Bishop's Palace (Kirkwall)

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Bishop's Palace
inside view

Bishop's Palace is a ruined castle and former bishop's residence in the Scottish city ​​of Kirkwall on the Orkney island of Mainland . The facility is classified as a Scheduled Monument . The Bishop's Palace is located in Kirkwall city center.

history

The castle was built at the same time as the St. Magnus Cathedral opposite as the residence of the Bishops of Orkney under Bishop William the Elder in the 12th century. After the defeat in the Battle of Largs in 1263, the Norwegian King Håkon IV stayed in the castle and died there. Apparently, Bishop's Palace was only used sporadically in the following decades and the building fell into a ruinous state by 1320. In 1526 the ruin briefly came into the possession of William Sinclair, 4th Lord Sinclair . King James V stationed troops at both Kirkwall Castle and Bishop's Palace in 1540 .

Bishop Robert Reid took care of the castle in the 16th century. He had the existing substance restored, increased and added extensions. A good part of the structure preserved today comes from this construction phase. From 1568 Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Orkney , ruled the islands and also had Bishop's Palace. His son Patrick Stewart, 2nd Earl of Orkney, built the Earl's Palace, his residence in the vicinity of the Bishop's Palace, and planned to integrate it into the building. Due to insufficient financial resources, this could no longer be implemented. Patrick Stewart is considered a tyrannical ruler who is extremely unpopular among the people. After being charged with high treason in 1614, Patrick's brother Robert tried to instigate a rebellion in the course of which the castle was besieged. It is not clear whether the damage to the structure resulted from this siege. Today the Bishop's Palace is only preserved as a ruin.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Scheduled Monument - entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  2. ↑ a b Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  3. ↑ a b Information about the Bishop's Palace

Web links

Commons : Bishop's Palace  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 58 ° 58 '51.1 "  N , 2 ° 57' 35.3"  W.