[From Roundabout Notes, 1863]

The Isle of Man..

OH there are some beautiful spots in the Isle of Man. Go the roundabout way from Douglas to Ramsey, turn off at St. John's, walk up Glen Helen to the waterfall, and if you ever passed along a fairer scene, between meandering hills, watered by those darling shallow stone-paved streams, in any part of the United Kingdom, you must have visited Glen Helen in a murky day.

I have been in nearly every corner of the island, but give me this fragment of it, as perfect Isle of Man. There are other marvellously pretty localities, though, and take the Isle altogether, it bears away the bell as an island of Great Britain. How foolish it appears to be to talk of the Isle of Wight as so lovely after seeing the Isle of Man, so rarely mentioned as equally so.

Yet the one unique charm of Mona's Isle -as poets call it-is its antique sovereignty. The Tynwald Hill is, perhaps, one of the most interesting spots in the kingdom. It would be to copy the guide-book to say much of this suggestive bit of antiquity.

Peel Castle ! What would this Castle have been thought of, had Sir Walter Scott never written " Peveril of the Peak ?" Most interesting, doubtlessly, but not invested with that seductive romantic charm which now attaches to it.

This reflection increases the regret one feels at the destruction of Gudrod Crovan's stone, a large granite boulder so called, also immortalized by Scott. Here was the Black Fort.

How a hundred times more interesting than any fanciful engraving is the sight of a locality or objet consecrated by the power of genius!

The destruction of what would now have been this most interesting monument, must surely be regretted by all the thinking inhabitants of the island. If so, let the regret for the loss of it prevent the destruction of others.

I like to see near Kirby that old saddle-stone of the fairies, so long ago mentioned by Waldron. It is now partly built into a wall. Waldron, says : " Not far from Ballafletcher [now called Kirby] is the Fairy's Saddle, a stone so called, I suppose from the similitude it has to a saddle. It seems to be loose on the edge of a small rock, and the wise natives of Man tell you it is every night made use of by the fairies, but on what kind of horses I could never find any who could inform me."

With the celebrated cloven stones of Laxey I was disappointed, believing the cleft in the big stone to be accidental, not intentional, and probably occasioned in some way since the monument was formed. These stones are in a field, and are situated at a few yards to the east of the road. There are two large upright stones, the one on the left hand being cloven, the cleft averaging five inches in width. The stones are six feet apart, forming the entrance to what was once a stone-encircled tumulus. This entrance is only two feet from the stone circle. The circle itself is six feet in diameter, consisting of smaller stones, six only of which now remain, the largest being twenty-eight inches above ground. The tumulus is now nearly concealed with long grass and brambles. I should be inclined to think, from the formation of the ground, that originally there was a second and outer circle of small stones, in which the two big ones were inserted for an entrance.

I have a memorandum that this monument is described by Feltham. In that author's day it was perhaps in a better and more perfect state. There is a tradition that it is a burying-place of a Welsh prince. Refer to Feltham, whose book I have not looked into, and compare the two descriptions, that is, is you can call mine one. It is not. These are rough notes, and nothing more.

A little way further on, and we come to Laxey-a mining village, beautifully situated amidst hills, the loftiest of the island, in a glen divided by a pretty rivulet which runs down to the sea. The hills are destitute of trees, but they are so luxuriantly covered with turf or fern that the effect on the whole is exceedingly pleasing. I cannot say so much for the Manxian architecture ; cottages, rectangular and unpicturesque, literally sparkling with hideous white-wash, that is to say, if anything hideous can sparkle. Above Laxey, by the side of the road leading to Ramsey, is King Orry's Grave, which was originally a large cairn. There are still to be seen the remains of a kistvaen formed of two large blocks of stone, each nine feet in length, which lie parallel, nearly east and west, and are blocked up at the south end by two smaller stones. Nearly contiguous to this on the south are apparently the remains of another stone kistvaen, and from numerous small stones in the vicinity, it may perhaps be concluded that this was originally a very large stone barrow, there being the remains of an outer circle of small stones, showing a diameter of about fifty feet. Near the kistvaen on the south-weft is one large stone, formerly upright, now slightly inclined from the perpendicular. This is no less than ten feet in height, and forms, of course, a conspicuous object. " They must have been very strong people, I think, or they could never have fetched such big stones from the beach," said a cottager. There is every probability of these stones having been brought from a considerable distance.

" In ascending Laxey Hill," says Kneale, " a stone circle on the right hand attracts attention. Not far from it, on the left hand side, is a dilapidated cairn designated King Orry's Grave. The proprietor of the ground on which it stands, on removing some of the stones, discovered a vault fifteen feet square, containing a kistvaen of molt singular construction, inside of which were found the bones and teeth of a horse."

At a few yards distance onwards towards Ramsey on the other, the right hand, side of the road, are the remains of another large tumulus about forty-five feet in diameter. A portion of the outer circle of small stones is still visible, and in the interior are apparently remains of rude stone kistvaens. Three or four upright stones are scattered about, but the whole is very confused in its present state.Two of the upright stones would appear, from their position, to have been the entrance to the interior of the tumulus.

On some hill towards the sea, not very far from this, are the remains of a stone circle I tried more than once to find, but without success, having, I suppose, been wrongly directed. It is called Castle Chorry, and has been described by Mr. Oswald in Trans. Soc. Antiq. Scot., ii. part 2. It would appear from a drawing of it to consist merely of the remains of a stone-encircled tumulus.

We of course went up to the top of Sneafell, the highest mountain in the island, rising 2004 feet above the level of the sea. " The prospect from its summit is scarcely equalled, for extent and beauty, by any in the United Kingdom. It is remarkable for including the several parts of the British dominions ; the ranges of Snowdon and of Cumberland being visible to the southward and eastward, the mountains of Morne and Fairhead appearing on the weft side, and the Mull of Galloway, with the elevation of Criffel, rising in the northern horizon. An excellent view of the island itself is also obtained " (Kneale). The only time we were on the summit, there was a dense mist, which cleared away but once for a few seconds, but sufficiently long to enable us to confide in the accuracy of this description.

