Tingwall, Shetland

in Tingwall kirkyard]] The small promontory at the end of Tingwall Loch, known as Tingaholm or Law Ting Holm was once home to Shetland's earliest parliament. It was once an islet entirely surrounded by water and accessed by a stone causeway. In the 1850s the level of the loch was lowered, and the holm took on its present form. Tingwall was also the base of the Archdeaconry in Shetland. The present day church lies on the site of a much older building, originally dedicated to St Magnus. The burial vault in the churchyard, a turf covered mound with an arched stone doorway, is believed to belong to this earlier building. The burial vault contains 17th and 18th century stone grave slabs. The…