Saint Dotto

Saint Dotto (died 502) was said to have founded a monastery on one of the Orkney Islands, which bore his name. The island appears on maps from 1629 to be the area of Hoxa - not an island but a peninsula. His feast day is 9 April.

Dubious existence

The tale of Saint Dotto, after whom one of the Orkney Islands was named, with his feast date of 9 April, appears to be based only on David Camerarius's Scottish Menology. Camerarius says he lived after churches and monasteries in Orkney had been dedicated to Saint Brendan , but that he died in 502 AD. The Bollandists are therefore skeptical about his existence. John O'Hanlon notes that Camerarius gives no sources for his information and that there is no island by that name. This has since been proven to be inaccurate as such a location is present on early maps of Orkney, lending to stronger evidence he did exist.

Monks of Ramsgate account

The Monks of Ramsgate wrote in their Book of Saints (1921),

Butler's account

The hagiographer Alban Butler (1710–1773) wrote in his Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints under April 9,

O'Hanlon's account

John O'Hanlon (1821–1905) in his Lives of the Irish saints wrote,