A Church of Scotland presbytery. It was annexed to Sutherland and Caithness in 1646, but from 1648 to 1704 it was under the direct authority of the General Assembly. It was then returned to Sutherland and Caithness until 1715, when it returned to the direct control of the General Assembly until the erection of the synod of Shetland in 1830. Also, in 1830 the presbyteries of Lerwick and Burravoe were erected to replace the Shetland presbytery.