Sheriff George H. Thoms was a prominent legal figure in Orkney in the late nineteenth century and is remembered locally for his decisive role in helping to save St Magnus Cathedral at a critical moment in its history.
By the mid to late nineteenth century St Magnus Cathedral had fallen into serious structural decline. The tower in particular had become unstable and there were real fears that parts of the building might collapse.
Thoms is remembered in Orkney not simply as a Sheriff but as someone who championed the restoration of the cathedral and, on his death, left most of his significant estate (estimated to be around several millions in today’s money) to Kirkwall Town Council on the understanding that the monies be used for the purposes of restoring the cathedral. His actions were gratefully memorialised by the people of Orkney and celebrated in the great East Window, arguably the most magnificent within the building.