Now go the other way. Go from Douglas on the old Castletown road five miles and three-quarters, and in a field near the road, on the right hand fide, as it turns on view of Longness Point, are the remains of an ancient tumulus characteristic of the remoter sepulchral antiquities of the island. It is situated on the estate of Ballakelly in Santon. In the centre are the remains of a stone kistvaen, the two side-stones being each three feet and a half in length, and parallel to each other at a distance of two feet between them, a head-stone remaining in the centre of an inner circle of upright stones of nine feet in diameter. Seven of these stones still remain, although they are not all in their original position. There was also an outer circle of stones, a small portion of which only is now visible, the whole having been about twenty feet in diameter. The mode of sepulture seems clearly intimated by these remains. In the centre of the whole was a stone kistvaen, closely surrounded by a circle of upright stones. Outside of this first circle, at a short distance from it, was another circle of larger stones, the latter probably being the supporters of a tumulus which originally covered the kistvaen and the inner circle.

At Glen Darragh, in a field half a mile south-west of Kirk Marown, are the remains of a clump of stone-encircled barrows. The outline of one large one is traceable, although only eight upright stones about three feet high are visible. In a more ruinous condition are the remains of two barrows which were originally surrounded by stones of larger dimensions, one four feet and a half high, of larger width and faze in every way. One, now levelled, measures five feet by four, and is fifteen inches in thickness. Most of the stones in this cemetery have been thrown down, and the whole, when I visited it, was so concealed by rank grass and fern, it had the appearance of remains of earthen barrows interspersed with blocks of stone of inferior size, many not appearing more than two feet above the ground. There is, however, quite sufficient to show that we have here a number of sepulchral, not Druidical, remains.

The best way of reaching this monument from Douglas is to turn to the left at the Union Mills, and go in the direction of the Foxdale Mines. This road, running along the brows of the hills, reveals fine views of the Manx range of mountains.

About two miles from Douglas on the New Castletown road, in the fifth field on the right of the road, in the farm called Pulrose, is a large upright stone called the White Lady.

Near Rushen Cregnesh, on the road to Port Erin, is a fine earthen tumulus, in a good state of preservation. This, I suppose, is the same which is thus mentioned by Kneale :- " Not far from the parish church, near Ballachurry, may be seen Cronk-y-mooar, i. e. the large hillock (called by the inhabitants, Fairy Hill), which deserves careful examination. It is a truncated cone, about forty feet high, and upwards of four hundred feet in circumference at the base. The summit forms an area of twenty-five feet in diameter, sur rounded by elevated edges about five feet high in the form of a parapet. At the base are the remains of a deep and wide fosse By some antiquaries this large mound is supposed to be a sepulchral barrow, raised to perpetuate the memory of Ragnvald IV., King of Man, who was assassinated in a meadow near the parish church of Rushen, in the year 1248. Train states that the structure of this mound bears evidence of its having been a fortified possession." So far from agreeing with Train, I look upon it as an example of an intrenched tumulus, which has nothing to do with fortification. I cannot help suspecting that there are curious stone chambers in this tumulus, perhaps one or more having runic inscriptions. This is a mere conjecture, but one fancies it, from the extraordinary care taken in its construction

On the hills to the south-weft of Port Erin, is perhaps the most curious sepulchral monument in Great Britain, and it has hitherto eluded observation, not even being noticed in any way by the Manx or other writers. It is a circle of couples of kistvaens, stone avenues leading from the outside to a space in the middle of each couple. The circle is about forty feet in diameter. The interiors of the kistvaens average about six feet in length by two in breadth. The kistvaens are arranged in couples, each couple being about three feet from each other, and the kistvaens forming the couples being about two feet apart. A large stone belonging to one of the kistvaens has apparently been lately removed, and it is to be feared that the whole of this molt interesting monument may soon be destroyed.

It must not be confused with a stone circle near the same spot which is named in the guide-books.

At Balla Mona, in a field adjoining the road north of the old Castletown road, is a small earthen tumulus, measuring at the base about fifty feet in circumference. It is about six feet in height. It is marked in one of the maps as a stone circle, and the top of the mound appears to have been originally inclosed by a small circle of stones about twenty feet in diameter, but the summit of the tumulus is now covered with a pile of loose stones, which renders a close examination impossible.

In a field, the second field from the road on the left hand in going to Kirk Bride, is a large earthen tumulus, originally based by a circle of stones, a few of which still remain. One I measured was four feet high by two and a half feet in width, but of irregular shape. The whole was so overgrown with furze, that a complete examination was impossible, and most of the stones have been thrown out of their original position. This monument is interesting, the remains being sufficient to show its ancient character. It was originally an earthen tumulus, the base of which was supported by a circle of large stones ; and an old man living near the spot told me that he remembered it well when it was fo surrounded. The Manx name of this tumulus is Cronk- y-Vowlan

These remains are so very rapidly disappearing, that even these few trifling notes may be of some little use in future years, and of still more so even now, if they lead any one to examine and describe more closely the unique monument near Port Erin, here, it is believed, for the first time noticed. The Isle of Man is losing its primitive character, and, with it, many of its antiquities. Even the Manx language is nearly extinct, and is now rarely heard either in the towns or in the country. During a residence of several weeks in the Island, although I specially wished to hear it spoken, only on one occasion - two old fishermen conversing in it at Peel-was the desire gratified.

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Any comments, errors or omissions gratefully received The Editor HTML Transcription © F.Coakley , 2013