar tombstone was a special case. The deconsecrated churches were to be sold, with any part of their building fabric. Had this rare gravestone been in its original home, it would have passed from the public domain for the first time, and its long-term future not protected. Both the Church and the Museum were keen to see this unique piece of Shetland ecclesiological history preserved.”