the capital of the Orkneys, situated in the island of Pomona, in W. Long. o. 25° N. Lat. 58° 33'. It is built upon an inlet of the sea near the middle of the island, having a very safe road and harbour for shipping. It is a royal borough, governed by a provost, four bailiffs, and a common-council. It was formerly possessed by the Norwegians, who bestowed upon it the name of Cruceviaca. From king James III. of Scotland they obtained a new charter empowering them to elect their own magistrates yearly, to hold borough-courts, arrest, imprison, make laws and ordinances for the right government of the town; to have a weekly market, and three fairs annually at certain fixed terms; he moreover granted to them some lands adjoining to the town, with the customs and shore-dues, the power of a pit and gallows, and exempted them from the expense of sending commissioners to parliament. This charter has been confirmed by succeeding monarchs. At present Kirkwall is the seat of justice, where the steward, sheriff, and commissary, hold their several courts of jurisdiction: Here is likewise a public grammar-school, endowed with a competent salary for the master. The town consists of one narrow street about a mile in length; the houses are chiefly covered with slate, though not at all remarkable for neatness and convenience.—The principal edifices are the cathedral church and the bishop's palace. The former, called St Magnus, from Magnus king of Norway, the supposed founder of the town, is a large Gothic structure: the roof is supported by 14 pillars on each side, and the spire is built upon four large columns. The gates are decorated with a kind of Mosaic work, of red and white stones elegantly carved and flowered. By the ruins of the king's castle or citadel, it appears to have been a strong and lately fortified. At the north end of the town there is a fort of fortification built by the English in the time of Oliver Cromwell. It is surrounded with a ditch and rampart, and still mounted with some cannon for the defence of the harbour.