Introduction
Town on Orkney, Scotland
For the fictional city from the Dragon Age series, see Dragon Age II § Setting.
Human settlement in ScotlandKirkwallScots: Kirkwa / Kirkwaa / KirkwalKirkwall Harbour in August 2014KirkwallLocation within OrkneyArea4.00 km2 (1.54 sq mi)Population10,020 (2024)• Density2,505/km2 (6,490/sq mi)DemonymKirkwallianOS grid referenceHY449109• Edinburgh210 mi (340 km)• London528 mi (850 km)Council areaOrkneyLieutenancy areaOrkneyCountryScotlandSovereign stateUnited KingdomPost townKIRKWALLPostcode districtKW15Dialling code01856PoliceScotlandFireScottishAmbulanceScottish
UK ParliamentOrkney and ShetlandScottish ParliamentOrkney
List of places
UK
Scotland
58°58′52″N 2°57′36″W / 58.981°N 2.960°W / 58.981; -2.960
Kirkwall (Scots: Kirkwa, Kirkwaa, or Kirkwal; Norn: Kirkavå; Scottish Gaelic: Bàgh na h-Eaglaise) is the largest town in Orkney, an archipelago to the north of mainland Scotland. First mentioned in the Orkneyinga saga, it is today the location of the headquarters of the Orkney Islands Council and a transport hub with ferries to many locations. It is the centre of the St Magnus International Festival and is also a popular stopping off point for cruise ships. St Magnus Cathedral stands at the heart of the town.
Etymology
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The name Kirkwall comes from the Norse name Kirkjuvágr meaning "church bay", the settlement having been established by the Norsemen in the 11th century. As late as 1525 the name is recorded as Kirkevaag. This became in time "Kirkwaa" and then eventually Kirkwall - but how the second syllable came to be spelled "wall" is not certain. MacBain quotes F. W. L. Thomas: "How, I ask, could vágr come to be represented by wall? Whence came the ll? Was it that Scottish immigrants finding the sound of vá represented it in writing by 'wall,' the ll at first being silent?"
History
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The town was first mentioned in the Orkneyinga saga in the year 1046, when it was recorded as the residence of Rögnvald Brusason, the Earl of Orkney, who was killed by his uncle Thorfinn the Mighty.
In 1486, King James III of Scotland elevated Kirkwall to the status of a royal burgh, and in time it would return a Burgh commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland.
After Union with England it combined with other towns to form the Northern Burghs, sending a single MP to Parliament. In 1918, the Parliamentary Burgh of Kirkwall merged into Orkney and Shetland.
Earth houses[edit]
On the western edge of the town, surrounded by Hatston Industrial Estate, there is a prehistoric monument, known as the "Grain Earth House" (see Historic Scotland). It is a short, low, stone-walled passage, deep underground, leading to a small pillared chamber.
This kind of earth house (or "souterrain") is characteristic of the Northern Isles (although the Grain Earth House is unusually deep below ground). It was originally connected to a surface dwelling, which has since disappeared. The purpose of these Iron Age structures remains unknown. Further west, towards Grimbister, there is a similar structure, known as Rennibister Earth House.
