More religious sites in Thurso than first meet the eye
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Thurso's Heritage by a Thirsa Loon
Today we’re used to the churches that are seen on the streets of Thurso, but there were others used over the years with no or little visible trace remaining. The following is not a complete list, but it does mention some of the religious sites that once graced Thurso’s landscape and the surrounding area.
The Meadow of Ormlie, also known as Meadow Park, used to house one of these religious buildings. A Meeting House is believed to have stood here, and nearby properties have references to it in their title deeds.
The Free Church bought the park in 1843, then sold it to David Sinclair Junior, who had a shop on Traill Street. The Meeting House was in use after the Presbyterians took over the running of the parish church in 1690 from the Episcopalians.
Those who didn’t conform to this met here for their worship. The building appears to have stood until the early 19th century based on several recorded memories.
When the old building was demolished, the fittings were removed and kept in a store. A couple of artefacts seem to have survived. Nearby, a large brass candlestick, apparently a church one, was found in a garden, and a carving belonged to a local solicitor.
On an old map of Thurso, there is a building which I think is possibly the Meeting House, now the site of a shop. There is a suggestion that the manse stood just opposite what is now the site of a restaurant.
An Anti-burgher church was built in 1777, with the minister Robert Downie ordained the same year. The Anti-burgers broke away from the First Secession and, following another split, became the Auld Lichts and New Lichts.
The Auld Lichts met at their church, built in 1805, beside what would later become known as Duffs Road. Because of a further split, they erected the Original Secession Church in 1874 at the top of Thurso.
As well as churches, some chapels were scattered around the parish. One of these, St James, was possibly built on top of an earlier chapel in the early 17th century. The ruins of another chapel stood at Bleachfield until the beginning of the 19th century.
Here, “a little God”, or image, was still preserved when the roof had fallen in. The country folk would dress this figure in a small shirt on Christmas night. Another chapel might have stood at Geise, but we know nothing about it.
The Orkneyinga Saga (c1196) describes the battle between the men of Earl Harold Maddadson and Earl Harold Ungi, where the latter was killed. According to one account, there was a small chapel in Thurso East where Harold the Younger was buried.
The building was built near Clairdon Hill, where he allegedly fell. Though the chapel walls had fallen, there were proposals to enclose them. In the end, it was demolished, and Sir George Sinclair later built the mausoleum, known as Harold’s Tower, on the site.
Where there are mass burials, there is often a building. During the construction of a road to Scrabster in 1844, a trench measuring around 300 feet long was full of human remains and several graves. These are supposed to be the victims of clan battles, but it’s unknown if there was ever a religious building on site.
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